IRVINE, Calif.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Allied Esports, a global esports entertainment company and a subsidiary of Allied Esports Entertainment, Inc. (NASDAQ: AESE), and Esports Entertainment Group, Inc. (NASDAQ: GMBL, GMBLW), a licensed online gambling company with a focus on esports wagering and 18+ gaming, today announced participating teams and final details for the inaugural VIE.gg CS:GO (Counter-Strike: Global Offensive) Legend Series tournament, set to begin on Monday, August 31, 2020. The partners previously announced a licensing and sponsorship agreement for the tournament that will bring Legend Series wagering opportunities to consumers on the new VIE.gg platform for the first time.
The VIE.gg CS:GO Legend Series will feature 16 teams from multiple European countries, the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) region and South America competing online for EUR50,000 ($59,000) in total prize money. The lineup features the top-ranked CS:GO teams from five countries, including Belarus, Bulgaria, Norway, Romania and Ukraine, and seven teams ranked in the top 50 globally. Participating teams are listed below, and two additional teams will be announced next week.
*HellRaisers is ranked 11th in the CIS region.
Allied Esports’ VIE.gg CS:GO Legend Series format will include a group stage featuring four groups of four teams competing in best-of-three play, with the top two teams from each group advancing to the playoffs. The four first round playoff matchups will be best-of-three, while the semifinals and finals will be best-of-five.
Teams will earn prize pool money throughout the tournament, including EUR500 for each match win and EUR1500 to the top finisher in each group. The VIE.gg CS:GO Legend Series champion will take home EUR15,000, with EUR7,000 to the runner-up, EUR3,000 each to the third and fourth place finishers, and EUR1,500 to each of the remaining playoff participants.
The tournament will be produced by Allied Esports from its HyperX Esports Studio in Hamburg, Germany and streamed live on Twitch.tv/AlliedEsports from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. PDT (5 p.m. – 12 a.m. CEST) each day. For a schedule of matchups, visit AlliedEsports.gg/LegendSeries.
Leading each broadcast during the two-week competition will be casters Robert Jan Kortooms (@RJcasts) and Thiadrik Oldersma (@Toldersma), alongside analyst and former professional CS:GO player Mathieu Quiquerez (@Maniac_CSGO). Each broadcast during the tournament will feature a wagering component, including dynamic live odds that will be on display for the entirety of each match, while additional prop bets will be discussed and integrated into each show. For a full list of available real-time bets, fans can go to VIE.gg throughout the tournament.
“We have worked together with Esports Entertainment Group to integrate customized features and unique content presentations into a broadcast of our popular Legend Series that highlights their product and delivers an exciting new experience to viewers around the world,” said Frank Ng, CEO of Allied Esports Entertainment. “Our ability to provide partners with established tournament brands and high-quality productions that help them achieve their business objectives will continue to strengthen our position as a leader in the burgeoning esports betting industry and beyond.”
Created in 2017, Allied Esports’ original Legend Series tournament brand was designed to expand the competitive ecosystem and total prize pool for teams ranked outside of the first tier. The VIE.gg CS:GO Legend Series will be Allied Esports’ sixth edition of the CS:GO Legend Series and the first to feature a licensing partner and title sponsor. Additional versions of the series have previously included Overwatch, League of Legends, FIFA, COD Blackout and VALORANT.
“We’re thrilled to sponsor the inaugural VIE.gg CS:GO Legend Series, which features an incredible roster of teams and has the potential to reach their more than four million combined followers globally,” commented Magnus Leppaniemi, VP of Marketing and Head of Esports at Esports Entertainment Group. “This is a great opportunity for us to support the CS:GO ecosystem and provide an avenue for underserved teams to compete for larger prize pools.”
Esports Entertainment Group offers bet exchange-style wagering on esports events in a licensed, regulated and secure platform to the global esports audience at VIE.gg. The VIE.gg platform provides customers the ability to match bets against one another, with Esports Entertainment Group taking a small commission on the winnings.
About Allied Esports
Named one of the World’s Most Innovative Companies by Fast Company, Allied Esports International, Inc. is at the forefront of esports entertainment with a global network of properties designed to serve as competition battlegrounds, community experience hubs and content production centers.
Through direct operation or membership in the Allied Esports Property Network, the world’s first esports affiliate program, Allied Esports’ facilities span North America, Europe, China and Australia, and include the world-renowned HyperX Esports Arena Las Vegas, a fleet of mobile arenas, the HyperX Esports Trucks, and the HyperX Esports Studio in Hamburg, Germany.
Allied Esports’ properties serve as the home to a number of online and offline proprietary productions and events, including Friday Frags and Saturday Night Speedway, as well as original partner programs like the Simon Cup and VALORANT Ignition Series: Allied Esports Odyssey.
For more information about Allied Esports, visit AlliedEsports.gg and follow @AlliedEsports. Allied Esports International, Inc. is a subsidiary of Allied Esports Entertainment, Inc.
About Allied Esports Entertainment
Allied Esports Entertainment, Inc. (NASDAQ: AESE) is a global leader in esports entertainment, providing innovative infrastructure, transformative live experiences, multiplatform content and interactive services to audiences worldwide through its strategic fusion of two powerful brands: Allied Esports and the World Poker Tour (WPT). For more information, visit AlliedEsportsEnt.com.
About Esports Entertainment Group
Esports Entertainment Group, Inc. is a licensed online gambling company with a specific focus on esports wagering and 18+ gaming. The Company holds a license to conduct online gambling and 18+ gaming on a global basis in Malta and Curacao, Kingdom of the Netherlands and is able to accept wagers from over 149 jurisdictions including Canada, Japan, Germany and South Africa. Esports Entertainment offers fantasy, pools, fixed odds and exchange style wagering on esports events in a licensed, regulated and secure platform to the global esports audience at vie.gg. In addition, Esports Entertainment intends to offer users from around the world the ability to participate in multi-player mobile and PC video game tournaments for cash prizes. Esports Entertainment is led by a team of industry professionals and technical experts from the online gambling and the video game industries, and esports. The Company maintains offices in Malta. For more information visit www.esportsentertainmentgroup.com.
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