Esports tournament organiser Blast has announced plans to enter FIFA esports and will produce the 2021/22 instalment of the ePremier League (ePL).
All 20 clubs will be represented in the tournament, with fans competing for the chance to win silverware for their favourite clubs and take home a share of the £100,000 prize pool.
For the latest instalment of the ePL, Blast has co-created a new online format and live event experience for players and fans.
Players of all abilities were able to register for the tournament and compete for a place in the Club Playoffs by participating in a series of online open qualification tournaments. These were held on PS5 and Xbox Series X & S consoles between November and January.
This year’s competition sees the return of a live ePremier League grand final, where the two best players from all 20 Premier League clubs will battle it out on March 26th and 27th 2022, teaming up on their respective consoles to crown the winning club.
Leo Matlock, MD of development at Blast, said: “We’re thrilled to team up with the world’s most renowned football league, and help them create, develop and deliver this season’s ePremier League. We’re excited at the prospect of engaging with fans from all 20 clubs as they compete to represent their favourite team at the live grand finals.”
The ePremier League was previously run by Gfinity.
BT and EA Sports ask players to take a stand against online hate with Hope United kit
In a separate announcement, to mark Safer Internet Day, BT has teamed up with EA Sports to offer FIFA 22 Ultimate Team (FUT) players the Hope United kit.
Available for free via FUT season objectives, BT and EA Sports are encouraging FIFA 22 players to equip their Ultimate Team with the kit in-game to help stand against online hate.
BT is also launching new tech tip content to help gamers tackle online hate, with footballers Trent Alexander Arnold, Jordan Henderson and Michail Antonio sharing information on how to report abuse while online gaming.
BT Sport will also host a Hope United FIFA Challenge, which will see footballers Declan Rice, Michail Antonio, Danielle Carter and Trent Alexander-Arnold and four of the best FIFA esport players, Tekkz, Lisa Manley, FUTcrunch and Ebru, battle it out for the Hope Cup, while opening up on their own experiences of online hate. This was shown on BT Sport 1 and BT Sport’s YouTube channel on Wednesday February 8th 2022 from 6pm:
Pete Jeavons, marketing communications director at BT, said “We are delighted to work alongside one of the industry’s leading developers, and one of the most popular game series of all time, to showcase the Hope United initiative and continue to shine a light and fight back against the online abuse people face every day. We hope this campaign will remind people that hate has no place in any game, and what they can do to combat it.”
James Salmon, EA Sports FIFA marketing director, added: “Video games should be fun, fair and safe for everyone – we want players to enjoy the best possible experience online. We take our responsibilities seriously, providing tools and helping players understand how to use them effectively. That’s why we’ve joined forces with BT Hope United and stand alongside them in asking our players to tackle online hate together.”
BT’s Hope United campaign was launched ahead of Euro 2020. It’s backed by players from across the Home Nations, including Marcus Rashford, Gareth Bale, Andy Robertson, Lucy Bronze and more.
The Hope United kit will be available in FUT until April. For more information on Hope United and Tech Tips, visit bt.com/hopeunited.
Dom is an award-winning writer and finalist of the Esports Journalist of the Year 2023 award. He graduated from Bournemouth University with a 2:1 degree in Multi-Media Journalism in 2007.
As a long-time gamer having first picked up the NES controller in the late ’80s, he has written for a range of publications including GamesTM, Nintendo Official Magazine, industry publication MCV and others. He worked as head of content for the British Esports Federation up until February 2021, when he stepped back to work full-time on Esports News UK and offer esports consultancy and freelance services. Note: Dom still produces the British Esports newsletter on a freelance basis, so our coverage of British Esports is always kept simple – usually just covering the occasional press release – because of this conflict of interest.
