eSports
Recap of the 2020 eSports Awards
It is the fifth year of the annual eSports Awards, and as the popularity of eSports grows – especially this year – so does the size of the awards sports.
The event handed out 32 awards on Saturday, November 21, over Twitch – as a full live event with award nominees, presenters, and fans was not possible this year – or if they did try and go through with it, the fines would have been astronomical, and no one wants to get hit with a big bill during these times. Hopefully, the show can return to normal in 2021 – and not only take place over Twitch.
Big Winners at the 2020 eSports Awards
Ibai “Ibai” Llanos was a big winner at the show, taking home the “Streamer of the Year” Award. Llanos plays a range of games. He started with League of Legends back in 2014 – and is best known for it. However, he has expanded and also casts FIFA and Rocket League.
Another bigger at the awards ceremony was Team Secret – who took home the award for “2020 eSports Team of the Year.” Their active squad of MATUMBAMAN, Nisha, zai, YapzOr, and Puppey (team captain) took home a trophy, along with coach Heen, director John Yao, and manager Cyborgmatt. The team won two of the biggest DOTA 2 tournaments of 2020 – DreamLeague Season 13 in January and OMEGA League: Europe Immortal Division in September.
Emily Rand took home the award for “eSports Journalist of the Year,” thanks to her covering of eSports for ESPN. Her work with the American sports conglomerate touched on a range of subjects – from rosters, players, and teams to eSports fashion and family life.
Her news reporting on eSports helped ESPN reach more people, and the popularity of eSports grow in America – as Americans dealt with a lack of sports for over three months.
You can see a full list of winners at the 2020 eSports Awards below.
Community Awards
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Streamer of the Year Presented by Lexus – Ibai “Ibai” Llanos
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Esports Play of the Year In Association With RESPAWN Products – İsmailcan “XANTARES” Dörtkardeş
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Esports Personality of the Year Presented by Lexus – Carlos “ocelote” Rodríguez Santiagos
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Esports Content Creator of the Year In Association With Esports Stadium Arlington – Xavier “UpUpDownDown” Woods
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Esports Collegiate Award – Tyrelle Appleton
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Esports Mobile Game of the year – FreeFire
“LEC Caster” by lolesports is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0
Industry Awards
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Esports Journalist of the Year – Emily Rand
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Esports Hardware Provider of the Year – Elgato
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Esports Game of the Year In Association With The Koyo Store – League of Legends
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Esports Commercial Partner of the Year – Logitech
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Esports Publisher of the Year In Association With Live CGI from Esports Supply – Riot Games
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Esports Coverage Website of the Year In Association With Sizzle Creative – The Esports Observer
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Esports Supporting Agency of the Year In Association With Grind Gaming – CSA
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Panel’s Choice Award in association with Touch of Ginger – Michal Slowinski
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Panel’s Choice Award in association with Touch of Ginger – Steve Dudenhoeffer
Lifetime Achievement Awards in Esports – Class of 2020
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Johnathan “Fatality” Wendel
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Daigo Umehara
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Richard Lewis
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Craig “Torbull” Levine
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Michael Sepso
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Lim “Boxer” Yo-Hwan
Creative Awards
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Esports Cosplay of the Year – Glory Lamothe
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Esports Photographer of the Year – Rich Loch
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Esports Videographer of the Year – Logan Dodson
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Esports Content Team of the Year – LEC
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Esports Content Series of the Year – Eavesdrop Podcast
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Esports Creative/Creative Team of the Year in association with eBeatz – Paper Crowns
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Esports Creative Piece of the Year – Warriors Cinematic by Riot Games
On Air Awards
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Esports Caster of the Year (Colour) – Michael “Kixstar” Stockley
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Esports Caster of the Year (Play by Play) – Clayton “Captain Flowers” Raines
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Esports Host of the Year – Eefje “Sjokz” Depoortere
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Esports Analyst of the Year – Chad “SPUNJ” Burchill
Pro Awards
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Esports Team of the Year – Team Secret
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Esports Console Player of the Year In Partnership With SCUF – Anthony “Shotzzy” Cuevas-Castro
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Esports PC Player of the Year – Michał “Nisha” Jankowski
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Esports Organisation of the Year – G2 Esports
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Esports Coach of the Year – Lee “Heen” Seung Gon (Team Secret)
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Esports PC Rookie of the Year In Association With Matrix Keyboards – Ryu “Keria” Min-seok
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Esports Console Rookie of the Year In Partnership With SCUF – Anthony “Shotzzy” Cuevas-Castro
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Esports Mobile Player of the Year – Made Bagas “Zuxxy” Pramudita
eSports
IESF and ITTI Open Applications for Scholarships in Esports Management
The International Esports Federation (IESF) and the International Institute of Technology and Innovation (ITTI) are thrilled to announce the launch of the IESF x ITTI Scholarships, an initiative designed to empower the next generation of Esports leaders. This scholarship program brings together the industry’s best resources to select young talent ready to make their mark in Esports management and gaming.
Four scholarships are available for promising students who will join ITTI’s Master’s in Esports Management and Gaming program. This scholarship opportunity opens on November 4, 2024, and closes on November 20, 2024. The project is also part of IESF and Busan City’s World Esports R&D Center Program, supporting education and development in the Esports industry.
Scholarship Allocation:
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One student who is a Resident of Busan, aged 18 – 24.
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Three international students, aged 18-24.
How to Apply:
Open to applicants aged 18 to 24, the program invites candidates to submit a completed application form and an introduction video addressing specific questions about their goals, interests, and vision for Esports. With support from NASEF, IESF’s educational partner, the selection committee will evaluate each applicant’s creativity, dedication to Esports, and unique ideas to shape the industry.
