It seems that Luminosity Gaming is looking to add a Super Smash Bros. pro to their competitive roster. The organization took to Twitter to ask the Smash community which player they should sign next.
Luminosity’s inquiry elicited a large response, with the tweet garnering over 3,000 likes. Additionally, several fans from both the Melee and Ultimate communities tagged their favorite top players in the replies. Of course, many of those top players replied to vouch on behalf of themselves as well.
Interestingly, Luminosity sought input from Juan “Hungrybox” DeBiedma regarding who they should sponsor. Hungrybox frequently attends Enthusiast Gaming’s EGLX events and has won every single EGLX tournament he has entered. As a result, it seems Luminosity Gaming trusts Hungrybox’s knowledge of the most valuable competitors in the Smash community.
This would not be Luminosity Gaming’s first foray into competitive Super Smash Bros. Back in 2016, they added two Smash players to their team: Smash 4 player Yuta “Abadango” Kawamura and Melee player Mustafa “Ice” Akçakaya. However, both players left the team by the end of 2017 and Luminosity never replaced them. Consequently, we may soon see Luminosity return to competitive Smash for the first time in over three years.
Currently, Avery “Ginger” Wilson is the clear frontrunner for Luminosity Gaming’s next Smash player. His reply to Luminosity’s initial tweet garnered over 2,000 likes, more than any other player who responded. Ginger also secured Hungrybox’s support, along with an affirmative response from Luminosity.
Since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic, Ginger has been one of the most active competitors at online tournaments. Throughout his many tournaments this year, he has accrued several top-level wins. Ginger has beaten Hungrybox, Cody “iBDW” Schwab, Edgard “n0ne” Sheleby, Justin “Plup” McGrath, and Jeffrey “Axe” Williamson, among others.
If Luminosity Gaming is looking to bring on only one Smash player, then it will most likely be Ginger. However, the responses to Luminosity’s tweet show they have many options if they decide to sign multiple players. The Melee community recommended players like Joey “Lucky” Aldama, Griffin “Captain Faceroll” Williams, Miles “Soonsay” Foster, and Sasha “Magi” Sullivan. Meanwhile, Ultimate fans vouched for Paris “Light” Ramirez Garcia, Larry “Larry Lurr” Holland, Eric “Mr. E” Weber, Edgar “Sparg0” Valdez, and Toriano “Toast” Warren Jr., among others.
Source: https://www.dailyesports.gg/luminosity-gaming-asks-smash-twitter-who-to-sign-next/
As it is in the real world, so is true with the Vancouver Titans, when it rains it pours. The Vancouver Titans 2021 signing season really took off today with their announcement of three new Titans in Jiri “Linkzr” Massalin, Anthony “Fire” King and Nathan “Frd” Goebel.
With the new additions, and the loss of Shockwave, the Titans roster currently stands at:
Fire’s journey to the Titans really began during his tenure on Team Envy. Here he made his name as a fairly strong Lucio player, who seemed very capable at all other Main Support heroes in the game. With him on their roster, they won season 2 of NA Overwatch Contenders, before leaving the end of the year Gauntlet in 7-8th place.
From there he joined the Reign for the 2020 season. While he didn’t see much playtime during his time in Atlanta, he was still able to showcase a commendable performance each time he was called upon. Here’s hoping his flame will shine bright with the Titans.
What Frd will bring to the team is yet to be seen. In 2019, Frd surprisingly turned out to be a somewhat major player for the Reign. Coming into the starting roster late into the season and assisting them to a perfect stage 4 run to end the regular season. In particular, his DVA and Roadhog were the heroes that earned him the nickname “Dominator”. This was in large part to his stellar gameplay, but also his immaculate fashion sense.
Yet in 2020 he found himself with very infrequent playtime due to the rise of new off-tank, and Atlanta Academy golden boy Xander “Hawk” Domecq. The team is in true need of quality players at each position for 2021. Fans must hope for a return of the Dominator in 2021.
