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MLS and Electronic Arts Announce 2021 eMLS – New Online Format to Feature 27 MLS Clubs, New

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MLS and Electronic Arts Announce 2021 eMLS – New Online Format to Feature 27 MLS Clubs, New

 

Major League Soccer (MLS) and Electronic Arts announced the competitive schedule and new online format for the 2021 season of eMLS, Major League Soccer’s esports league. The season will feature a $70,000 prize pool and will be headlined by eMLS Cup presented by Coca-Cola on March 20-21. Competition will occur on EA SPORTS™ FIFA 21 and will be played exclusively on PlayStation®4 (PS4).

With the health and safety of all participants at the forefront, the entirety of the 2021 competitive eMLS season will be online. Two clubs are new to eMLS next season – Inter Miami CF and Saint Louis City SC – which puts total club participation at 27. Each Club is represented by a professional FIFA player in all eMLS competitions in a quest to be crowned the best FIFA ‘21 player in North America. Some Clubs are retaining their FIFA player from last season while other Clubs will be signing new players.

With an expanded roster of clubs and the return of many of our top competitors, we’re excited to announce our 2021 eMLS season,” said Camilo Durana, Senior Vice President of Properties and Events, Major League Soccer. “eMLS has become a successful and important part of our annual calendar, enabling our League and clubs to connect with fans across North America and all over the world, while highlighting our most exciting players. With the continued and enhancing support of our partners and increasingly competitive field, this eMLS season promises to be our best season yet.”

The popularity of the eMLS continues to grow as this marquee tournament is another example of FIFA’s elevation into a tier one esport,” said Brent Koning, Group Director & FIFA Competitive Gaming Commissioner. “Our partnership with MLS and the 27 MLS clubs provides another engaging avenue for attracting new fans and partners to the sport through compelling competition.”

The 2021 eMLS season will be comprised of three live-streamed tournaments that each take place over the course of two days, doubling the content hours of the 2020 eMLS season.

The season will kick off in January with eMLS League Series One presented by Coca-Cola, continue in February with eMLS League Two presented by Coca-Cola and conclude in March with eMLS Cup presented by Coca-Cola. Ahead of each League Series, all 27 Clubs will play in online qualifier games with the top 8 Clubs in points making it to the respective League Series knockout tournament. After League Series concludes, the top 11 Clubs in total points will automatically qualify for eMLS Cup. The remaining 16 Clubs will compete in a Last Chance Qualifier tournament to battle for the final 12th seed of eMLS Cup. The New York Red Bull’s eMLS competitor, George Adamou, is the reigning eMLS Cup champion from 2020.

 

2021 eMLS Season Schedule:

Jan. 16-17 – League Series One

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Feb. 13-14 – League Series Two

March 20-21 – eMLS Cup

Fans can tune in to all three competitions (detailed below) on Twitch.tv/MLS, Twitter.com/MLS and MLSsoccer.com.

eMLS is an Official League Partner of the EA SPORTS™ FIFA Global Series – the global competitive FIFA ecosystem – whereby players can advance from the FIFA 21 Global Series Playoffs to the FIFA eWorld Cup. The Global Series shifted to a completely online format and will be region-based in 2021. eMLS is a Tier 1 League Qualifier for the North America region which enables the top three finishers at eMLS Cup to receive direct seats to the PS4™ Global Series North America Regional Playoffs.

eMLS players finished the FIFA 20 global competitive season in strong form and will look to keep up the momentum for FIFA 21. FC Cincinnati’s eMLS player, FCC Fiddle, and Atlanta United’s eMLS player, Paulo Neto, were champions of the North America and South America EA SPORTS™ FIFA 20 Summer Cups, respectively. With these two trophies, eMLS finished the FIFA 20 season with more regional titles than any other domestic soccer league in the world.

New this season, JLab becomes the official audio and microphone partner of eMLS and competitors will wear JLab Play headphones and use Talk Microphones. eMLS competitions will also feature SCUF Gaming controllers. Specializing in high-performance customized gaming controllers and accessories, SCUF controllers enable gamers to improve their gameplay by completely redefining control.

Cheez-It® & Pringles® are returning as the Official Snack Partner of eMLS and will be the presenting partner of eMLS Player Lounges and eMLS Player Profiles, a digital series highlighting the player’s personal stories. PlayStation® continues its partnership as the Official Console Partner. Coca-Cola continues its partnership as the Official Carbonated Beverages and Water Partner and will be the presenting partner of eMLS League Series and eMLS Cup.

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BETBY SHINES AT SiGMA AMERICAS WITH LOCALISED STRATEGY AND WINS ESPORTS AWARD

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BETBY SHINES AT SiGMA AMERICAS WITH LOCALISED STRATEGY AND WINS ESPORTS AWARD

 

BETBY, the cutting-edge sportsbook provider, has further cemented its position as one of the most innovative suppliers in the sports betting landscape following a standout appearance at SiGMA Americas, the leading event for the iGaming industry in Latin America.

