Abios has partnered with leading eSports club Team Vitality to help fuel its fan engagement application V.Hive with eSports data. With access to coverage on more than five of the largest eSports titles from Abios, Team Vitality can ensure that fans can stay engaged and updated with results, schedules and statistics from its latest matches.

Abios, an enterprise eSports data and technology provider, has agreed to a long-term deal to supply its eSports data to Paris-based eSports organisation Team Vitality.

The major-winning eSports team will deploy Abios’ data to fuel its prediction tool, which allows fans to score points by successfully predicting how Team Vitality will perform in upcoming matches. The scores will be posted to a leaderboard where the best contenders can win prizes including merchandise and money-can’t-buy experiences with professional players.

Driven by Abios’ rich performance and scheduling data, the prediction tool is part of a wider effort by Team Vitality to create an immersive fan experience, following V.Hive app launch in November of 2022 jammed with features geared to building a digital community around the team with news, mini-games and custom avatars.

With rosters in several eSports titles, Team Vitality will use Abios’ extensive coverage to include data for matchups in the most popular eSports titles including League of Legends, Starcraft ll, Counter-Strike, Rocket League, EA Sports FC and Valorant.

The founder and Chief Executive Officer for Abios, Oskar Bonnevier Froberg, commented on the partnership: “Team Vitality is one of the oldest and most prestigious eSports teams in Europe and we’re proud to be able to supply it with top-tier eSports data.

“With high-performing rosters across many eSports disciplines, Team Vitality has millions of fans all over the world. It is fantastic to see its dedication to its fans and how it brings added value to its followers and we are excited to power Team Vitality with our extensive data and help it to deliver the next generation of eSports fan experiences.”

“Through Abios’ interfaces, we are able to provide our fans an immersive experience that goes beyond just watching matches,” the Brand and Revenue Diversification Director for Team Vitality, Amelie Canet, said. “Together, we’re creating an environment where fans can interact, predict outcomes and feel even closer to the eSports action. Its tech overlay allows us to engage our fans and offer them a more entertaining experience.”

ESL One Birmingham Powered by Intel® reached its peak tonight, with the unstoppable Team Falcons seizing the crown in a thrilling Grand Final clash at Resorts World Arena, Birmingham. Defeating fierce competitors, BetBoom Team, Team Falcons emerged victorious, etching their name in esports history.

Team Falcons had a near-flawless run to the trophy, finishing top of Group A without dropping a series. Despite a slight stumble against Tundra Esports in the Upper Bracket, they flew through the lower bracket, dispatching Team Liquid and OG, before getting their revenge on Tundra Esports in the Lower Bracket Final. With their incredible performance, Team Falcons took home $300,000, 6,400 of the all-valuable EPT Points and the coveted trophy.

With this win, Team Falcons have now secured their spot at Riyadh Masters at the Esports World Cup in summer 2024.

Europe’s biggest Dota 2 esports event in six years, ESL One captivated audiences worldwide and saw a peak viewership of over 327,000*, with over 18,000 fans from across the world attending Resorts World Arena in Birmingham on the final three days of the tournament.

Group Stage

Making a triumphant return to Birmingham for the first time since 2018, the tournament commenced on April 22 with the Group Stage, where 12 world’s best teams were split into two groups of six.

DreamLeague Season 22 champions Team Falcons went unbeaten and topped Group A, with BetBoom Team finishing a close second. Team Liquid and G2.iG eked through in third and fourth place, respectively, with Team Liquid also unbeaten.

In Group B, local UK hero Matthew ‘Ari’ Walker and his OG side finished at the top of the group, with fellow UK team Tundra Esports finishing a narrow second. Xtreme Gaming and HEROIC qualified for the Lower Bracket.

Playoffs

In the first matches of the Upper Bracket, UK representatives Tundra Esports took the win against Team Falcons to secure their spot in the Upper Bracket Final against BetBoom Team, who knocked OG to the Lower Bracket.

The first day at Resorts World Arena saw Team Liquid take on HEROIC in a tense matchup which saw HEROIC become the first team to be eliminated from the Playoffs. Later in the afternoon, G2xiG battled their way through a tough Xtreme Gaming opposition, with one of the longest series in the competition, clocking in at nearly three hours of thrilling gameplay. In the final matchup of the day, Team Liquid’s momentum from their earlier win was quashed by Team Falcons, who took the match 2-1.

