eSports roundup w/c 3/12

The world of eSports isn’t just wild and vibrant, it’s also constantly evolving due to it being taken more and more seriously by large corporations. In this roundup, we’ve put together everything you need to know from the last two weeks.

Would you live in the gaming house of the future?

Forget about robot vacuum cleaners and voice-controlled music, they’re so old school! The house of the future for gamers is all about distinct sections, which range from the perfect environment for pro gamers to do their thing, to spectator zones where fans can watch the action unfold.

The stylish concept was unveiled during the Wired Live event at the Tate Modern in London. As is to be expected, the house also includes spaces specifically made for skateboarding, wellness, performance and living, spread across multiple floors and even the roof. Sweet!

Rogue adds Profit to LOLEC

The League of Legends European Championship line-up has just become a lot more interesting, as laner Kim "Profit" Jun-hyung, jungler Mateusz "Kikis" Szkudlarek, mid laner Chres "Sencux" Laursen and support Kim "Wadid" Bae-in were added by Rogue, Las Vegas' professional e-sports organisation.

These guys are genuine pros, so expect plenty of innovation when Rogue makes its League of Legends debut in January.

A blog to be proud of

Esports News UK received recognition at the 2018 UK Blog Awards. Shortlisted for the 'Social Influencer - Business' category, the website lost to Kiki Blah-Blah but was highly commended by the judges for its excellent work in bringing eSports blogging into the mainstream.

Bring forth the gifts!

Fortnite Battle Royale is introducing gifting into its incredibly popular shooter game. The new update (6.31) gives players the option to choose the ‘Buy as a Gift’ option in the item shop, which allows you to send it to a fellow player. ‘Tis the season for giving, after all!

Alphari moves to Origen

If you’re a fan of British top-laner Barney "Alphari" Morris, you may be surprised (or perhaps not) to hear that he’s joining Origen in a two-year deal. Alphari previously played for Misfits Gaming and has been with their League of Legends team since the very beginning, so it’ll be odd to see him move away. The transfer reflects how highly regarded he is as a professional eSports player.

The perfect match

International sporting goods retailer INTERSPORT has joined forces with SK Gaming to sell its newly-designed jersey. Whilst this may not sound like huge news, it’s another instance of a large physical sports company (INTERSPORT has more than 5,000 locations worldwide) taking eSports seriously and creating a long-term relationship.

Audi gets in on the eSports action

German car manufacturer Audi has added a pair of soccer eSports franchises to its portfolio of endorsement deals. This involves providing a totally unique Audi Q7 e-tron car kitted out with a PlayStation 4, which will be used by team Fokus Clan in a series of planned activities. Who says that playing games doesn’t get you anywhere?