eSports Weekly Update – Stories you may have missed!
The newest team to the European League Championship Series, owned and operated by the German soccer club Schalke 04, has finalized its roster and support staff for the upcoming summer split
WESA was announced last week and immediately amassed critics. WESA – or World Esports Association – was created to “further professional esports [and] to create an open and inclusive organisation to oversee standardized tournament regulations, player representation as well as revenue sharing for teams.”
Scientists at the German Sports University have conducted a study of eSports athletes and they were surprised by their results. They found that they are exposed to physical strains similar to those of “normal” athletes.
Faze leaving WESA; ESL Cologne might lose major status
WESA was announced last week and immediately amassed critics. WESA – or World Esports Association – was created to “further professional esports [and] to create an open and inclusive organisation to oversee standardized tournament regulations, player representation as well as revenue sharing for teams.”
Among its many underlying issues, WESA was founded by ESL, the world’s largest esports organizer who operates many professional leagues and events. Eight top esports organizations, all of which have some of the world’s best CS:GO teams, are founding members of WESA and were apparently paid $150K for agreeing to be a part of it. Now, one team is already backing out, according to a report by IGN.
FaZe Clan reportedly wants out of the deal, mainly due to ESL demanding exclusivity. In order to leave, a team would have to pay WESA $50K on top of returning their ‘signing bonus’. FaZe has not publically announced their decision yet.
The IGN report also mentions ESL: Cologne losing Major status, according to several sources. It is not apparent if WESA has anything to do with this decision.
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eSports Update (Overwatch, Hearthstone, CoD & LoL)
Science shows that eSports professionals are real athletes
Scientists at the German Sports University have conducted a study of eSports athletes and they were surprised by their results. They found that they are exposed to physical strains similar to those of “normal” athletes.
Professor Ingo Froböse began studying eSports athletes five years ago. This made Froböse something of a pioneer, as the expert in prevention and rehabilitation at the German Sports University in Cologne became the very first scientist to conduct a study of athletes who compete in eSports. Nobody had previously looked into the demands placed on an eSports professional, the kind of training he needs to go through to compete, or what kind of strains he is exposed to during a tournament. Froböse was quite surprised by the results.
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Sources: Soccer org Schalke 04 finalizes League Championship Series roster, picks up Fox
The newest team to the European League Championship Series, owned and operated by the German soccer club Schalke 04, has finalized its roster and support staff for the upcoming summer split, sources close to the club and its team tell ESPN. Additionally, the team will rename from Elements to Schalke 04 and represent the club’s logo on its jersey this summer.
The club originally purchased Elements at the end of April, as reported by Esports Observer on May 7. With the purchase, Schalke 04 will compete in the European leg of the League of Legends Championship Series.
The team will replace mid laner Jeremy “Eika” Valdenaire with former Unicorns of Love mid laner Hampus “Fox” Myhre, who has been looking for a new team since April, as reported by ESPN. The rest of the roster will stay the same as the team retains top laner Etienne “Steve” Michels, jungler Berk “Gilius” Demir, AD carry Rasmus “MrRalleZ” Skinneholm, and support Hampus “sprattel” Abrahamsson, who was previously known as PromisQ.
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Overwatch: The Next Great eSport Is Upon Us (Pre-Release Preview)
Twelve years ago Blizzard Entertainment changed the world of competitive gaming when it released the first chapter in the long-running World of Warcraft saga. Designed to be a user-friendly MMORPG that anyone could pick up and play and instantly enjoy, WoW soared to the top of the charts and amassed a huge number of subscribers.
Blizzard is now on the cusp of repeating that success with a new first-person shooter, Overwatch, for PC, Xbox One and PlayStation 4. Led by game designer Jeff Kaplan, who co-developed WoW’s quest system, Overwatch is a fast-paced, multiplayer-centric FPS with a large and unique cast of playable characters (known as heroes). The gameplay is quick, inspired and was heavily influenced by the Team Fortress franchise. If the beta is any indication, Overwatch is well on its way to becoming the next great eSport.
There have been many great/iconic characters that came from first-person shooters, but they tend to suffer from a similarity problem. All too often developers apply the same features to every character. Their aesthetics may differ, but their mechanics do not.
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Thorin’s Thoughts – WESA So Vague
CS:GO Tournament To Be Held At Wembley
The city that plays host to a world famous football stadium is throwing a bit of gaming into the mix. The first ever CS:GO Finals from the Esports Championship Series is coming to SSE Arena in Wembley, London.
Eight top teams from the ECS league will compete for the Season 1 title at Wembley’s indoor entertainment venue. The Finals will take place from 23rd-26th.
ECS – Counter-Strike consists of 20 teams (10 from North America and 10 from Europe) with US$ 3.5M in payout for prize money and financial support.
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