The world’s largest esports company ESL has announced a partnership with the UK’s university esports system. The long-term partnership will see the National Student Esports organization benefitting from ESL’s expertise. It aims to develop a new generation of pro gamers in the UK.
ESL building connections with universities
Although details of the partnership are still scarce, the upcoming academic year should see the ESL building a connection between its esports ecosystem and universities. As well as bolstering the skillsets of the college gamers, the project will aim to provide a pathway for many students to enter the esports industry.
At the moment fewer than 20 percent of the National Student Esports’ registered gamers compete in non-university esports tournaments. But by partnering with ESL, the NSE opens a gateway to pro gaming competitions.
The project was realized after Intel created a workshop that encouraged the UK government to take a greater interest in esports. This brought together ESL and the NSE for the first time. The workshop also received the support of the UK’s Minister of State for the Department of Digital Culture.
For more background, the National Student Esports was established in 2018. The project was unveiled at London’s Red Bull Gaming Sphere. It featured seven different esports such as Rocket League, Dota 2, CS:GO, LoL, Overwatch and Hearthstone for student players.
National Student Esports’ success
The National Student Esports project has already proven to be a success. The organization is currently midway through a summer tournament schedule.
In addition, the organization has found success in broadening the number of esports featured with a special University Fighting Games competition. This included titles like Super Smash Bros Ultimate, Street Fighter V, Tekken 8 and Mortal Kombat 11. The competition followed in the footsteps of the hugely popular EVO Championship Series.
Clearly, there is no shortage of talent and enthusiasm in the UK’s student gaming scene. By introducing the expertise and resources of ESL, the NSE hopes to take things to the next level.
Ever since ESL was founded in 2000, the brand has become one of the key players in the global esports scene. ESL is based in Cologne, Germany but has seen its hugely popular esports tournaments taking place all over the world in locations as far-reaching as California and Vietnam.
This year saw the ESL One Birmingham tournament setting a viewership record for all ESL Dota 2 events, and it’s this kind of competition that will aim to inspire the National Student Esports organization to aim higher for its competitive gaming teams.