This man should require no introduction. He has been a top tier DPS player in the Overwatch League since it’s inception. For a time he was known as the best counter sniper in the entire league, a title which he looks primed to reclaim following his 2020 Widowmaker 1v1 championship win. What he brings to the team is the explosive power that may have left with Niclas “Shockwave” Jensen. He has the skills on all the hitscan heroes to propel his team to great heights. In the past, he was known to be a rather hot/cold player, however. Yet, 2020 looked like his most consistent season yet.
Alongside Dalton “Dalton” Bennyhoff these two should prove to be a rather scary duo in a double hitscan meta. Additionally what he brings to the team is a massive following of loyal fans, fans looking to watch him succeed. Here he may be able to do just that. All the Titans fandom can do is hope these three new additions can revive the force of nature in Vancouver. That being said, the Vancouver Titans 2021 signing season may not yet be done.
Muselk and xQc both picked the same up-and-comer.
To end off four full days of incredible gaming content, Enthusiast Gaming Live Expo (EGLX) wrapped up by rewarding one up-and-coming streamer with a $100,000 Luminosity Gaming sponsorship for winning the Rising Stars reality competition.
After more than a month of preliminary challenges and judging, a panel featuring top Luminosity creators Félix “xQc” Lengyel and Elliott “Muselk” Watkins selected BabyCappah as the next gaming superstar.
Cappah was an early favorite for fans who watched Rising Stars before EGLX began, but as the spotlight got brighter, his energy became more infectious. He put it all on the line to chase an opportunity to become a content creator, even sharing that he was fired from his day job because he was grinding towards the Luminosity sponsorship.
From over 3,000 submissions, down to 32 live contestants that made it to audition in front of judges, down to just the final three streamers, Cappah, Foxyzilla, and Joshua “VHS” Alfaro all put on a great final show. It came down to Muselk’s vote, which he gave to Cappah after xQc voted for the energetic superstar-to-be.
After his win, Cappah called his mom live on stream, thanking her for everything and telling her he had just changed his life, all while the chat enjoyed the wholesome interaction.
Once he finally ended his stream, Cappah posted his statistics, showing that he had gained 1,121 followers, 81 subscribers, and peaked at 1,096 viewers while winning Rising Stars. Now he will have a chance to grow those numbers and become a staple in Luminosity’s talent lineup with his new sponsorship as the organization works with him on his brand.
You can check out LG Cappah on his official Twitch channel and Twitter.
Now that the dust is beginning to settle on the Overwatch League 2020 season, the time to look back on what occurred over the year has come. To say the year was business as usual would be a bald-faced lie. This year was straight-up bonkers. With the Vancouver Titans 2020 season being notably more bonkers than most. In hindsight, some of the craziness was hinted at by way of surprise player departures and signings. Or rumors that found their way into the Twitterverse. In short, it was certainly an emotional rollercoaster of a year for Titans fans. Yet through it all, all the highs and lows, nights of tears and days of cheers, it was a year not soon to be forgotten.
The Highs
The 2020 season began with fans’ hearts full of cautious optimism. The offseason was both cruel and kind to Titans fans. The departure of the cheeky Prince of the Overwatch League, Sangbeom “Bumper” Park, alongside other fan-favorite players had fans spirits down a tad. Yet with the bad comes the good, like the legend and sexiest man in the league, Jehong “Ryujehong” Ryu, joining the team alongside the wildcard that was Chanhyung “Fissure” Baek. On the outside, it looked like the team was bound for another dominant season following their second-place finish in 2019.
The excitement was palpable when the lads took the stage for the first time in 2020 at the Dallas Homestand. The cheers were loud, the fans ready to watch the lovable Titans debut this somewhat new look. The team was smiling, all looking excited to play the game they are all so passionate about for their legions of supportive fans. The fans were rewarded.