Hosted in São Paulo, Brazil, SiGMA Americas brought together the industry’s most influential stakeholders, with a spotlight on the dynamic and fast-growing Latin American market. BETBY stood out at the event by showcasing the full strength of its flexible sportsbook solution, designed to empower operators with complete control over the betting experience.

A major highlight of the exhibition was BETBY’s showcase of its hyper-localised content capabilities, which empower operators to engage regional audiences with culturally relevant offerings. This strategic focus was exemplified by the industry’s most comprehensive Vaquejada betting solution, a rodeo-style sport particularly popular in northeast Brazil. BETBY’s unique content portfolio, which includes both pre-live markets and an immersive e-sim version of the sport, resonated strongly with operators and attendees. It demonstrated not only a deep understanding of regional preferences, but also the supplier’s ability to create tailored content for any market.

Alongside this, BETBY exhibited continued innovation through its proprietary esports feed BETBY Games, and its comprehensive suite of AI tools AI Labs, which leverages artificial intelligence to deliver personalisation, real-time recommendations, and enhanced operational efficiency.

As further recognition of its ongoing innovation in the iGaming industry, BETBY was honoured with the Best Esports Product award during the SiGMA Americas Awards ceremony. This win underscores BETBY’s vision to redefine the esports betting experience through its BETBY Games solution, which is designed to deliver unmatched flexibility, customisation, and engagement for operators and players.

“This recognition at SiGMA Americas is a proud milestone for our entire team, even though our presence in Brazil this week was about much more than awards,” said Leonid Pertsovskiy, BETBY’s Chief Executive Officer. “It was about connecting with the region, understanding what local players truly value, and showing that we have the technology and vision to meet those needs. We’re building products that scale globally but connect locally, and that’s what sets BETBY apart.”

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PlayVS Announces Multi-year Partnership with Zenni Optical

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PlayVS Announces Multi-year Partnership with Zenni Optical

 

PlayVS, the leading esports platform in North America, announced a multi-year partnership with Zenni Optical, the world’s leading online eyewear retailer. This partnership establishes Zenni as the official eyewear partner of PlayVS, bringing exclusive benefits to PlayVS’ esports community.

As part of this collaboration, Zenni will serve as the official eyewear partner of the PlayVS Cup, the annual national esports championship for high school students. The Cup provides top scholastic esports teams from across the country with an opportunity to compete for a national title and earn recognition and awards, including college scholarships. Zenni’s partnership will help power scholarship prizes for Cup finalists, furthering PlayVS’ dedication to empowering students and supporting their educational and athletic ambitions. These scholarships not only aid with alleviating financial strain, but also highlight esports as a viable pathway to academic and professional success.

Zenni’s eyewear will also be included in the prize packages that PlayVS Cup champions and PlayVS Awards winners receive, providing students with high quality eyewear to complement their gaming performance. Additionally, Zenni will offer members of the PlayVS community exclusive discounts on eyewear.

“We are excited to partner with PlayVS and expand our ongoing support of the gaming and esports community. Empowering a dedicated high school esports program that not only will generate awareness around the importance of eye health to a new generation of gamers but also support their academic pursuits is such an amazing opportunity for Zenni to partner with,” said Robb Chiarini, Head of Partnerships, Licensing, & Events at Zenni Optical.

Through this partnership, Zenni will also be integrated into PlayVS’ content series, Road to the PlayVS Cup, a set of videos showcasing different esports programs across the nation as they compete to earn a spot in the PlayVS Cup.

“Partnering with Zenni is a natural fit for us as we continue to grow the high school esports community. Zenni shares our commitment to supporting students in both esports and academics. By joining forces with Zenni, we’re empowering students with scholarships and enabling them to partake in healthy competition to foster their esports careers. We’re excited to work together and bring Zenni’s eyewear to our community of gamers,” said Jon Chapman, CEO of PlayVS.

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Esports Highlights: Trends to Watch in 2025

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Esports, the competitive side of video gaming, has evolved exponentially over the past few decades. From small gatherings of friends competing in local tournaments to massive international leagues and arenas filled with thousands of fans, the landscape of esports has dramatically shifted.

Esports, the competitive side of video gaming, has evolved exponentially over the past few decades. From small gatherings of friends competing in local tournaments to massive international leagues and arenas filled with thousands of fans, the landscape of esports has dramatically shifted. With its growth, new trends continue to emerge, bringing about changes in both the games that dominate and the ways in which audiences experience these events. As we look ahead to 2025, several key trends will shape the future of esports, from technological advancements to shifts in fan engagement. In this article, we’ll explore the most significant trends in esports that will likely define the landscape of 2025 and beyond.

