The E-League 2020 was officially launched today with a new competition format and venues that will allow fans to truly connect with the competitors.

Under the revamped format the E-League 2020 Season will be played over 11 rounds split over two Saturdays (15 February and 7 March 2020) at the ESL Studios in Sydney. The E-league 2020 Finals Series will be held on Saturday, 9 May 2020 at the newly developed Fortress Melbourne, the largest gaming and esports venue in the Southern Hemisphere.

EA Sports have also confirmed that the E-League is now a League Qualifying Tournament II of the EA SPORTS FIFA 20 Global Series, which provides a pathway for competitors to compete at the FIFA eWorld Cup. As a result, the E-League 2020 Champion will receive 450 Global Series Points, an increase of 250 points from last season.

FFA Head of Leagues, Greg O’Rourke, was excited about the innovations for the E-League 2020 Season.

“After two seasons of the E-League, it was timely for us to reassess and revise our strategy for the future of the competition, said O’Rourke.

“Following consultation with our key stakeholders, we have landed on a new competition format that will see competitors representing each Hyundai A-League Clubs play each other over two weekends in the regular season to determine the E-League Premiers. The E-League Finals Series will remain as a seeded, knock-out to determine our E-League Champion 2020.

“These event days will be moved from the Thursday evenings we had previously in Seasons 1 & 2 to Saturdays for the upcoming season to allow fans to better engage with the E-League.

“We will also move the E-League to venues that can accommodate fans who want to cheer on their favourite competitors in the flesh.

“The E-League is an important part of our long-term strategy for the Leagues and we are looking forward to an exciting new chapter in the development of Esports in Australia,” concluded O’Rourke.

All matches throughout the E-League 2020 Season and E-League 2020 Finals Series will once again be streamed on twitch.

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Football Federation Australia (FFA) and Electronic Arts (EA) today announced that the E-League will be once again be a member of the EA SPORTS FIFA 20 Global Series on the Road to the FIFA eWorld Cup 2020.

This builds on the E-League’s existing status as a member of the EA SPORTS FIFA 20 Global Series, with the competition now being aligned to EA’s wider global calendar of tournaments.

The latest season of the E-League will feature an all new format, full details of which will be revealed in January 2020. The season itself will begin in February and conclude with a Grand Final in May.As always, a selection of the best FIFA 20 competitors from Australia will compete for the E-League title and the opportunity to represent themselves and the Hyundai A-League at the highest levels of competitive FIFA.

Players competing in the E-League will receive FGS points which will give them a chance to qualify for the FGS Playoffs and FIFA eWorld Cup depending on their FUT Global Series standings. On top of this, two competitors will earn the right to represent Australia at the FIFA eNations Cup 2020.

“The E-League has already established itself in the burgeoning eSports market as one of the most prestigious in the Australasian region,” said FFA Head of Leagues, Greg O’Rourke. “We are proud to continue our strong relationship with EA Sports and look forward to another exciting edition of the E-League next year,” concluded O’Rourke.

“EA SPORTS FIFA 20 is a key part of the football experience for the younger, digitally-connected football fan, as it teaches them the game and builds their affinity to the beautiful sport,” said Deputy FIFA Competitive Gaming Commissioner Sam Turkbas. “Australia is an incredible hotbed of EA SPORTS FIFA talent, including eWorld Cup competitors FUTWIZ Marko and Melbourne City FC’s Markus Gomes. E-League will provide a direct opportunity for Australian Fans to see some of the best to go head-to-head in the EA SPORTS FIFA 20 Global Series on The Road to the FIFA eWorld Cup 2020.”

Further details on the E-League can be found at the Official E-League website.

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The National Basketball Association (NBA) and Take-Two Interactive Software today announced plans to launch the NBA 2K eLeague, a new, professional competitive gaming league that will bring together the best basketball gamers in the world.  This marks the first official eSports league operated by a U.S. professional sports league.

Set to debut in 2018, this ground-breaking competitive gaming league will consist of teams operated by actual NBA franchises.  The founding teams, each composed of five professional eSports players who will play the game as user-created avatars, will be announced in the coming months.  The NBA 2K eLeague will follow a professional sports league format: competing head-to-head throughout a regular season, participating in a bracketed playoff system, and concluding with a championship matchup.

“We believe we have a unique opportunity to develop something truly special for our fans and the young and growing eSports community,” said NBA Commissioner Adam Silver.  “We look forward to combining our best-in-class NBA sports team operators with Take-Two’s competitive gaming expertise to create a brand new league experience.”

“We are proud to expand our strong relationship with the NBA and co-create the NBA 2K eLeague,” said Strauss Zelnick, Chairman and CEO of Take-Two.  “Through the NBA 2K series, which is renowned throughout the world for capturing the authenticity of the NBA and the passion of its fans, we have a proven track record of highly successful collaboration.  With this new venture, Take-Two and the NBA aim to fuel the accelerating growth of eSports and take the thrill of competition to exciting new heights.”

The relationship between NBA and Take-Two dates back to 1999, with the NBA 2K series selling over 68 million units worldwide.  The most recent release, NBA 2K17, is the highest-rated annual sports game of the current console generation and the highest-rated title in the history of the NBA 2K series.  To date, NBA 2K17 has sold-in nearly 7 million units, and is poised to become 2K’s highest-selling sports title ever.

In December, 2K launched its second official eSports competition, NBA 2K17 All-Star Tournament, which offers teams of gamers the chance to win a trip to NBA All-Star 2017.  The 5-on-5 tournament, featuring a $250,000 grand prize, will culminate on Feb. 17 in New Orleans.

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