Their first game against the Los Angeles Gladiators may have been close but the lads were still able to showcase their patented force of nature and take home the win. They promptly followed up with a swift win over the Gladiators city siblings, the Los Angeles Valiant. The energy at the homestand was downright electric, giving the Titans a perfect way to begin their 2020 season run.
The Lows
The homestands that were planned for the 2020 season had to be canceled due to the rise of the Covid-19 pandemic that hit the world like a freight train. The horrible disease lay waste to the league’s plans for a homestand-filled season. Humanity wise, this was for the best as there was no need to put fans, players and staff in unnecessary danger. Yet, it also led to the Titans being sidelined for a lengthy period of time, during which the players returned home to South Korea where they were destined to play in the newly formed APAC region.
During these weeks, trouble was brewing beneath the surface. It was at this time where the bad relationship between the team’s upper management and the players began to rise to the surface. The Titans’ players played their first games since week one in week ten. This resulted in the team’s first time losing two games back-to-back, signaling that all was not well in Titans’ land. Early April saw the start of the fall.
Players began removing team branding from their socials. Comments about displeasure with the current situation begin coming out from a variety of those with the team. The Avalanche truly began its onslaught in the week of April 21 when the team parted ways with Hyeonwoo “Jjanu” Choi and Head Coach Jisub “Pajion” Hwang. With Jjanu going so far as to tweet out “I’m Free”. If that doesn’t tell you how bad the relationship between the players and Org had gotten, then nothing will. It all came crashing down on May 6, 2020 when the remaining members of the team parted ways with the Org.
Fans were stunned. As the community was witnessing one of the greatest organizational collapses in Esports history a question now loomed. Who could possibly fill the shoes of the legends who now left the team?
Hope for the Future
Fans did not have to wait long for the answer to that question. On May 8, 2020 the team announced who would be taking up the mantle of Titans, bringing into the league the core of NA Contenders team Second Wind alongside some promising prospects. Fans were curious to see how the new team would fare. In short, the new team had a rocky start. It takes time to establish synergy. Something that is woefully forgotten by many. The amount of hate these young lads received from many fans was depressing. It was definitely not how they would have liked to have finally made the League, but it was still a dream come true to be playing at the highest level of competition.
Four games passed and the lads were struggling. There were flashes of excellence, but they just could not seem to put it together. They searched for hope to aid their dampened spirits. That hope came in the form of Niclas “Shockwave” Jensen, a danish player who had recently played for the now-disbanded Academy team of the Toronto Defiant, Montreal Rebellion. He was the shot of adrenaline the team so desperately needed. His first game saw them fall in a remarkably close bout with the Defiant. Yet at last, after six consecutive losses, the new Titans finally tasted victory.They took a very clean sweep over an also struggling Dallas Fuel.
The joy on the faces of these lads after the screen read “Vancouver Titans Win” was the stuff that makes esports so special. It was uplifting in all the right ways. It gave Titans fans a reason to hope again, a reason to think the future of the team may not be so scary.
As the season progressed, the team was able to gather a total of five wins. Not a lot to be fair, but in these wins, they showcased immense promise. There is hope for the future as these players will only grow and develop over time. The off-season, however, is a scary place, populated by uncertainty. Will the team go through another massive rebuild? With the team announcing the resigning of three players and the departure of three others the team will definitely not be the same. What new faces will don Titans jerseys in Season 4? It is impossible to answer these questions. Yet despite how scary it all seems, there is always hope for a better future for the team. A force of nature can still come to Vancouver.
Source: https://thegamehaus.com/overwatch/vancouver-titans/the-vancouver-titans-2020-experience/2020/10/27/
Placed 12th with a total number of 1,646,318,000+ views on Twitch according to TwitchStats, Among Us has definitely become one of the most popular games to stream in 2020. Placed above games like Apex Legends and PlayerUnknown’s BattleGrounds, Among Us has attracted a slew of Twitch celebrities to stream the game for their viewers.