Applicants can access the Application Form and should complete both the form and video submission by the deadline.
The IESF x ITTI Scholarships offer a great path into Esports management, and recipients will gain access to ITTI’s advanced curriculum designed to equip students for impactful roles in Esports. We invite all eligible young enthusiasts to apply and join this exciting journey with us. Let’s help shape the future of Esports!
eSports
SOFTSWISS Sportsbook Doubles Esports Turnover in Q3 2024
1 November 2024 – Esports has experienced explosive growth in Q3 2024, doubling turnover compared to the previous quarter. The average bet on cybersports increased by 17.6% quarter-on-quarter. SOFTSWISS, a global tech expert with over 15 years of experience providing innovative iGaming solutions, shares the SOFTSWISS Sportsbook Q3 2024 report.
The top five sports by Gross Gaming Revenue (GGR) remain consistent: Football, Tennis, Basketball, Table Tennis, and eFootball. For the second consecutive quarter, eFootball has outperformed Counter-Strike 2, indicating a shifting interest within the esports sector. Nevertheless, football continues to dominate, contributing nearly half of the total GGR.
The average live bet grew by 10% quarter-on-quarter, a positive development for operators as live bets hold 78.6% of turnover. The SOFTSWISS Sportsbook team is actively enhancing the live betting experience, aiming to capitalise on this trend and provide operators with even greater revenue opportunities.
The average bet grew by 9.7% quarter-on-quarter in Q3 2024, and the number of bets increased by 18.7%. GGR saw a modest growth of 1.5% quarter-on-quarter.
Despite the large number of projects launched for the UEFA Euro 2024, month-on-month statistics show that with the right promotional strategies, projects continue to operate successfully even after such massive events.
Alexander Kamenetskyi, Head of SOFTSWISS Sportsbook, adds: “Aligning a launch with a major sporting event can be a successful strategy, but football is not the only sport that can be leveraged in this way. The growth of cybersports presents new opportunities; for specialised projects targeting specific audiences, esports events can also serve as an effective starting point.
We continuously focus on product growth and development, enhancing features and user experience to drive further engagement and profitability for our partners.”
The SOFTSWISS Sportsbook is expanding its global presence. The product team is on track to secure certification in Brazil, conducted by an authorised testing laboratory. Furthermore, for the South African market, the SOFTSWISS Sportsbook has recently integrated a Horse Racing Module. This addition offers operators new business opportunities by covering over 2,400 international and local races monthly. The solution engages players with race cards, silks, and multiple bet types while providing operators unique skins and configurations to align with various brand identities.
The SOFTSWISS team is working on The iGaming Trends Report 2025, which offers a deep dive into key industry developments based on over 50,000 media headlines and insights from industry experts. Covering areas like regulation, marketing, technology, and business growth, this report provides a data-driven perspective on the trends shaping the upcoming year. The SOFTSWISS team shares the possibility of joining the waiting list.
All SOFTSWISS products will be showcased at the final major industry event, SiGMA Europe, at stand 2145.
eSports
Procedure to be followed by school clubs affiliating for the 2025 season
Mind Sports South Africa (MSSA), founded in 1984, is the national federation for Board games, Card games, Esports, and Wargames.
MSSA promotes all the different disciplines equally, although each school may pick-and-choose which discipline it wishes to promote at its school. Some schools will promote the whole gambit, while others will concentrate on only one discipline, and/or even just concentrate on one specific title.
The choice is ultimately up to the school.
MSSA has sent teams with full Protea Colours to international events since 1991 for wargames, 1996 for Morabaraba, 1997 for Checkers, and 2005 for Esports. Many members of the national teams have been scholars, and all have benefited from their involvement in the national Protea Team.
There is still the option open for a school to start a full-blown sub-club on its premises, but bearing in mind the tight regulatory conditions under which accredited schools have to operate in the Republic, the MSSA no longer deems it necessary for a school to start a sub-club.
As long as the school club has the approval of the school, and has an Educator-in-Charge, a school may affiliate by merely completing the Application for Affiliation Form and submitting such to MSSA.
Advantages of having a MSSA affiliated club: There are many advantages of having a MSSA affiliated club, such as:
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Being part of a community where your club has a real say in how things are done
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Being able to apply for National Lottery Funding – MSSA member clubs can apply for up to R800,000.00 in funding
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Being able to get assistance from your local government
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Experience increased media exposure of your events and your gamers
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Become part of the international community through the MSSA Registered players are able to become internationally recognised umpires, etc.
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Enable your gamers to take part in MSSA events, which may qualify them for Regional, Provincial, and National colours, overseas trips, and even sports bursaries at university.
- Private clubs: one vote per every five registered players, and
- School clubs: one vote per every ten registered players.
MSSA’s General Regulations
The General Regulations comprises of decisions made by both Council and Executive Committee Meetings. The General Regulations deals with how sub-committees operate as well as to how teams are selected and development funding is distributed. Please refer to Schedule 10.12 in regard to the rights of clubs in hosting events.
MSSA’s Discipline Specific Regulations
The Discipline Specific Regulations deal with rules concerning the different disciplines. The Disciplines that the MSSA caters for are; Board Gaming, Card gaming, Esports, and Figure Gaming.
When a club applies for membership, the applicant club must complete such form and return the same to the MSSA.Fee note for 2025
The fee note details the Affiliation Fees and Registration fees that are payable.
Player Registration Form
The Player Registration Form needs to be completed by every player that is a member of a club and intends to participate in MSSA affairs.
MSSA’s Letter of Undertaking
The Letter of Undertaking is for all registered players who sit on any MSSA committee.
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