Rocket League to form part of Elite Series

RNS Number : 6310A

Gfinity PLC

27 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")

Rocket League to form part of Elite Series

Gfinity announces final game to feature in Elite Series

Gfinity plc (AIM: GFIN), a leading eSports business, announces that Rocket League, the award-winning video game, will be the final game to feature in the Gfinity Elite Series ("Elite Series"), launching later this year.

Rocket League, the vehicle-based soccer game, has become a growing feature of the eSports scene and will be played in multiplayer teams of three versus three. This follows the two announcements made earlier this month that Counter-Strike: Global Offensive and Street Fighter V are to be the other two games to feature and therefore the full Elite Series programme has now been revealed.

Registration is still 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 Company also announces that, as of today, gamers are now eligible to sign up for competitions in all three games and start their journey to becoming professional players. 

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.

Neville Upton, Chief Executive Officer, Gfinity plc, said: "Gfinity has always been about the gamers and the signing of Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, Street Fighter V and Rocket League will guarantee the very best action and entertainment for those playing and watching the Elite Series. We are taking responsibility for growing the scene in the UK by encouraging people of different abilities to have a shot at competitive gaming through the Challenger Series. We want more gamers playing harder and better at the top level to showcase new home-grown talent to existing pro teams, and ultimately pave the way for more UK pro teams being formed that can go on and compete at global events. The Gfinity Elite Series is set to be the pinnacle eSports event in the UK." 

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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