The top 5 Among Us streamers to watch are as follows:
Felix “xQc” Lengyel, is a former Overwatch professional player for the Dallas Fuel. Having made appearances for Team Canada at the Overwatch World Cup in 2017, 2018, and 2019, xQc is now a full time streamer on Twitch and is signed with Luminosity Gaming as a content creator.
Among Us has helped xQc cement his place as one of the top streamers on the platform, with TwitchMetrics reporting the streamer racking up 16.9 millions hours watched on Twitch.
Source: https://www.sportskeeda.com/esports/top-5-among-us-streamers-watch-2020
The Golden Joysticks Awards is bringing back the best streamer / broadcaster category, once again giving you the opportunity to vote for your favourite creator that has made waves online in the last 12 months.
From rising Twitch superstars, to hidden Facebook Gaming gems, we’ve taken a deep dive into the ever-expanding platforms and plucked out some of the freshest and most exciting new talent in the streaming space.
Last year, popular Fortnite streamer Ewok took home the golden gong for best streamer / broadcaster following an incredible year of growth and the support of some of the industry’s biggest names.
Among the shortlisted nominees for this year’s category is Luminosity Gaming’s ShivFPS.
Shiv is an Apex Legends content creator that been making waves on Twitch for the last couple of years. In January 2020, he partnered with Luminosity Gaming to take his play to the next level. Since then, he has dominated as one of Apex’s best players, and has branched out into other titles too.
Go support Shiv & Luminosity by voting at http://goldenjoysticks.com!
The Vancouver Titans have announced several roster changes heading into the 2021 Overwatch League Season, re-signing three players as well as letting another three walk into free agency.
In a move that is not overly surprising the team has chosen to hold onto Main Tank Abtin “Shredlock” Shirvani, DPS extraordinaire Dalton “Dalton” Bennyhoff and Support Randal “Roolf” Stark. These players joined the team in the roster shakeup which occurred back in the midseason. With these contracts being extended the team is one step closer to achieving Canadian super-team status.
Roolf has been a longtime fixture of the T2 scene, as well as playing for Team Canada at the Overwatch World Cup in years past. Shredlock however, is not as well established in the scene. He still did get noticed though for his play during his time on Second Wind in contenders North America. He was also poised to possibly take the starting Main Tank spot on Team Canada should Félix “xQc” Lengyel choose to not participate.
Dalton on the Titans was one of the more impactful players. Showcasing an impressive display of skill across multiple heroes and stepping up to fill the flex DPS role when called upon. His return should be met with warm regards by the fandom.
The team has released three players: Carson “CarCar” First, Samir “Tsuna” Ikram and Alhumaidi “KSAA” Alruwaili.
While CarCar and Tsuna didn’t really get a chance to shine with the Vancouver Titans. During a French interview, Tsuma revealed that he is currently trialing for five other teams. Meanwhile, CarCar tweeted that he is looking for a team for the upcoming Overwatch League season.
Finally, there’s KSAA, who carried his team with his skills on Sigma. However, due to a shaky internet connection and frequent lags in-game, the player couldn’t perform at his highest level. The COVID-19 crisis hit the Overwatch League in many ways. Players having to play from home with unstable internet was one of its consequences.
The roster as of now is as follows:
Sources:
Call of Duty League 2021 has not even started, and it is already creating a lot of noise. Not long ago, the League made a massive announcement that changed the format from 5v5 to 4v4. The twelve teams began shuffling rosters left and right, with some drawing a lot of attention.
Seattle Surge is the latest to announce their 2021 roster. Apart from Sam “Octane” Larew, none of the other members from the previous squad remain. Preston “Prestinni” Sanderson, Peirce “Gunless” Hillman, and Daniel “Loony” Loza will now join Octane in representing Surge in the 2021 season.
