eSports
Casa Noturna crowned the UK’s best VALORANT student team at Red Bull Campus Clutch to qualify for Brazil World Finals
Casa Noturna has been crowned the UK’s best student VALORANT team at the Red Bull Campus Clutch UK Grand Final, at the Red Bull Gaming Sphere.
The UK Champions defeated Last Dance in a tense 2:0 Grand Final, and in turn, qualified for the Red Bull Campus Clutch World Finals in Brazil this December. Casa Noturna will now battle for €20,000 in prize money as well as an exclusive VIP experience at a 2023 VALORANT Champions Tour event.
In the South Final, Last Dance took a commanding 2-0 win against Just Essentials to book their place in the Finals, with dominating victories across Haven and Bind to seal it in just two maps. The North Final between Casa Noturna and Birmingham Bulls was incredibly tense as the two evenly matched teams fought for momentum. Casa Noturna eventually booked their place in the Grand Final with a 2-1 victory, with the team pulling off a stunning comeback on the third map from 8-1 down to win 10-13.
The Grand Final kicked off on Ascent, where Casa Noturna won the early advantage with a 13-5 win, setting up a tense second map on Pearl. Last Dance fought back to take an early lead at 6-1 and looking to take the match all the way, but Casa Noturna dug in with an epic comeback to win the match 13-8.
Reflecting on their road to victory, Casa Noturna’s Ben ‘Benzki’ Price said: “We had a really tough run today, Birmingham Bulls were hard opponents and Last Dance were difficult too, but we kept composed and used our experience. I think we’ve got a really good team here, all the guys played their part really well, even if they were in roles they wouldn’t normally play on. They kept their cool under pressure and I think that was the main reason we were able to win this afternoon.”
The Finals were streamed live on The Goose House, hosted by Matt ‘Twiggy’ Twigg and Vicki ‘Gottmoxi’ Johnson, and following the event, Gottmoxi said: “I think they have a really good chance of winning the whole tournament in December – they showed today that they can adapt really well on each map, they have a brilliant agent pool and they were able to pull out all the stops and turn things in their favour whenever they needed to which is a brilliant attribute to have as a team which will be incredibly valuable in the World Finals.”
Red Bull Campus Clutch kicked off this August, with National Qualifiers taking place across the globe and National Finals determining the best student team from each participating country. So far, this year’s tournament has had over 4,500 teams taking part, with 25,000 participants and over 300 national events.
Soon only 50 teams will remain, all travelling directly to Sao Paulo, Brazil for this epic in-person LAN final. In the UK, over 400 players in 81 teams had battled across regional qualifying rounds to reach the UK Final, with four qualifying winners earning a place at the Red Bull Gaming Sphere in London for the LAN Finals.
The Red Bull Campus Clutch World Final will take place between 13th-16th December 2022, with the final stages being streamed live on Red Bull Twitch. Taking place at Estádio do Pacaembu, famously used for several games of the 1950 World Cup, 50 teams will kick off the tournament, in the initial group stage matches taking place from 13th-14th. From there, the teams remaining will battle it out in an elimination format, with the Grand Final taking place on the 16th of December.
National Express is the official UK public transport partner for Red Bull Campus Clutch. As the UK’s number one coach company National Express is helping qualifying competitors travel to the UK final by offering free travel on its UK network.
Several global partners are supporting Red Bull Campus Clutch this year, helping bring the latest and greatest hardware to competitors. Intel NUC, SteelSeries and AGON by AOC all return to the tournament. As PC Partner, Intel NUC, renowned for packing high-powered gaming rigs in small form factors, will support with their top-notch Gaming PCs. SteelSeries, the worldwide leader in gaming and esports peripherals, is the official Peripheral brand of Red Bull Campus Clutch and will equip students with award-winning gaming headsets, keyboards, and mice. And the official Monitor Partner, AGON by AOC will once again provide high-performance gaming monitors for the event.
eSports
Abios powers upcoming gaming media platform Apollo with in-play statistics for League of Legends
Abios provides a comprehensive set of League of Legends in-play and pre-match data to support the upcoming gaming ecosystem Apollo
As a leading esports data and odds provider and part of Kambi Group plc, Abios continues to fuel the esports ecosystem by providing the underlying data infrastructure needed for building esports projects at scale. Most recently, it signed Apollo, a US-based gaming media platform that will power its League of Legends vertical with pre-match and in-play data.
