It has been a fairly quiet week in the world of esports, aside from Nike joining Riot Games in China, high school teams in the U.S. being offered some considerable prizes, and AOC arranging some cool tournaments while promoting the company's latest display tech at IEM.
Riot Games puts on some Nike trainers for China
Nike will be the official apparel and footwear partner for the League of Legends Pro League (LPL) in China, according to a report by Reuters. The company will be working with Riot Games through 2022, providing new clothes and footwear to teams and allowing players to participate in physical training programs.
Riot Games is growing its base of big brands considerably for its esports platform. Not only are traditional game-focused companies being invited for partnerships, but also new brands from further afield. Kia Motors joined the new League of Legends European Championship (LEC) and now Nike is onboard in China.
Interestingly, this deal with Nike also includes physical training for esports players, utilizing plans specifically designed for gaming athletes. Promoting a healthy lifestyle outside of the game is an excellent message to drum home to the wider community and I, for one, am glad more is being done here.
Major MSI giveaway for high school esports
The High School Esports League (HSEL) announced $174,000 in MSI hardware will be up for grabs during the organization's Spring Majors. Variety notes this as the largest prize pool in high school esports history. The Spring Majors will run for eight weeks between Mar 18 and May 26.
Players part of the top eight teams will each receive an MSI Interceptor DS300 mouse, GK-701 keyboard, and Siberian headset. The winning clubs for each title below will score an MSI provided esports arena for their represented school, which includes 12 gaming PCs.
- League of Legends
- Counter-Strike: Global Offensive
- Overwatch
- Hearthstone
- Rocket League
- Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six: Siege
- Super Smash Bros. 4
- Fortnite
- Dragon Ball FighterZ
- Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
AOC takes its new gaming displays to IEM
AOC plans to showcase the company's AGON AG273QCG gaming display at IEM Katowice from March 1. The company will host activities to show off the display with a refresh rate of 240 Hz, but the AGON AG251FZ and G2590PX Signature Edition will also be present. The latter of which will be used for the CS:GO-Major tournament.
G2 Esports continues to be a force to be reckoned with and the organization will be participating at IEM Katowice with AOC in tow. The organization raised a further $17.3 million in a Series A funding round on Tuesday, bringing its total outside backing to $24.6 million
Should you be attending the event, be sure to check out the AOC booth for the following tournaments:
Friday:
- 12:00 – 14:00: Fortnite challenge
- 15:00 – 17:00: CS:GO tournament
- 17:00 – 18:00: Cosplayers on stage
- 18:00 – 20:00: CS:GO deathmatch
Saturday:
- 12:00 – 13:00: R6S showmatch
- 13:00 – 15:00: CS:GO tournament
- 14:00 – 15:00: Arquel meet and greet
- 15:00 – 17:00: Quake tournament
- 17:00 – 18:00: Cosplayers on stage
- 18:00 – 20:00: Fortnite challenge
Sunday:
- 12:00 – 14:00: StarCraft 2 tournament
- 15:00 – 17:00: CS:GO tournament
- 17:00 – 18:00: Cosplayers on stage
- 18:00 – 20:00: Fortnite challenge
Upcoming live events
- FACEIT PUBG Global Summit - April 19 - 21, watch on Twitch.