Hometown hero Ari returned to the stage in the first match on Saturday, as OG took on G2.iG, with OG advancing to the Lower Bracket Semi-Final in the first 2-0 sweep of the Playoff stage. BetBoom Team were back in action to take on Tundra Esports, facing off for a spot in the Grand Final and crushed their opposition to emphatically secure their place. Tundra’s Lower Bracket final opponents were decided in the next match, where OG, despite battling bravely, fell to a 2-1 against a rampant Team Falcons.

In the Lower Bracket Final, it was Team Falcons who brushed Tundra Esports aside with a 2-0 sweep, setting the stage for a blockbuster finale against BetBoom Team.

Grand Final

With both teams making short work of their previous-round opposition, both BetBoom Team and Team Falcons won a spot in the Grand Final, eliminating some world-class organisations on the way. The last time these teams faced off was in the Group Stage where the match finished in a 1-1 draw, but at DreamLeague Season 22 earlier this year, Team Falcons took a clean 3-0 sweep over BetBoom Team, leaving them hungry for revenge.

After a rocky start in the first game, Team Falcons managed to rally quickly to dispel BetBoom Team’s chances of opening the scoring in the Grand Final. Team Falcons continued this form into the second game, where, despite some early setbacks, they managed to overpower BetBoom Team to increase their lead to 2-0.

Almost directly replicating the DreamLeague Season 22 Final, Team Falcons resumed their dominance into the third game, sweeping BetBoom Team away to continue their almost flawless start to 2024.

“We’re super happy with this win, we’ve been working so hard this year and it’s really showing with our performances” said Wu ‘Sneyking’ Jingjun from Team Falcons. “The fans were brilliant, and we’re looking forward to seeing what else we can achieve this year with this great team”.

“It was absolutely brilliant to be back in Birmingham, where our journey in British Dota began six years ago,” said Shane Clarke, Director Game Ecosystems for Dota 2. “The community here is one of the most loyal, passionate, and committed to the scene. It’s always great to witness the historic moments and feel the electric energy of the crowd cheering on their favourite teams and players – it’s an experience like no other. Birmingham holds a special place in our hearts, and we are grateful to be a part of the Dota 2 esports legacy once again.”

Qiddiya Cosplay Showcase

Amidst the intense battles, ESL One Birmingham embraced the creative spirit of the community with the Qiddiya Cosplay Showcase. Enthusiastic cosplayers from around the globe brought beloved Dota 2 characters to life, adding an extra layer of excitement and spectacle to the event.

Dota 2 fans from around the globe can look forward to more high-level action as the ESL Pro Tour for Dota 2 will soon continue with DreamLeague Season 23 taking place online on May 20 – 26.

North Star Network are delighted to announce the acquisition of umdoisesportes.com.br, which becomes the latest addition to NSN’s global sports media portfolio.

Born from the GRPCOM merger of the editorial teams of Gazeta Do Povo and Tribuna do Paraná in 2020, Um Dois Esportes provides in-depth sports coverage and analysis for the Brazilian state of Paraná and beyond.

North Star Network co-founder Julien Josset said: “Thank you to the team at GRPCOM for their faith in us to take the brand forward. Um Dois Esportes is an established and renowned site in Paraná State, and we’re excited about the challenge of developing this asset.”

“We’re happy to maintain the collaboration with the existing editorial team, and look forward to working with them, bringing our unique NSN approach, to take UDE forward.” NSN’s signing of Um Dois Esportes is the media house’s fourth acquisition of 2024, following the recent deals to purchase UK-based SportsMole and MrFixitsTips, as well as Chilean site AlAireLibre, which was announced in March.

The latest addition to the North Star media portfolio joins existing assets including Top Mercato, Afrik-Foot, and Vringe. The Paris-based company already oversees a significant Brazilian operation, delivering over 6 million sessions per month, from the likes of Trivela, Premier League Brasil and Lakers Brasil.

NSN will retain Curitiba-based journalists from the Um Dois Esportes legacy team to maintain the asset’s unique tone and popular coverage of the Paraná sports scene across site and social.

“We were surprised by the interest, and initially had no intention of selling Um Dois, but as the conversations evolved, we realised this was a serious group with good intentions,” said GRPCOM Director Rafael Mello. “We were very happy to see our project being valued by a large international group and going global, demonstrating the quality of the content we produced.”

“We’re also proud that North Star inherited our journalists, who are truly responsible for the success of the product we offer readers every day.”