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Gucci takes on esports fashion with a $1,600 Fnatic dive watch
Gucci is getting into the esports fashion world in an unusual fashion: a premium, limited edition Fnatic dive watch.
Pro-gaming giant Fnatic is introducing eSports to CES
Sam Mathews founded Fnatic about 13 years ago, when he was just 19. Today, Fnatic is a household name for eSports fans: It's one of the most successful and prolific professional gaming franchises in the world, regularly competing at the top tier in games like League of Legends and Counter-Strike: Global Offensive. The brand has expanded past the games and into hardware, and Mathews showed up at CES this year to demo Fnatic's latest keyboards and mice, which are due to hit the market in the coming months.
Will Ferrell will bring eSports to the silver screen
According to Variety, Will Ferrell has reportedly signed on to star in an upcoming film about eSports. The as-of-yet untitled movie will feature Ferrell as a member of a pro gaming team with the twist being he's super old for an industry where most people retire in their mid-20s. The film will also include appearances by the Evil Geniuses and Fnatic, two actual professional teams.
The 'Game Fnatic' finale crowns a new 'League of Legends' pro
And then there was one. The final five episodes of Engadget's behind-the-scenes video series, Game Fnatic, follow four League of Legends players as they vie for a single spot on one of the world's leading eSports organizations. The second half of Game Fnatic kicks off with an elimination, followed by a dramatic day of go-kart racing and even more League of Legends skill challenges, until just two candidates compete head-to-head in a tense two-part finale. The first five episodes introduced the challengers, four semi-pro and amateur players with the in-game talent to go pro. But after a series of tests, it's clear only one of them has the stamina and demeanor that Fnatic demands. Playing professional League of Legends takes more than dexterity and focus; it also means you have to play well with others -- literally. Catch up on Game Fnatic and watch the brand new episodes (including the finale and its surprise twist ending) right here.
Four questions with the founder of Fnatic
Sam Mathews founded the European esports organization Fnatic in 2004, after selling his car to send a group of players to a competitive gaming event in Las Vegas. A dozen years ago, esports were barely a blip on the mainstream radar, but Mathews was an early adopter -- and the industry grew quickly. His teams continued to expand and succeed in tournaments for a range of games, including Quake, Counter-Strike, Dota 2 and League of Legends. Today, Fnatic is one of the world's largest and most popular esports organizations, consistently competing for millions of dollars and selling swag across the globe. As one of the first entrepreneurs to believe in esports, Mathews has a unique perspective on the industry's history and how it will continue to evolve going forward. Professional video game tournaments are already being aired live on television, after all. Last week, Mathews took a break from the ESL One Counter-Strike: Global Offensive tournament in New York to answer four questions about esports and the pressures of leading one of its most legendary organizations. We've recorded his thoughts below.
Game Fnatic: See what it takes to be a 'League of Legends' pro
It's on. The Engadget video series Game Fnatic follows four amateur and semi-pro League of Legends players as they attempt to win a spot on Fnatic, one of the world's most successful and famous teams. The first five episodes are live right now, right here. Even if you're unfamiliar with League of Legends, the debut episodes break down the basics and introduce the four competitors, each of whom brings a unique skill -- and personality -- to the series. Game Fnatic is a behind-the-scenes look at Fnatic's League of Legends philosophy and what its star players look for in a teammate. The competitors not only have to learn how to train like a pro, which includes physical activity and hours upon hours of game time, but they have to prove they can play well with Fnatic's superstar lineup, which features Martin "Rekkles" Larsson, Fabian "Febiven" Diepstraten and Bora "YellOwStaR" Kim, all of whom have competed at the League of Legends World Championships. The 2016 Worlds tournament is live through October 29th, so now is a great time to get a closer look at what it takes to be a professional League of Legends player. Game Fnatic is a 10-part series, so once you're done devouring the first five episodes, keep an eye out for the second half in the coming weeks. You know where to find us.
'Game Fnatic' unveils the realities of being an eSports pro
Fnatic is a big name in professional League of Legends lore. Just four teams have claimed victory in the World Championship since the circuit began in 2011, and Fnatic was the first team to ever lift up the Summoner's Cup. Since then, Fnatic has proven itself to be a top-tier League of Legends organization, attracting talent and fans from around the globe. Its current roster includes superstars Martin "Rekkles" Larsson, Fabian "Febiven" Diepstraten and Bora "YellOwStaR" Kim, all of whom have competed in World Championship tournaments. But now, Fnatic is looking in an unlikely place for its next eSports star. In Game Fnatic, a 10-part video series, Engadget goes behind the scenes as four amateur and semi-pro players battle it out for a single spot on Fnatic's League of Legends roster.