It allows the gaming media platform to use in-depth statistics, historical data, and in-play data from top to provide its users with timely esports coverage, stats, and a fantasy vertical.
The League of Legends World Championships amassed a peak viewership of 6.9 million in 2024, the highest recorded in esports history. With the newly announced pan-American league LTA and the success of American teams such as FlyQuest at Worlds, the American League of Legends scene is poised for an upswing in 2025, making it an interesting time to lean into the region.
Anton Janér, Co-Founder and Managing Director of Abios, said: “Our mission is to facilitate the growth of esports by providing the underlying infrastructure and building blocks to make great products come to life.
“By powering Apollo’s esports capabilities, we’re thrilled to support a space for the gaming community where League of Legends fans can easily access exciting insights on matches, teams, players, and events..”
Jacob Franco, CTO of Apollo, said: “I’m very excited to work with Abios to build infrastructure for the gaming community. We aim to be an online resource for all gamers, and integrating with Abios allows us to ensure that our esports coverage is of the highest quality.
“We look forward to leveraging Abios in the future to expand our esports coverage to other titles such as Counter-Strike 2, Valorant, and DOTA 2.”
eSports
TEAM VITALITY AND LOSC RENEW PARTNERSHIP FOR A THIRD CONSECUTIVE SEASON
- LOSC (Lille Olympique Sporting Club) and Team Vitality are extending their EA FC Esports partnership for the third consecutive season
- The roster will be made up of young French talents Ilian Bouchi (19) and Brice Masson (20), who will be coached by Johann ‘ManiiKa’ Simon, who also renews his contract with Team Vitality
- Together, ambitious goals have already been established for the 2024/25 season, aiming to win the highly coveted and anticipated eLigue 1 McDonald’s at the domestic level, and qualify for the 2025 Esports World Cup at the international level.
French sports club Lille Olympique Sporting Club (LOSC) and leading esports organisation Team Vitality are excited to announce the renewal of their partnership for the third season running. The partnership for the 2024/25 season will be centered around their star EA FC 25 (EA Sports) roster, with both clubs united by their shared values of ambition and success.
A RENEWED COMMITMENT TOWARDS EXCELLENCE
The two clubs are back on the virtual football stage, joining forces again for a third season in eLigue 1. With a strong team lineup and improved training conditions, the goals are higher than ever.
The team will continue using the world-class training facilities, alternating between home sessions and bootcamps at Team Vitality’s V.Performance centre at the Stade de France. They will also have exclusive access to Domaine de Luchin, LOSC’s state-of-the-art training centre, and the opportunity to attend Lille club matches.
For LOSC, whose real-world football team is currently competing for a spot in the Round of 16 of the UEFA Champions League, the partnership with Team Vitality ensures continued participation in an official Professional Football League competition this season. The global appeal of EA FC25, one of the most widely consumed cultural products worldwide, provides unparalleled visibility for the club, its players, and its partners.
The goals are clear for both clubs: to secure their first national eLigue 1 McDonald’s title, and to win their first international competition. The players will also be aiming to qualify for the 2025 Esports World Cup, now a flagship event on the global stage.
“Extending our partnership with LOSC for a third season is a true source of pride. It reflects our shared vision and commitment to pushing the boundaries between traditional sports and esports. Together, we’re investing in rising domestic talents like Ilian and Brice, and this new season promises exciting opportunities for our players and clubs, both in France, and internationally. We’re ready to seize these winning opportunities!” explains Nicolas Maurer, Co-Founder and CEO of Team Vitality.
