Gfinity (AIM: GFIN), a world-leading esports and gaming solutions provider, announces that it has extended its relationship with F1 and been appointed to deliver the main elements of the F1 Esports Series in 2020 and 2021, and the 2022 qualifying events. In addition, the previously announced F1 Esports Virtual Grand Prix Series has been extended to June of this year.
As
part of the agreement for the F1 Esports Series, in 2020 Gfinity will deliver
the Pro Draft Reveal Show and the Pro Series; in 2021 Gfinity will deliver the Challenger Series qualifying events,
Pro Draft live show and Pro Series; and in 2022, Gfinity will deliver the qualifying
events. Full details of the 2020 season
format will be announced in due course.
Under
the terms of the contract, Gfinity will deliver a dedicated account management
team responsible for the delivery of all elements of the programme; a full
league operations team responsible for writing all rules and governing the
drivers participating in the tournament; and provide the use of ‘Race Control’,
Gfinity’s proprietary in-race adjudication system. The Gfinity Arena in London
will also be the main venue for live broadcasts.
Gfinity
has been working with Formula 1 and Codemasters (CDM.L), a leading UK publisher
of racing games, to design, develop and deliver the main elements of the F1
Esports Series since 2017.
In addition, further to
the announcement on 23 March 2020 that Gfinity had been selected to deliver the
new F1 Esports Virtual Grand Prix Series, the Series has now been extended
until June. The Virtual Grand Prix
Series will replace each live F1 Grand Prix that has been postponed due to the
coronavirus. Gfinity worked closely with Formula 1 on the conception of the
series and oversees the delivery of the tournament, tournament operations and
broadcast production. The first race,
the Virtual Bahrain Grand Prix took place on Sunday 22 March 2020. Since then
there have been four additional Virtual Grand Prix in Vietnam, China, the
Netherlands and Spain, and three F1 Esports Challenge Driver events.
John
Clarke, Chief Executive Officer,Gfinity
said: “The F1 Esports
Series is one of the most exciting esports tournaments in the world and we are
delighted to be working with F1 for a further two years. Signing a multi-year
agreement highlights our ability to leverage our unique position at the centre
of the esports ecosystem to design and develop esports solutions for our
clients. The Virtual Grand Prix Series
has also caught the imagination of race fans as, shown by the amazing viewing
numbers, and we are excited that a new, younger global audience is experiencing
the F1 brand in a totally different way.”
Dr. Julian Tan – Head of Digital Business Initiatives and Esports, Formula 1® said: “We are delighted to extend our agreement with esports leaders Gfinity for another two years. Since 2017, we have seen the rapid growth of the F1 Esports Series and Gfinity have played a core part in that through their continued support in developing and delivering the series. We are excited to build on this foundation to bring further excitement to F1 Esports fans across the globe in the coming couple of years.”