Esports tournament organiser BLAST has entered FIFA esports after announcing it will produce the 2021/22 ePremier League season.
For the upcoming season, BLAST has co-created a new online format and planned an ‘elevated live event experience’ for both players and fans ahead of the ePremier League Grand Final.
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The ePremier League is an esports league organised by publisher Electronic Arts and the Premier League, the UK’s top-flight football league. It features all 20 clubs that compete in the real-life football competition. Representatives from the clubs will compete for the league’s £100,000 prize pool, which is split across Playstation 5 and Xbox Series X & S divisions.
According to the release, BLAST will utilise its experience in hosting tournaments across other gaming titles to help shape the FIFA 22 series. This includes looking to provide experiences tailored specifically for the FIFA 22 community and Premier League fans.
The ePremier League Grand Final will take place on March 26th-27th.
BLAST is primarily known for its CS:GO esports series BLAST Premier. However, the tournament organiser has recently expanded into other titles, most notably including Apex Legends and Fortnite.
Leo Matlock, MD of Development at BLAST, commented: “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.”
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Last year, EA SPORTS underwent some major esports ecosystem changes for FIFA 22. Its esports roadmap now primarily focuses on three major competitions: the FIFAe Club Series 2022, the FIFAe Nations Series 2022, and the EA SPORTS FIFA 22 Global Series. The ePremier League is part of FIFA 22’s Global Series.
Esports Insider says: This is quite a significant move for FIFA’s esports scene. Bringing on a prominent tournament organiser in BLAST should hopefully enhance the event, especially from an experience and presentation standpoint. The ePremier League’s viewership is worth keeping an eye on this year.