Launch of the Gfinity Elite Series

RNS Number : 4023P

Gfinity PLC

17 November 2016

 

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

Gfinity plc

("Gfinity" or the "Company")

Launch of the Gfinity Elite Series

Gfinity launches global professional eSports series

Gfinity Plc (AIM: GFIN), a leading eSports promoter, announces the launch of the Gfinity Elite Series (the "Series"), a dynamic new eSports league format, featuring some of the world's most popular gaming titles. 

Launching first in the UK, with a view to expanding across international markets in the near future, the Series will provide the eSports community with exciting new opportunities to watch or play in a fiercely competitive environment on www.gfinityelite.com.

Competition will start in January 2017, when gamers of any ability from anywhere around the world will be able to compete in the Gfinity Challenger Series to win Gfinity Elite Series ranking points. The competitors with the most points will qualify for the Gfinity Elite Draft, where professional teams will offer the best players a place in their Gfinity Elite Series franchises.

The Gfinity Elite Series itself will launch in April 2017 and will see Gfinity Elite Series Franchises compete for the title of Gfinity Elite Series Champion. The Gfinity Elite Series will be streamed live to a global audience from the home of UK eSports, the Gfinity Arena in London.

The Gfinity Elite Series is expected to attract an active audience of eSport enthusiasts to generate sponsorship and broadcasting rights for Gfinity and create a unique set of sponsorship, media and franchise opportunities for potential partners seeking access to the rapidly growing and valuable UK eSports population of 6.5 million, most of which fall into the male under 35 demographic.

Neville Upton, Chief Executive Officer, Gfinity Plc, said: "As the gamers' champion, Gfinity is excited to be launching the Gfinity Elite Series. The UK has some of the best talent in eSports and Gfinity Elite Series gives them the opportunity to hone their skills and take on some of the best from around the world. This is what the UK eSports community has been waiting for and we can't wait to take this truly global."

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 / Paul Whittington / Sam Allen	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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