Connect with us

Esports

F1 RACES ON WITH VIRTUAL GRANDS PRIX DURING PANDEMIC

Published

on

Formula 1® has announced the launch of a new F1 Esports Virtual Grand Prix series, featuring several current F1 drivers, to enable fans to continue enjoying races despite the ongoing COVID-19 crisis.

Virtual races will be run in place of every postponed Grand Prix, beginning with this weekend with the Virtual Bahrain Grand Prix on 22 March. From then on, there will be a Virtual Grand Prix for every postponed real-world Formula 1 race.

The initiative is scheduled to run until May, but will be extended if the COVID-19 (coronavirus) crisis causes further Grand Prix postponements.

The races will feature both current F1 drivers and “a host of stars to be announced in due course.” Drivers will be racing remotely, with a host broadcast live from the Gfinity Esports Arena, or remotely if needed.

Racing will take place on the official F1 2019 PC video game from Codemasters, and the first Virtual Grand Prix on the Sakhir track be a 50% length race with 28 laps. The event will be broadcast on the official Formula 1 YouTube, Twitch and Facebook channels.

F1 says that game settings will be configured in a way to “encourage competitive and entertaining racing” taking into account the wide variety of gaming skill levels among drivers. It has been stressed that the virtual series is strictly for entertainment purposes only, with no official World Championship points available.

In addition to the Grand Prix races, during non-race weekends, Formula 1 will host online exhibition races giving fans the chance to go head-to-head with real F1 drivers.

Discussing the news Head of Digital Business Initiatives and Esports, Julian Tan, said:

“We are very pleased to be able to bring some light relief in the form of the F1 Esports Virtual GP, in these unpredictable times, as we hope to entertain fans missing the regular sporting action. With every major sports league in the world unable to compete, it is a great time to highlight the benefits of esports and the incredible skill that’s on show.”

 

While Chief Executive Officer at Codemasters, Frank Sagnier, added:

“We’re excited to be a part of the new F1 Esports Virtual Grand Prix Series. With sporting events currently on hold around the world, it’s great that the official F1® video game can help fill the void by bringing together an exciting line-up of talent to race online during the postponed race weekends. It’s going to be competitive, action-packed, and a lot of fun for everyone involved.”

 

AYO.NEWS says:

F1 isn’t the only motorsports switching to virtual racing during the global COVID-19 crisis. Just yesterday we reported NASCAR had launched the iRacing Pro Invitational Series in the United States, while Supercars Championship has announced the Supercars Eseries in Australia.

 

AYO.NEWS says features the opinion of the author and does not necessarily reflect the views of Pentagon Digital Limited.
All original content featured on this site is © Pentagon Digital Limited, 2020.

READ MORE: GFINITY SUPERCARS ESERIES READY FOR THE GREEN LIGHT

Continue Reading
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Esports

LEXUS SUPPORTS ESPORTS AWARDS FOR THIRD CONSECUTIVE YEAR

Published

on

Luxury carmaker Lexus is returning to support the Esports Awards for a third year running

As Official Auto Partner of the awards, the company will be working with the Esports Awards on a number of activations that incorporate their vehicles. Lexus will also sponsor both the Esports Organisation of the Year and Streamer of the Year awards. 

Lexus made its esports debut with the Esports Awards in 2019, when it provided several supercars from blockbuster movies, which took centre stage at the Esports Stadium Arlington. Last year, the carmaker collaborated on exclusive content as part of the highly successful virtual ceremony. 

“It’s an honour to be able to welcome Lexus as a partner for the third year in a row. After supporting us through a successful virtual ceremony last year, it speaks volumes that Lexus has once again committed to going all-in and driving the esports ecosystem forward. Both of our brands focus on prestige and excellence, and I look forward to showcases our joint values as we return to a physical event in November,” said Michael Ashford, Managing Director, Esports Awards.

READ MORE: EXPEDIA MAKES ESPORTS DEBUT AS SPONSOR OF THE ESPORTS AWARDS

Continue Reading

Esports

REKTGLOBAL BRINGS TOP GAMING TALENT TO INFINITY FESTIVAL 2021

Published

on

ReKTGlobal, the digital entertainment and esports organization, has been named one of the official presenters of gaming content at the 2021 Infinity Festival. 

On 3 November, superstar gaming creators Ally Battaggia (a.k.a TheGeekEntry) and Gabby Murray will join Stove’s Kitchen and Paul Shaw in a panel exploring the content creator economy. In addition, ReKTGlobal CCO Kevin Knocke will share his unique expertise in a panel on esports.   

