Skip to main content

jeremy-bijl
11th October 2018

Man City, Man United to compete in ePremier League

Manchester clubs set to compete in the first iteration of the official Premier League esports championship — the ePL
Categories:
TLDR
Man City, Man United to compete in ePremier League
photo:EASports

E-sports is a growing global phenomenon. With an estimated global revenue of $905.6 million and a fanbase around the 380 million mark, the burgeoning discipline has now ascended to one of the globe’s other major franchises: the Premier League.

The official ePremier League (ePL), which is making its debut in January 2019, has been well supported by Premier League clubs, with all 20 of them to compete in the competition’s inaugural year.

Amongst these, of course, are Manchester giants Manchester United and Manchester City. Manchester City, in particular, will be hoping to add to their glittering year with another trophy having recruited former FIFA world champion Kai ‘Deto’ Wallin.

The competition is still in its infancy. As such, the fledgling enterprise will comprise of three stages: online qualifiers, club playoffs, and a grand final, rather than taking on the traditional league format that the grass-based players adhere to.

Photo:Premier League

The first stage will be used to narrow the pool down to a total of 320 players. Of these players, 16 from each club will then face off to ascertain two representatives for the final.

Each club will enter two players – one on the Xbox One, and one on Playstation 4 – for the final, which will take place over two days at the end of March. Although it is unclear precisely how the final will work, the ePL webpage states that “matches will take place over two legs in a group-stage format on both PlayStation and Xbox to determine an overall champion”.

The Premier League has been quick to praise the initiative, with Richard Masters, the Premier League’s Managing Director, saying, “millions of fans play FIFA and this new eSports competition will provide our clubs with an exciting opportunity to engage with them.”

However, this growing trend has not always been met positively. In September, a match between Swiss clubs FC Basel and Young Boys saw console controllers thrown onto the pitch in a protest against football eSports, whilst news that eSports could one day be in the Olympics was met with widespread public derision.

Nonetheless, negotiations with Olympics eSports continues, and the ePL provides another marker for the growth in popularity of eSports.


More Coverage

Dredge: Euphoric short excitement

Deep, dark and dreadful. Black Salt Games’ debut, Dredge, delivers a delightful dunk, with some short lacking narratives.

Eight exciting games this year

Are you struggling to decide what to play? Check out this list to find out more about some of the games coming out in 2023

God of War: Ragnarök fails its female characters

Disappointingly, the latest installment in the God of War series continues its tradition of side-lining female characters

Sonic Frontiers: Sega Genesis Evangelion

Sonic Frontiers is the latest hurdle in the marathon that the blue hedgehog must finish before starring in a good game