Launch of Gfinity Challenger Series

RNS Number : 6291Y

Gfinity PLC

06 March 2017

 

Dissemination of a Regulatory Announcement that contains inside information according to REGULATION (EU) No 596/2014 (MAR)

Gfinity plc

("GFIN" or the "Company")

Launch of Gfinity Challenger Series

Registration is now open

Gfinity plc (AIM: GFIN), a leading eSports business, announces the launch of the Gfinity Challenger Series ("Challenger Series") as the first stage of the Gfinity Elite Series, with the Counter Strike: Global Offensive game as the first of three titles to form part of the Elite Series.

The Elite Series, first announced in November 2016, is a dynamic new eSports league format which will provide the eSports community with an exciting new platform to play and watch games in a fiercely competitive environment on www.gfinityesports.com. The series is expected to attract an active audience of eSport enthusiasts and competitive gamers to generate sponsorship and broadcasting rights for the Company and provide a unique set of sponsorship, media and franchise opportunities for potential partners.

Registration is now open for gamers to participate in the Challenger Series tournament, where aspiring gamers can acquire ranking points ("G-Points") and the opportunity to be drafted into one of eight pro-franchises. The Challenger Series is expected to launch on 27 March 2017, where gamers will compete in a series of online competitions to determine who will be selected to play in the Gfinity Arena in the Elite Series, which is expected to be launched in May this year.

Neville Upton, Chief Executive Officer, Gfinity plc, said: "The launch of the Challenger Series is a major strategic milestone for the Company and goes some way to highlighting the growing demand for eSports competitions. Furthermore, we're delighted that the popular multiplayer first person shooter game, Counter Strike: Global Offensive, published by Valve, is the first of three titles we expect to announce over the coming weeks as we continue to build out the Elite Series."

For more information on Gfinity's Elite Series click on the following hyperlink: www.gfinityesports.com.

Enquiries:

Gfinity plc	www.gfinityplc.com
Neville Upton, Chief Executive Officer	Via Walbrook PR
Allenby Capital Limited - Nominated Adviser and Broker	Tel. [phone]
Jeremy Porter / John Depasquale / James Thomas
Walbrook PR (Media & Investor Relations)	Tel: [phone]
Paul Cornelius / Sam Allen / Paul Whittington	or [e-mail]

About Gfinity:

Founded in 2012, Gfinity has quickly established itself as one of the world's leading eSports companies.  The London-based business enjoys strong relationships with game publishers, players and the wider eSports community and has already built a strong reputation for delivering high quality competitions, both on-line and off-line, and producing industry leading eSports broadcasts.

The Company has over half a million registered users, eligible to compete in its online competitions and stages world leading off-line events, which see the top players in the world, across a range of eSports titles travel to the Gfinity Arena in London to take part in competitions, which are broadcast on-line to millions of viewers around the world.  The Company stages events featuring a number of top video gaming titles, across PCs, consoles and mobile devices.

The Company monetises the strong position that it has created through a combination of sponsorship, advertising, broadcast income relating to Gfinity's own events and through fees received for creating and delivering bespoke events for sponsors and game publishers seeking to engage with the eSports community.

About eSports

eSports (electronic sports) is watching or playing competitive video gaming. Leading titles include League of Legends, Counter Strike: Global Offensive, Defence of the Ancients 2 (DoTA 2), Call of Duty and Rocket League. The industry is growing rapidly, with new communities developing around more and more titles. The global eSports market generated US$325 million of revenue in 2015 and is expected to make $463 million in 2016. The global eSports audience in 2015 was 226 million people, 80% under the age of 35 and 70% male (source: Newzoo). Online streaming channels Twitch and YouTube command the biggest audiences, although eSports events are also now being broadcast on conventional TV.  The 2015 League of Legends Championships finals in Berlin were watched by 36 million people, with a peak concurrent viewership of 14 million viewers, while at DotA 2's flagship annual championship 'The International 2016' competitors from around the world competed for a prize pot of over $20 million.

 

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