eSports roundup 07/06/18

We’ve compiled a selection of what’s been happening in the manic world of eSports from across the world.

Esports Scotland Granted Custom Tournament License

Esports Scotland has been granted a Custom Tournament License from Blizzard Entertainment to deliver the Overwatch Esports Scotland Cup.

The tournament is for Xbox One only and will feature four single-bracket tournaments, with the winners making it through to the finals taking place on Sunday October 7th.

Qualifiers run on August 4th, 5th, 12th and 13th from 4pm to 11pm. A venue and prize pool has not yet been announced, though organisers tell Esports News UK the venue will be confirmed soon and there’ll b exciting rewards.

"Huge shoutout to Blizzard Entertainment EU headquarters. We are eternally grateful for all the advice and assistance you’ve given us these past couple of months,” says Brian Houston, Operations Manager at Esports Scotland.

"We would also like to thank all the Esports Scotland team for the hard work they put in, and even more hard work they’ll be putting in over the coming months on this project. We have a brilliant, talented team of volunteers who work around their schedules to make Esports Scotland the organisation it is today. You folks are the best."

Stakrn add John Armstrong to their Advisory Board

Stakrn has formally announced the appointment of John Armstrong to the company’s Advisory Board and also as the representative of Stakrn in the UK. Stakrn calls itself an eSports business company with a diverse offering, from events listings and promotion, to consultancy and more. The company is ultimately designed to drive and connect the business world of eSports.

Armstrong arrives fully armed with an 18-year business background in the wider games industry. He has recently worked as a consultant offering business advice and development services to eSports companies and facilities such as the University of Salford (UK), Millennial Esports Corp (US), Barrage Esports (UK), Critical Force (Finland), and KAMK (Kajaani University) Esports Bootcamp (Finland), to name a few. He will now lead Stakrn UK forward into a bright future.

ESI Birmingham a huge success

ESI Birmingham, a one-day exclusive eSports conference tied in with the UK’s first major, has been and gone, and we can confirm it was a resounding success. Taking place at Arena Birmingham on 24 May, the event acted as a perfect introduction to the industry and as a precursor to ESL One Birmingham, the fastest selling Dota 2 Major. It was hosted with support from ESL UK, Intel, PwC, and the NEC Group.

Callum Scott, National Events Manager at The Rank Group, stated: “ESI Birmingham was by far one of the best networking opportunities I have had. The wide range of speakers and topics covered really gives a huge insight into the world of eSports. I can honestly say that without ESI events, I wouldn’t have made so many connections.

“I had the opportunity to gain exclusive backstage access to the biggest UK eSports event. It was a fantastic experience which I would not have had without attending this ESI event. Professional, reliable, networking.”