1.  Rise of Mobile Esports

One of the most important trends in esports in 2025 will be the further rise of mobile gaming. Traditionally, esports has been dominated by PC and console games, but with the advent of powerful smartphones and mobile devices, mobile gaming is now on the rise as a competitive platform. Games like PUBG Mobile, Free Fire, and Brawl Stars have already carved a niche for themselves, attracting millions of players and viewers globally.

Mobile gaming has the distinct advantage of the fact that it’s played on what’s already in your pocket. The fact that 4.3 billion people own at least one smartphone (compared to 1.86 billion PC gamers and 1.6 billion console owners) means that the bar for entry has never been lower.

Historically, esports has been dominated by North American (NA) and European (EU) players, with EU players typically having the edge in skill and performance. However, as the mobile esports scene continues to grow, emerging regions will most likely play a much bigger part in the global esports scene. Indeed, mobile esports has already gained immense popularity in regions such as Southeast Asia, Latin America, and India, where smartphones are more prevalent than gaming PCs or consoles.

In 2025, we can expect to see more titles being optimized for mobile platforms, leading to more inclusive and geographically diverse esports tournaments. Furthermore, the integration of 5G technology will significantly enhance mobile gaming experiences by heavily reducing latency and increasing connection speed, making it even more appealing for professional players and fans.

2.  The Continued Convergence of Traditional Sports and Esports

Esports and traditional sports have already begun to overlap in several areas, and this convergence will only grow stronger by 2025. Traditional sports leagues, teams, and athletes are increasingly investing in esports teams and tournaments. For example, major soccer clubs like Paris Saint-Germain and FC Barcelona have their own esports teams competing in popular games such as FIFA and Rocket League. Similarly, the NBA has its NBA 2K League, which draws in a new generation of fans while also engaging current basketball enthusiasts.

Notably, certain motorsports leagues have begun trying out notable “sim-racing” champions and giving them chances and tryouts in real race cars. This style of esports to real sports promotion could prove even more common as more real-life sports leagues more closely examine the talent found in esports champions.

The online betting scene has also begun to take notice of the rising popularity of esports and competitive gaming. Most notably, Stake offers both sports betting and eSports betting, which are easier to have fun with than ever.

The collaboration between traditional sports and esports will likely intensify in the coming years, with more partnerships, cross-promotion, and even possible hybrid events. These collaborations will provide new opportunities for esports to reach wider audiences and gain mainstream legitimacy. Fans of traditional sports who may not yet be engaged with esports will become more familiar with the esports scene as their favorite teams and athletes become involved.

In recent years, major TV networks have increasingly embraced esports, recognizing its immense popularity and potential to attract younger, tech-savvy audiences. Networks such as ESPN and TBS have begun broadcasting major esports tournaments, including events like the League of Legends World Championship and NBA 2K League. These partnerships have helped legitimize esports as a mainstream form of entertainment, drawing in millions of viewers and boosting sponsorships and advertising revenue. The inclusion of esports in traditional media platforms also reflects the growing popularity of esports as a whole.

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3.  The Growth of Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR) in Esports

Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR) are two of the most exciting technologies poised to revolutionize the gaming and esports industries. By 2025, VR and AR are expected to enhance the way fans and players experience esports, providing more immersive and interactive environments.

In esports, VR has the potential to offer a fully immersive competitive gaming experience. Players may be able to step into digital worlds with greater interactivity and presence than ever before. VR was in a bit of a slump before Facebook Inc. notoriously changed its company name to Meta Inc., while betting everything on VR and the “Metaverse” being the next big thing. While the Metaverse hasn’t quite yet gained popularity as Meta had hoped, the big push has definitely revived VR and VR gaming, and player numbers are at an all-time high. VR esports could be a lot more prominent in the near future, with some possible contenders for games being Beat Saber and Pavlov.

AR, on the other hand, could change the way fans watch live esports events by overlaying real-time stats, player profiles, and other dynamic content directly into the live broadcasts, as well as onto the smartphones of live attendees. Some traditional sports, (such as Formula 1) have already begun doing so, and esports could very well follow.

4.  Increased Focus on Content Creators, Streaming Platforms, and Online Betting

Esports and streaming platforms like Kick, Twitch, and Youtube are deeply intertwined, with content creators and streamers playing a pivotal role in driving viewership, engagement, and revenue. By 2025, these figures will continue to be central to the esports ecosystem, bridging the gap between professional players and casual fans by offering entertainment, educational content, and community-building activities.

Notably, in the past few years, we’ve seen many different Content creators and streamers popularize the genre of speedrunning, the concept of competing in order to fully beat a single-player game in the shortest possible time. In the days of the COVID-19 pandemic, hours-long video essays covering different games’ speedrunning scenes exploded in popularity and viewership, driving never-before-seen audiences to speedrunning events and tournaments.

