IRVINE, Calif.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Allied Esports, a global esports entertainment company and a subsidiary of Allied Esports Entertainment, Inc. (NASDAQ: AESE), today announced its participation in the VALORANT Ignition Series, Riot Games’ first official tournament series for the popular game, with the creation of Allied Esports Odyssey. The EUR15,000 online European tournament, which will be produced from Allied Esports’ HyperX Esports Studio in Hamburg, Germany, will run August 11-16 with each daily match live streamed on twitch.tv/AlliedEsports.
Featuring a total of six teams, including four household names from Europe’s early-stage VALORANT scene – G2 (@G2esports), Ninjas in Pyjamas (@NiPGaming), Fish123 (@fish123Valorant) and Vodafone Giants (@GiantsGamingENG) – and two additional teams from open qualifiers on August 8-9 with tournament partner challengermode, the unique format of Allied Esports Odyssey will test the stamina and resilience of each participant and give fans a chance to watch incredible matchups each day.
All six teams will play a best-of-two match over the first five days, guaranteeing a head-to-head matchup between each team, collecting three points for a win and one point for a draw – plus a share of the prize money. The top four teams will advance to the next round on August 16, where a double elimination, best-of-one, GSL format will produce two remaining teams that will battle in a best-of-three final match to crown the Allied Esports Odyssey Champion.
“The Ignition Series has allowed partners from all over the world to experiment with a vast amount of competitive formats, allowing fans of VALORANT esports to help us identify which competitive structures lead to the most exciting matches,” said Kasra Jafroodi, Esports Strategy Lead for VALORANT Esports. “The format Allied Esports Odyssey is testing with their event will provide viewers with an innovative competition that will further grow the competitive scene in Europe.”
“We are honored to take part in Riot’s inaugural VALORANT series and are thrilled to introduce players and fans to an extended format that will create anticipation and high-pressure game play each day,” said Jud Hannigan, CEO of Allied Esports. “The VALORANT community across our property network has been extremely engaged and we’re excited to watch six world-class teams perform at the highest level for their fans across the globe.”
VALORANT has been a key addition to Allied Esports’ offline and online programming in 2020. In Europe, Allied Esports’ VALORANT Legend Series tournament concluded on Friday with team @WaveValorant taking home the crown. Allied Esports has totaled a EUR7,500 payout across five VALORANT Legend Series tournaments for the DACH market (Germany, Austria and Switzerland).
In North America, VALORANT was added to the HyperX Esports Arena Las Vegas lineup earlier this year and continued as a featured weekly event when tournaments were moved online in March. Starting today, Allied Esports will kick off its month-long online VALORANT Strafe Series for North American players featuring four weeks of qualifying events before a final event for a $2,500 prize pool on September 1.
For real-time content, recaps, updates and additional information, visit AlliedEsports/odyssey and follow Allied Esports on Twitter, Instagram and YouTube leading up to and throughout the Odyssey tournament.
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.
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.
Forward Looking Statements
This press release includes “forward looking statements” within the meaning of the “safe harbor” provisions of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. When used in this press release, the words “estimates,” “projected,” “expects,” “anticipates,” “forecasts,” “plans,” “intends,” “believes,” “seeks,” “may,” “will,” “should,” “future,” “propose” and variations of these words or similar expressions (or the negative versions of such words or expressions) are intended to identify forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance, conditions or results, and involve a number of known and unknown risks, uncertainties, assumptions and other important factors, many of which are outside the control of us, that could cause actual results or outcomes to differ materially from those discussed in the forward-looking statements. Important factors, among others, that may affect actual results or outcomes include: our ability to execute on our business plan; our ability to retain key personnel; general economic and market conditions impacting demand for our products and services; adequacy of our funds for future operations; our future expenses, revenue and profitability; our ability to develop new products; our dependence on key suppliers, manufacturers and strategic partners; and industry trends and the competitive environment in which we operate. These and other risk factors are discussed in our reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. We do not undertake any obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law.