Fnatic pro gaming team gets limited edition headset and mouse from SteelSeries
As you may well be aware, professional gamers have been getting more and more pro over the years, even including the sort of product endorsements you'd expect from professional athletes. Case in point: this new limited edition headset and mouse pair from SteelSeries, which each sport the colors and logo of Team Fnatic. They are being released to coincide with the Dreamhack Winter LAN party / digital festival, and they're otherwise identical to SteelSeries' existing 7H headset and Sensei gaming mouse. Those interested will be able to pick up both the mouse and headset (pictured after the break) at Dreamhack or online for $100 and $140, respectively.
The Daily Quest: Tanking, esports, and comics
We here at WoW.com are on a Daily Quest to bring you interesting, informative and entertaining WoW-related links from around the blogosphere. If you're into the esports scene, you might be interested to know that Fnatic has just assembled a new team! Are you a Death Knight? Are you new to tanking? Blood Barrier has 10 tips for you! Rolling Hots isn't a fan of the Tier 9 Druid armor. Behold, their deconstruction of both the Horde and Alliance sets. Lorecrafted reviews (and spoils, be warned) the latest issue of the World of Warcraft comic. BlizzPlanet speculates on the future of the Warcraft universe. How many worlds are out there in the 'verse, anyway? Click here to submit a link to TDQ
Fnatic Orz just about the best team in the world
Familiar faces from the former Duelists Going For Gladiator -- Celex, Emolol, and Ely with a sub, Kesher -- who now compete under the new banner of Gravitas Gaming, faced off against the defending champions Fnatic Orz trio of Glick, Rhaegyn, and Hafu in the Finals of MLG-Dallas earlier today. Gravitas Gaming came into the Finals with a 3-1 lead carried over from their earlier matchup during the elimination rounds, needing only three wins to dethrone the MLG-Orlando Champs.Fnatic played their strongest comp of Warlock (Glick), Warrior (Rhaegyn), and Druid (Hafu) while Gravitas Gaming countered with a Warrior (Kesher), Mage (Celex), and Priest (Ely) instead of their usual RMP. Some viewers wrote Fnatic Orz off considering their uphill climb to win five games against Gravitas' three, but the defending Champions showed exactly what they were made of by winning three straight matches after falling behind 5-2, evening out the competition at 5-5. The Grand Finals all rested on a single, do-or-die match -- played in Nagrand Arena -- a nailbiter that exemplified the best of professional Arena play. In what was one of the best comebacks I've seen in an Arena tournament, Fnatic Orz pulled off four straight wins to win back-to-back MLG Championships and cement their place in pro circuit history.It was the second time the two teams met in the Grand Finals, with Gravitas still under the Frag Dominant banner. The games were broadcast streaming through GotFrag TV, with excellent, spot-on commentating and incredible camera work that made it relatively easy to follow the extremely fast-paced matches, although the last match's stream was plagued with hiccups. The winners walked away with $12,000 and three HP Blackbird 002, while the runners-up won $6,000. Pro circuit mainstays Team Pandemic took third place with $3,000 after losing to Fnatic Orz in the Semi-Finals. Fnatic Orz' storied rise from being dropped by MoB Gaming, winning MLG-Orlando without a sponsor, and being picked up by Fnatic and winning a spot at the World Championships at BlizzCon just before this fantastic win today makes them one of the most exciting and favored teams to watch in the pro Arena tournament scene. It will be a treat to see them compete against the world's best at the World Championships next weekend... except that you'll need a DirectTV subscription for that.
MLG Orlando coverage begins on GotFrag TV
GotFrag's coverage of the MLG 3v3 Arena Tournament in Orlando begins at 9am Eastern, 6am Pacific today. If you didn't tune in at all last month, I definitely recommend doing so this time around. Generally, I'm not a PvP fan, but this was very fun to watch last time. WoW's impact as an eSport isn't really something you can witness in-game (which is a shame) but for me, tournaments like this give it a whole new dynamic. The emphasis is placed more on the players and the choices they make, and a little less on rock-paper-scissors and endless countercomping. It's an all weekend event, so if you're only interested in watching the finals, that'll be tomorrow.Like Amanda Dean and GotFrag themselves detailed the other day, there are a lot of teams to keep an eye on this time around. Frag Dominant took the win last month, and there are plenty of other teams you may recognize. SK-Gaming, MoB, Got Game East/West, Pandemic, Fnatic, plenty more. If you don't keep an eye on the PvP scene on a regular basis you might not recognize those names, but they put on a good show last time.To view the live stream, you will probably be prompted to install a codec if you don't have it yet. All of us WoW players are a little paranoid these days (with good reason), so don't be afraid to run a background check on anything you're asked to download. I'm pretty positive there's nothing to worry about in this case, but better safe than sorry, eh?