Examples like these show that online personalities have a huge influence on the popularity of esports and gaming tournaments, both in offline single-player gaming and online hyper-competitive multiplayer tournaments.

Moreover, online betting platforms, particularly Stake.com, will see greater prominence within the esports landscape. As esports fans continue to engage with their favorite games, teams, and events, platforms like Stake will allow users to bet on outcomes, adding an exciting new dimension to the esports experience. This integration of online betting with streaming and content creation will provide fans with even more ways to interact with the esports world, further blurring the lines between gaming entertainment and real-world stakes.

5.  Increased Professionalization of Esports Leagues

As esports continues to mature, the structure of its leagues and competitions will become more professionalized. By 2025, we can expect a more established framework for esports leagues, akin to the way traditional sports leagues such as the NFL or NBA are organized. This shift will include increased focus on player welfare, standardized rules, and higher production value for events.

We could very possibly see esports organizations implementing stricter player contracts, better health and wellness programs, and improved support systems for players transitioning into new stages of their careers. Additionally, esports leagues will likely aim for better governance to ensure fairness and transparency in player management, league operations, and tournament outcomes.

Large corporations such as Valve Corporation and Riot Games have already been funding entire leagues on their own, but we could expect to see these leagues become more self-sufficient, as well as potentially new grassroots esports leagues popping up.

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6.  Expansion into New Games and Genres

While League of Legends, Dota 2, and Counter-Strike 2 dominate the esports scene today, new games and genres will continue to emerge and challenge the status quo. We are poised to see new competitive games in genres never before heard of appear in the future.

The current mainstream of 5v5 first-person shooters and top-down MOBAs is definitely popular for now, but the future is, as always, unpredictable. As the esports audience diversifies and seeks new experiences, the demand for new games that offer different styles of gameplay will grow. One game that’s earned a lot of recent attention is Valve’s Deadlock, a fresh take that attempts to wrap a MOBA and a third-person shooter into one game. It borrows all kinds of mechanics from both genres and is currently available for beta testing.

Additionally, one historical genre of gaming that’s been somewhat neglected in the mainstream esports scene is fighting. Popular fighting franchises such as Tekken and Street Fighter are ultra-competitive 1 on 1 experiences that would fit into the modern esports scene incredibly well. They would also fit incredibly well into a traditional tournament bracket, which most modern esports leagues use in their events. It could be a matter of time until we see these games truly explode into the mainstream esports scene.

7.  The Impact of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning on Esports

AI and machine learning are increasingly being integrated into esports, both in-game and behind the scenes. In-game AI can be used to enhance the gameplay experience, provide better matchmaking, and even develop more intelligent NPCs (non-playable characters) for single-player games. Additionally, AI and machine learning are already being used in order to develop more sophisticated anti-cheat software. More advanced and sophisticated anti-cheat will ensure that anyone from regular run-of-the-mill players to battle-hardened esports competitors is all on a completely level playing field.

Behind the scenes, AI can help analyze player performance, predict outcomes, and optimize tournament structures. As these technologies advance, their role in esports will grow, providing more personalized and efficient experiences for players and fans alike.

8.  Gender equality in Esports

The future of esports holds immense promise in terms of gender equality, offering the opportunity for both men and women to compete together at the highest levels. Unlike traditional physical sports, where physical strength can be a determining factor, esports provides a level playing field where skill, strategy, and teamwork take precedence. This opens up a world of untapped potential, where an equal participation of men and women could elevate the entire industry, driving innovation and diversity.

By 2025, as barriers to entry continue to diminish, the growing recognition of female players, content creators, and professionals will help shape a more inclusive esports scene. Once we overcome societal hurdles and biases, the industry will see a more unified, competitive, and dynamic environment.

9.  Esports as a Career Path

In 2025, esports looks sure to continue to be a legitimate career path for players, coaches, analysts, and content creators. As the industry matures, more individuals will pursue esports as a viable career option.

In addition to competitive gaming, roles such as event organizers, team managers, game developers, and data analysts will become more prominent within the esports ecosystem. The increasing number of job opportunities within esports will help professionalize the industry and ensure its growth in the future.

Educational institutions will most likely offer more dedicated programs and degrees in esports management, broadcasting, and game design, offering professional pathways for future talents. Some high schools and universities have even been starting up their own amateur esports clubs and leagues, as a way for students to socialize and find common interests with each other.

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Conclusion

As we head into 2025, esports will continue to evolve, with major transformations driven by mobile gaming, VR/AR integration, and the growing influence of content creators and streaming platforms. The professionalization of leagues and the expansion into new genres will ensure esports remains dynamic, offering exciting opportunities for players, fans, and industry professionals alike.

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