“It’s a pleasure to announce the renewal of the partnership between LOSC and Team Vitality, one of Europe’s leading esports organisations, as we bring our drive for victory to the virtual pitch of EA Sports FC once again. It’s in the DNA of LOSC to never give up and perform to our maximum potential, and I wish our LOSC esports team the very best as they represent the colours and values of Les Dogues!” Olivier Létang, CEO of LOSC
A YOUNG TEAM, DETERMINED TO SEEK VICTORY
The LOSC and Team Vitality roster consists of two prodigal French talents: Ilian Bouchi and Brice Masson. Despite their youth, both bring immense energy and motivation to the team. Under the guidance of coach ManiiKa, the players are ready to dominate the highest level, embodying the spirit and values of both clubs.
Full Roster
- Ilian Bouchi (19 years old) is an explosive young talent who joins Team Vitality for the second consecutive year. Ilian stands out for his unique playstyle and impressive performances in the circuit. At the end of the 2023/24 season, he was awarded Rookie of the Year at the eLigue 1 awards, earmarking him as a rising star.
- Brice Masson (20 years old) joined Team Vitality at the end of last season, after playing for Clermont Foot. Brice brings a strategic and controlled style of play, contrasting Ilian’s approach. On the national stage, Brice already has an eCoupe de France to his name, as well as reaching the eLigue 1 Uber Eats semi-final in 2024.
- Johann “ManiiKa” Simon (30 years old, Coach) returns for the new season! A talented and respected former player on the scene, he has since become an experienced coach with a deep understanding of competitive play. ManiiKa will be eager to guide the players towards success in his second year in the LOSC and Team Vitality colours.
eSports
BETBY ENHANCES ESPORTS EXPERIENCE WITH EXPANDED OUTRIGHTS AND PLAYER PROPS PORTFOLIO
BETBY, a premium sportsbook provider, has released a major update to its esports portfolio, introducing an unmatched selection of new outrights and player prop markets. With these additions, BETBY now offers three times more outright options than the market average and a completely unique range of player-specific betting markets, setting a new standard for player engagement opportunities through esports content.
BETBY’s expanded outright offerings deliver diversity and unmatched depth in the industry. For instance when it comes to Counter-Strike 2 (CS2), bettors can now access markets that go beyond the standard winners and most played maps, with new betting markets such as Tournament Most Valuable Player (MVP), Magnum Sniper Rifle (AWP) Kill Comparisons, and numerous others now available. In Dota, unique markets like Most Popular Hero (Picks + Bans) and Hero with Highest Kill Death Assist (KDA) provide a more engaging and data-driven betting experience. These markets are updated throughout the entirety of tournaments, ensuring players can place bets during breaks occurring between game days or stages. The update extends beyond Dota and CS2, as BETBY now offers unique outright markets as well for games like Escape from Tarkov: Arena and Standoff 2 – content which is currently not being offered elsewhere in the esports landscape.
The second significant enhancement is the introduction of a much broader esports player props portfolio, which is entirely developed by BETBY’s team of expert traders. This allows players to place bets on individual performances across all S-Tier, A-Tier, B-Tier, and C-Tier tournaments for main esports disciplines, and not only on the occurrence of major events.
These additions further bolster BETBY’s esports portfolio, following a series of major updates that underline the company’s focus on innovation and its dedication to providing engaging content for its partners and their end-users.
Kirill Nekrasov, Head of BETBY Games, commented: “We decided to accelerate the launch of new outrights and player prop markets for esports because we see a gap in the industry. We wanted to develop our own solutions and noticed that even though providers offer classic pre-tournament outrights, none of them provide continuously updated outrights when the events are in progress. Regarding player props, it’s relatively new content as part of our esports feed. If we talk about traditional sports, like soccer or basketball, it’s the standard for the industry. But I foresee that when it comes to esports it will as well be an absolute must-have in the future, with the performance and statistics of teams and players now becoming more widely available. Despite the fact that player props are not a new thing in the esports industry, these markets are offered only throughout top-tier tournaments and only for a limited number of teams. What we did was push this feature not only for top tournaments, but also B-Tier and C-Tier tournaments, whilst at the same time broadening player props coverage to a wider teams coverage.”
BETBY will be showcasing its premium sportsbook solutions and services at the upcoming ICE 2025 in Barcelona.
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