Battaggia, who has a growing following across social media, took on streaming during lockdown, joining the fan-favorite NoPIxel GTA RP server. Since then, she’s become a mainstay participant, even crafting a NFT/TCG collection from her beloved GTA RP character. With 9.6M social media followers, Murray has built a fanbase as a multi-talented lifestyle and gaming content creator, with a Discord community that is expanding by the day.

Top gaming creator Stove’s Kitchen (whose real name is Steven Cho), part of the Team RAR (Rare and Ridiculous) internet group, has a devout fan following on his YouTube channel, where he posts gaming and challenge videos. Meanwhile, Shaw oversees Special Projects at TalentX Entertainment, a subsidiary of ReKTGlobal. The four will join forces for Making a Living as a Content Creator: Much More Than Gaming — a panel that explores what sets livestream content monetization and strategy apart from pre-produced content. 

Also on 3 November, Knocke will take part in an esports panel with Darin Kwilinski, Lead Content Producer at IGN Entertainment, and Amanda Solomon, CEO at Tyrus Talent Management. The panel, Esports or Esports? Does It Matter? will break down misconceptions about esports to separate the hype from actual substance. 

Knocke, who has been competitively gaming since he was a kid, has years of involvement with high profile companies and events in the esports business – specifically Blizzard Entertainment, IGN, SiriusXM, Sony, South by Southwest, E3, PAX, and Ubisoft — giving him a broad perspective on the industry. Before joining IGN, Kwilinski, a lifelong gamer, was a senior editor for esports at ESPN, establishing its vision and voice. Solomon is an executive with a well of expertise in the strategic sales and partnerships realm, specializing in esports, gaming, and talent. 

Now in its exciting fourth year, the forward-focused Infinity Festival is the place where Hollywood meets Silicon Valley. The multi-day annual event, held in Los Angeles, brings together Hollywood’s finest storytelling talent with the innovative creators of cutting-edge technology. For 2021, Infinity Festival will blend in-person and virtual events for a unique hybrid experience. 

The in-person portion will be held in several adjacent Hollywood locations with most events happening at Goya Studios and the Dream Hotel; the online component will be presented through the easy-to-use FNvirtual event platform. The festival will continue its theme of “Story Enabled by Technology” with an entirely new slate of innovative programming, including industry-leading speakers, panel discussions, an exhibition hall, innovation labs, and a fine art gallery, each with an emerging-tech focus.

For tickets and additional information, visit infinityfestival.com.

Continue Reading

Esports

TEAM SINGULARITY TO LAUNCH FAN TOKENS VIA BLOCKSPORT

Published

on

Danish esports organisation Team Singularity has extended its partnership with Swiss fan engagement platform Blocksport.

The multi-year agreement will see the launch of the $SNG Fan Token, giving holders access to unique opportunities to influence team-related decisions, enter the fast-track at SNG Academy, access exclusive content, train with professional esports athletes and more.

$SNG Fan Tokens are expected to launch in December 2021 with a supply of 3M, and will be priced at €1 each in the initial sale.

Commenting on the news, Atle S. Stehouwer, CEO and Founder of Team Singularity, said: “I am happy that our partnership with Blocksport is officially extended and we can finally announce the next step in our collaboration.”

Vladimir Liulka, CEO and Co-Founder of Blocksport, added: “We are happy to extend our exclusive partnership with Team Singularity and launch $SNG Fan Token for their fans. Singularity has a global and awesome fan community. The Token opens up a new world – an environment in which they have the chance to be very close to their favorites players and team”.

Team Singularity currently fields rosters in CS:GO, Fortnite, Rocket League, League of Legends, FIFA, Apex Legends, Rainbow Six, VALORANT, Free Fire, Teamfight Tactics, Hearthstone, Quake, League of Legends Wild Rift, Call of Duty, Call of Duty Mobile, Call of Duty Warzone, PUBG, PUBG Mobile, DOTA 2, Overwatch, Heroes of the Storm, Battalion 1944, H1Z1, Tekken7, Rogue Company, Brawlhalla, and Clash Royale.  In addition to Blocksport, the organisation has commercial partnerships with PWC, Pluck GG, Raven, SCUF, KontrolFreek, Randers FC, Esportal, Challengermode, MYESPORTSCARD, and MYFUTCARD. 

Staying with esports and Blocksport.io, just yesterday we reported the platform had partnered with Jordanian sim motorsports organisation Desert Fox Racing. 

READ MORE: SPORTSTECH PROVIDER BLOCKSPORT PARTNERS WITH MOZZART

Continue Reading

Trending