Team EnVyUs to compete in the Elite Series

RNS Number : 0376B

Gfinity PLC

30 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")

Team EnVyUs to compete in the Elite Series

Gfinity plc (AIM: GFIN), a leading eSports business, announces that Team EnVyUs ("Envy"), the UK eSports Industry Awards 2016 Team of the Year, are the fifth team to have signed up to compete in the Gfinity Elite Series ("Elite Series"), launching later this year.

Envy, the multi-award winning eSports team based in the US, will establish new teams to compete in each of the three gaming titles comprising the Elite Series: : Rocket League, Counter Strike: Global Offensive and Street Fighter V.

The team, founded in 2007, is globally-renowned in the eSports community and are expected to bring a huge fan base to the series.

This follows the announcement yesterday that the first four teams to sign up to the series were amongst some of the best-known eSports teams in the UK. The Company expects to announce three further teams to complete the Elite Series tournament shortly.

Registration is still open to all 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 the eight pro-teams. These teams will then compete in the Elite Series giving amateur gamers the chance to play with some of the biggest names in eSports in the Gfinity Arena in London.

Neville Upton, CEO, Gfinity plc, said, "Following the announcement of the top UK eSports organisations yesterday, we have delivered on our promise to make the eSports community sit up and take more notice of the UK eSports scene by adding Team EnVyUs to the Gfinity Elite Series. Team EnVyUs are a global eSports powerhouse with an engaged, fanatical following of over 4,000,000 fans. Their pedigree and standing in the global eSports order is unwavering and shows that we are serious about our intention to take eSports in the UK to the next level. We are not only passionate about investing in home-grown players and teams but also ensuring that they have opportunities to compete on the world stage. Gfinity Elite Series is something that is set to be a staple on the global eSports calendar for years to come and we are excited about revealing the remaining three teams for the tournament."

Mike Rufail, Team Owner, Team EnVyUs, said: "We're very excited to be coming to London for the Gfinity Elite Series and setting up teams for CS:GO, Rocket League and Street Fighter V. We know Gfinity will put on a world-class tournament and we were attracted to the spirit of the Elite Series and the opportunity to discover new talent in Europe and the UK specifically. Elite Series moves Team EnVyUs into new areas, while building our brand, strengthening our player base and showcasing our unique approach to competitive gaming.  We hope the fans enjoy watching us develop here."

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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