11 January 2016
Gfinity plc
("Gfinity" or "the Company")
Gfinity Selected by Microsoft for Second Successive Year to Host European "Play Like a Legend" Championship on FIFA 16
Europe's elite FIFA16 Ultimate Team players will compete at the Gfinity Arena between February and May 2016
Gfinity (AIM: GFIN), a leading eSports business, is pleased to announce that it has been appointed by Microsoft to host the Xbox European FIFA 16 Play Like a Legend Championship for a second successive year. The appointment follows the success of last years' FIFA 15 Play Like a Legend Championship. The Championship will be held at Gfinity Arena in London between February and May 2016 with players competing for a total prize pool of $29,000.
FIFA is the most popular video game across the globe with FIFA 15 recording $3.6 billion in annual sales. FIFA 16, is the latest instalment of the most successful sports game franchise in history and was recently revealed as the best-selling game in the UK in 2015.
Neville Upton, Chief Executive Officer of Gfinity, said: "We are delighted to be asked for a second consecutive year to host the European FIFA Play Like a Legend Championship. This is a testament to our growing reputation of hosting highly successful eSports tournaments. We are grateful that Microsoft recognise this and continue to see Gfinity as the ideal platform to host such tournaments. FIFA continues to be one of the most popular titles within our community and has helped us drive growth in key territories including UK, France and Germany."
This announcement marks Gfinity and Microsoft's second partnership for events to be held in 2016, following Gfinity's recent announcement of its appointment to exclusively host the UK Halo World Championship 2016 qualifiers, culminating in the live finals from 15 to 17 January 2016 where 16 teams will compete.
Ben Wyer-Roberts, Xbox EMEA Esports Lead, stated: "Following the success of the programme in 2015, Xbox is very happy to be partnering with Gfinity to deliver Play Like a Legend Championships in 2016. Across the board, the Gfinity team have the technical capability and eSports pedigree to deliver top level eSports experience that Xbox players deserve. The Play Like a Legend tournament gives the best FIFA Ultimate Team players the opportunity to prove themselves and we are building towards crowning a new Ultimate Champion at the Gfinity Arena London on 8 May 2015."
Enquiries
Gfinity plc |
|
Neville Upton, Chief Executive Officer Jonathan Hall, Finance Director |
+44 330 223 0860 |
Arden Partners plc - Nominated Adviser and Broker |
|
Chris Hardie, Ciaran Walsh |
+44 20 7614 5900 |
Luther Pendragon - Public Relations |
|
Harry Chathli, Alexis Gore, Oliver Hibberd |
+44 20 7618 9100 |
About Gfinity
Gfinity is a leading UK-based eSports company serving, in co-operation with games publishers, a rapidly-growing community of on-line gamers worldwide. Founded in September 2012, the Company has established a popular on-line brand, gfinity.net, where gamers can compete, socialise and enjoy a wide range of content relating to electronic games on a proprietary technology platform. This platform enables Gfinity to run a regular roster of on-line competitions, leagues and ladders with the opportunity for gamers to enter and potentially win substantial prize money and/or pit their skills against professional and widely-followed ''star'' players.
Gfinity has quickly become a widely-recognised "destination" for gamers in the UK and internationally, typically aged 18 - 34 years old. The growing user base and the demographic of Gfinity's audience, together with the sheer numbers who view Gfinity's events online, provide brand owners and advertisers with an attractive environment in which to promote their products and services, as well as offering Gfinity the opportunity to generate significant revenues over the long term. Gfinity website: www.gfinityplc.com
About eSports
The global eSports market is estimated to be worth around $747m (£504.5m), with 188 million viewers worldwide according to October 2015 figures from Superdata. Predictions for the total market worth by 2018 are $1.9bn (£1.28bn) with additional revenue expected from betting sites and amateur tournaments.
