As Lithuania increasingly finds itself in the spotlight of the global gaming community, country’s gamers can once again rejoice at significant news. Lithuania will host “Trackmania World Tour” stage. With this news, it is planned that 24th to 26th of May, in Vilnius the “Baltics Gaming Expo” will bring together the best gamers from across Europe and the world.

International tournaments and showcase battles

“We love to play, and we’re really good at it at the highest level. This is the second year that the “Baltics Gaming Expo” will gather video game enthusiasts and professionals from all around Europe. If last year, 29,000 participants and visitors came to participate or watch tournaments, explore the latest technologies, and try out newly released games, this year, we expect even bigger growth. After all, we have some special news – the “Trackmania” game tournament at the event is included in the global rankings. In other words, all the best players are coming to Vilnius”, says Šarūnas Tamulis, one of the organizers of the “Baltics Gaming Expo”.

Players from France, the United Kingdom, Germany, Denmark, the Netherlands, Poland, Latvia, and other countries will participate in the global ranking tournament. Among the participants will be representatives from Lithuania.

The largest gaming and technology event in the Baltic States will also feature “Counter Strike”, “Valorant”, “Rocket League”, “League of Legends”, and other international tournaments.

“There will also be special showcase battles. The best players and streamers in the country will meet on the main stage and compete playing “Counter Strike” and “Valorant”, the organizer says.

From famous streamers’ to retro games

In the gaming community, it’s popular to watch other players remotely broadcast their matches via social networks (game-streaming). Streamers are like opinion leaders, whose popularity and influence grow every day.

“To the delight of our community, the very popular streamer AnnieFuchsia will also attend the event. She has gathered half a million followers on her Twitch channel alone. For those interested, we will create an opportunity to participate in a discussion with the gamer, get answers to significant questions, or even get a photo together”, says Š. Tamulis.

Attendees of the event will also be able to enjoy a space dedicated to exceptional retro games. It will feature dozens of classic arcade games from the 80s and 90s.

“The technology giant “Samsung”, has prepared special activations for the visitors. At the largest “Galaxy AI” stand, you’ll be able to familiarize yourself with the latest artificial intelligence news and try them out on smart devices. There will also be a special “Brawlstars” tournament at the stand, where well-known content creators and enthusiasts of this game from Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia will meet. The winner will receive the latest “Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra” phone”, the organizer presents.

A weekend for popular culture

The “Baltic Gaming Expo” will take place during “Comic Con Baltics 2024 powered by Samsung,” the largest popular culture event in the Baltic States. From May 24th to 26th, “LITEXPO” will turn into a universe of popular culture.

Fans will have the chance to meet stars from iconic Hollywood projects. Among them are actors from the “Harry Potter” films Natalia Tena and Devon Murray, “Marvel” film actor Sean Gunn, “Highlander” actor Adrian Paul, actress Natasha Halevi, internet comic stars Rob DenBleyker of “Cyanide&Happiness,” “Natural Habitat Shorts,” “Nobody Sausage,” and Nathan W. Pyle, creator of “Strange Planet” comics.

The event will also feature the largest cosplay competition in the Baltic States, premieres of the latest films, presentations, and discussions, an interactive family space, the “Artists’ Alley,” which annually unites around a hundred popular culture artists, a space for vendors offering many curiosities, impressive decorations from the most famous films and series worldwide, and many other attractions.

NVIDIA, the world leader in accelerated computing, has tied up with GIGABYTE, a global leader in computer hardware, to bring the NVIDIA Reflex iCafe Attack. The esports tournament took place across 20 gaming cafes in India including Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Shillong, and Bangalore, with teams registering to compete in Counter-Strike 2 for a share of the INR 2,00,000 prize pool.

Commenting on the successful association and the completion of the NVIDIA Reflex iCafe Attack, Sunil Grewal, Director, GIGABYTE India, said, “We are thrilled to wrap up the first-ever NVIDIA Reflex iCafe Attack, bringing Counter-Strike 2 esports action to cafes in every nook and corner of the country. As leaders in the manufacturing of graphic cards loved by gamers worldwide, we are glad to have organized a grassroots-level esports tournament bringing together esports enthusiasts in an epic showdown, enabling us to connect directly with the Indian PC gaming community.”

The NVIDIA Reflex iCafe Attack esports tournament, in collaboration with GIGABYTE, highlighted the importance of top-tier hardware like the GIGABYTE GEFORCE RTX 4070 SUPER GAMING OC 12GB GDDR6 in competitive gaming. With advanced features such as ray tracing and AI-enhanced graphics, this GPU ensures smooth performance and low-latency responsiveness crucial for esports titles like Counter-Strike 2. Its robust cooling system and overclocking capabilities maintain peak performance during intense gaming sessions, empowering players to excel. By integrating cutting-edge hardware, GIGABYTE enhances the esports experience, fostering competitiveness and immersion in the digital arena.

The NVIDIA Reflex iCafe Attack 2024 was a resounding success, with more than 70 teams registering to compete in the open-for-all tournament.

These 70 teams competed in their local cafes, where the best 32 advanced to the National Playoffs. The NVIDIA Reflex iCafe Attack 2024 National Playoffs happened every Saturday and Sunday, across April 2024, where the 32 teams locked horns in intense Counter-Strike 2 esports action for the lion’s share of the INR 2,00,000 prize pool.

Ultimately, Mumbai’s Global Gaming Cafe dominated Bangalore’s Colosseum Cafe 3-0 in a one-sided grand final to be crowned the champions. The team will walk away with INR 1,00,000 of the total prize pool.

● Global Gaming Cafe (Mumbai): INR 1,00,000

● Colosseum Cafe (Bangalore): INR, 60,000

● Immortal Cafe (Delhi): INR 40,000

Flexion, the games marketing company, has partnered with Jam City, a leading mobile entertainment company behind some of the world’s highest-grossing and most enduring mobile games, to bring a selection of the publisher’s best-in-class games to the Alternative App Stores: Amazon Appstore, Huawei App Gallery, Aptoide, ONE store, Samsung Galaxy Store, DT Hub and Xiaomi GetApps.

“We are always looking for new opportunities to build our network of global players, and Flexion is a proven partner that will help introduce our award-winning titles to new audiences in the alternative stores,” Curtis Barnes, Senior Director of Publishing Operations for Jam City, said.

“We’re all about helping developers like Jam City reach the full potential of their games. We’re delighted they have chosen us to add revenue and audiences for their games on the alternative app stores,” Jens Lauritzson, CEO of Flexion, said.