Seattle did not have a great season in 2020. They were one of two teams that were eliminated from the Playoffs, without winning any prize money. In fact, they finished 11th last season, with a meager 50 CDL points. LA Guerrillas finished last with the same points as Surge.
Nonetheless, Octane performed superbly all year round. The disparity in performance with his teammates led to the circulation of a lot of memes during the season.
This also serves as the reason Seattle retained Octane for their 2021 roster.
He seems very ecstatic about the new team.
It seems like Seattle Surge was planning to put forward a team that need not start from scratch. Or it could also be a mere co-incidence.
Prestinni and Gunless had played together for Chicago Huntsmen, not so long ago. Prestinni had started out the 2020 season with the Florida Mutineers but was replaced by Fero. However, Prestinni was reunited with his twin brother Alec “Arcitys” Sanderson in the Huntsmen squad. Gunless was benched on Prestinni’s arrival.
Further to that, this is not the first time Octane is playing with Loony and Gunless. They had previously teamed up in Rise Nation during World League Championship.
Surge are yet to announce their last member, the substitute. The team will be under the guidance of coach Joey “Nubzy” DiGiacomo. After a poor 2020 season, this team of veterans will look to bounce back as one of the title contenders in 2021.
Presented by SpiderTech, 40 contestants will compete to impress a panel of Luminosity Gaming judges, including newest roster addition xQc for a grand prize of a US$100,000 sponsorship to Team Luminosity
Enthusiast Gaming Holdings, Inc. (“Enthusiast Gaming” or the “Company”) (TSX: EGLX)(OTCQB: ENGMF)(FSE: 2AV) is excited to announce that once again, it will be hosting its Rising Stars reality competition, to discover the next gaming superstar. The grand prize winner will receive a US$100,000 sponsorship with Luminosity Gaming and will be added to its roster which includes top gaming influencers such as Anomaly, Muselk, Fresh, RockyNoHands, and most recently, xQc.
Luminosity Gaming, owned by Enthusiast Gaming, is one of the leading esports organizations in North America with some of the top esports influencers and creators and a collective social following of over 70 million fans. In this Rising Stars series, gamers will have the chance to compete against each other with the hopes of becoming the newest member of team Luminosity.
The Rising Stars contest will take place online for six weeks beginning this fall. Aspiring gamers can submit an entry, from which 40 contestants will be invited to audition live on Twitch. The celebrity judges will then vote the top eight contestants on to the next round, from which two finalists will emerge, while the audience will have the ability to bring back their favorite contestant from the top eight and recently eliminated back into the finals. The final showdown will see one of the final three contestants crowned as the “Rising Star”. The panel of celebrity judges includes top Luminosity influencers and content creators, xQc, Anomaly, Muselk, RockyNoHands, Fresh, Problem, ShivFPS, Pinky, Kaidoz, Allenownz, Tori Pareno, Legendaley, Sommerset and Melt. Enthusiast Gaming’s brand partner, SpiderTech, the leading athletic tape brand among gamers, is the presenting sponsor of the series. Their Gaming Gear Applications help gamers enhance their performance, and as these 40 applicants compete for a top spot, SpiderTech can help provide the edge they need—as it can help with pain, swelling, fatigue, range of motion and grip strength.
The pilot series of Rising Stars, which launched in March 2019, crowned three winners, each for their expertise and mastery in Fortnite, Super Smash Bros. and Smash Melee, and had Enthusiast Gaming support them on their tournament journey. With Enthusiast Gaming’s platform reaching over 300 million gamers monthly and the continued surge of up-and-coming gaming and esports streamers in the industry, the Company will look within its communities for the newest and brightest esports talent. In this season, the winner of Rising Stars will be fully integrated into Enthusiast Gaming’s umbrella and will be named the next esports star for Luminosity Gaming which includes signing a one-year contract.
