Collection will look to celebrate gaming culture through an esports-inspired apparel line

Esports entertainment company BLAST has launched an esports-inspired Nike branded apparel collection.

The BLAST and Nike branded collection will look to encapsulate gaming culture and lifestyle through spotlighting and celebrating the people and personalities behind esports – from the talent and players, all the way through to the unsung heroes behind-the-scenes.

The collection will incorporate the iconic colours and design of BLAST Premier with the Nike emblem and will include a t-shirt, cap, hoodie and jersey.

Faye Marlborough, Head of Create Solutions at BLAST, said: “Our ambition is to work with the most reputable brands in the world, and they don’t come much bigger than Nike. Gaming has become a lifestyle over the last few years with the rise of esports, we are excited to be able to encapsulate the passion and uniqueness associated with competitive gaming through this collection.”

The apparel line will be launched and made available for general sale in August during the BLAST Premier Fall Groups (19-28 August).

BLAST Premier is the world’s leading Counter-Strike tournament series, hosting the best players and teams, offering opportunities to regions across the globe and crowning the world champions of CS:GO. Up to 32 of the world’s best teams take part in the seven BLAST Premier events across the year with a combined prize pool of $2,475,000 on the line.

Playing games online can be a lot of fun, and is a great way to pass time if you’re bored or have some free time before you need to do something pressing. So are online casinos: gambling is just as fun, and can help make some of the long summer days a little less dull. 

If you have long stretches of time where you’re unsure of what to do and feel like you’ve already binge-watched your favorite shows at least twice, then online gambling may just be for you. However, you definitely need to make sure you stay safe while playing online, and you don’t want to freely give out your information without exercising caution.

1. Make Sure You Can Read the Fine Print

Online casinos have been a thing for a long while now, and unfortunately, lots of scammers have been exploiting the phenomenon for just as long. That means that they’ve figured out little details that will throw people off. For example, you may be able to play the games just fine, but the fine print may be in another language altogether. That’s usually a red flag, and it’s best to avoid any website whose rules are hard to read.

2. Get Paid Immediately

If you’re playing for real money, then make sure you don’t get involved with a site that promises to mail a check. Look into options like fast payout casinos to help ensure that you get the fastest payment possible. They offer different ways of securely receiving money, and you can either make a deposit or use cryptocurrency – whichever is more convenient for you. 

3. Check Your Options

Before you start gambling online, make sure to check your deposit and withdrawal options. It typically takes about seven days to be able to withdraw money – any site that allows for less or more time should be avoided. Also, make sure the site offers different kinds of payment methods, and that these methods work for you. Finally, if the site doesn’t ask for your ID while you set up the account, it’s probably not legit. 

4. Stay within Your Territory

A legit website won’t allow players from beyond their territory. Very rarely are international browsers allowed to play. Try to make sure that the site you use allows people from the same countries to play since each territory will have a different set of applicable legalities. 

5. Check the Reviews

A good website is bound to have a slew of reviews online. Plenty of people – who aren’t bots – would be recommending it, and you could rest assured that you’re gambling with a safe casino. If you can’t find enough information to vouch for the quality of the website, then it’s best to avoid it.

6. Make sure It’s Licensed

This may be the most important tip here: definitely make sure that the online casino has a license. They cannot operate without one, and it’s the best safety measure you can have in place in case the casino refuses to release payment. In that case, you can always show the license to the relevant authorities and take action to receive your compensation.

Online casinos can be fun, especially if you don’t have the time or means to go to a traditional brick-and-mortar one. However, they do come with several caveats, so you need to be extra careful with where and how you choose to spend your time and share your personal information. 

Copenhagen-based Nordisk Games today announces that Ebba Ljungerud, former CEO of Paradox Interactive, has joined the company’s Board of Directors.

In her new role, Ebba Ljungerud will support the leadership team, by scoping new investment targets and strengthening partnerships with existing partner studios, as it continues to expand its portfolio of game studio investments in 2022. In recent years, Nordisk Games has built a high-growth portfolio of minority and majority-owned game studios that includes Avalanche Studios Group, Star Stable Entertainment, MercurySteam, Nitro Games, Flashbulb Games and Supermassive Games.

During her time at Paradox, Ebba Ljungerud led the company during the development of popular grand strategy series like Crusader Kings, Hearts of Iron and Stellaris. Prior to this, she spent eight years at Kindred Group holding various executive management positions, including CCO. Outside of her role on Nordisk Games’ board, Ebba Ljungerud works as an independent advisor in the games industry.

“I’m thrilled that Ebba has joined the Board of Directors. We have ambitious growth and development plans going forward, and I’m certain her experience and knowledge of the games industry will play a vital part in this in the years to come,” says Nordisk Games’ Chairman of the Board and CEO of Nordisk Film, Allan Mathson Hansen.

“The Nordisk Games team has built a really unique portfolio of artistic and creative studios, so I’m really excited to begin working alongside them. The company also puts a lot of focus on delivering real strategic support, giving partner studios the tools to create the best games possible. I’m looking forward to being able to contribute to their continued success, and make some great games along the way,” added Ebba Ljungerud.

The announcement comes as Nordisk Games plans to add more new members to the Board of Directors throughout the rest of 2022. Nordisk Games is owned by entertainment company Nordisk Film – a part of the Nordic media group Egmont – and has since 2017 invested more than EUR 200 million in European game studios.