eSports roundup w/c 24/09

Football game paused as fans protest eSports

Football fans in Switzerland held up a game by throwing tennis balls and games consoles onto the field in a strange protest against eSports last Sunday.

The referee was forced to stop the Swiss league game between host Young Boys and Basel for two minutes while the pitch was cleared up. Young Boys fans held up a giant banner displaying the symbol of a pause button, and television pictures showed a black games console on the pitch with a slogan opposing electronic gaming leagues. 

In case you don’t know, European football clubs are increasingly looking to have a franchise in eSports leagues, which is causing quite a kerfuffle.

Mastercard partners with League of Legends as the first global eSports sponsor Mastercard and Riot Games have made a deal to make the technology and credit card company the first global eSports sponsor for League of Legends.

The partnership was announced last week, with Riot Games referencing Mastercard’s involvement in other sports organisations and entertainment events such as the PGA Tour and Major League Baseball. Mastercard will now be the exclusive payment services partner for League’s biggest global events, including the Mid-Season Invitational and the upcoming World Championship, as well as the All-Star Event.

With the 2018 season almost over, the first event Mastercard will support will be the 2018 World Championship. Mastercard is also working with Riot Games to give League of Legends players and eSports viewers another chance to win big outside of the World Championship, ensuring any players who purchase items from the game client using a Mastercard will be eligible to win a trip to the All-Star Event in December.

Arup to design modular eSports arena 

Multinational professional services firm Arup has teamed up with London-based eSports company Gfinity to design a modular arena dedicated solely to hosting game events.

The aim of the partnership is to develop the template for a scalable building purpose-built for spectating and broadcasting tournaments. Arup associate director Chris Dite said that eSports facilities were “high on the agenda” for some of its biggest clients. The stadium is also set to include accommodation, so aspirational gamers can visit anytime throughout the year to perfect their skills.

HUE Festival a success 

Teams from all over America attended HUE Festival last weekend to compete at two of eSports' biggest games, and Harrisburg University found themselves in the top tier of talent.

The festival was a gaming and music event featuring collegiate tournaments for Overwatch and League of Legends, all hosted by Harrisburg University. HarrisburgU managed to beat 18 other schools to make it to the finals, but ultimately came in second in both tournaments. Maryville University Esports managed to beat them in the Overwatch tournament by 2-1 matches.