Starting today, applicants can sign up for their chance at fame, via www.RisingStars.gg. The submission process consists of each applicant sharing a highlight reel of recent streams, commentary and gameplay. The entry period will close on Saturday, October 10, 2020 at 11:59pm ET. From there, the panel of judges along with the Twitch chat voting with the power of two judges, will select the top 40, who will go on to compete head-to-head in the live auditions on Twitch. Submissions will be scored based on both skill and style which includes components of strategy, leadership, communication, personality and awareness.
The public can tune in to watch these live shows, every Tuesday and Thursday night between October 13 and November 5 at 9pm ET on twitch.tv/lgloyal. The top two performers will have a guaranteed spot in the finals–while the third final spot will be given to the fan favorite of the remaining top six. The finals will take place during EGLX Digital November 10-13th live on Twitch, at which time the judging panel will reconvene, review the top three and crown the “Rising Star.”
“We are building the largest social network of communities for gamers and esports fans, and the Rising Stars series is yet another way we connect and interact with our 300 million monthly gamers to provide exciting and engaging content. It’s only natural for us to look within these communities for the next rising star, which is comparable to popular shows, ‘American Idol’ or ‘The Voice,’ but for gaming,” commented Adrian Montgomery, CEO of Enthusiast Gaming. “Gaming is the social network for the Gen-Z and Millennial audience, and we are confident Rising Stars is something that is not only wanted and craved, but that it is also inspirational and aspirational to those watching and competing. As we continue to grow our brand and esports organization, we believe in the importance of keeping true to our communities, and all that they stand for.”
Extremely popular Twitch streamer Felix ‘xQc’ Lengyel joins esports organization Luminosity Gaming with a focus on content creation.
Twitch streamer Felix “xQc” Lengyel has announced his signing with esports organization Luminosity Gaming. Lengyel made the announcement during a Twitch stream this week with a quick video followed by a broadcast featuring him in a Luminosity Gaming jersey.
Although xQc made a name for himself in the professional Overwatch circuit, playing for organizations/teams like Denial and the Dallas Fuel, he has since focused on the content creation side of entertainment. He’s easily one of the top streamers on Twitch, regularly bringing in 30,000 or more viewers regardless of what game he streams.
With that in mind, Luminosity Gaming signed Lengyel on the creation side rather than to an esports team. xQc does still play Overwatch from time to time on stream (and claims to play plenty off-stream), but his focus as of late is more so on the creation side.
Even though Overwatch is the game that has made xQc a household name in the esports world, it is his variety streams and react videos that have helped rocket the content creator into the upper echelon of Twitch. Known for aggressively defending his opinions, xQc has found huge success with his Among Us streams as both a consistent source of entertainment for Twitch viewers and some drama as well. Odds are that if a game is generating a lot of attention on Twitch, xQc is actively streaming it and with plenty of viewers.
While most associate esports organizations with competitive games like League of Legends, Counter-Strike, and Call of Duty, many of these same companies also feature segments dedicated exclusively to content creation. The backing of an organization helps these streamers secure partnerships with brands to help boost their profile and they usually lead to unique opportunities. For Luminosity Gaming, the plan is to have xQc be a judge on the upcoming second season of Twitch’s Rising Stars reality competition.
As far as what is next for xQc beyond judging Reality Stars there is no clear indication of what the next big Twitch game will be. Among Us has certainly taken the platform by storm, and before that was Fall Guys, which was yet another big draw for xQc. Most likely the launch of Call of Duty: Black Ops – Cold War will be huge for streaming as a whole, and it wouldn’t be surprising to see xQc right at the top of the directory alongside content creators like Shroud and Ninja, who just recently returned to Twitch.
Source: https://gamerant.com/xqc-felix-lengyel-luminosity-gaming-twitch/
In 2006, Rocky Stoutenburgh, then an amateur hockey player, was at a friend’s house when he got dropped on his head and broke his neck. On the way to the hospital, he couldn’t feel his legs and soon lost movement in the rest of his limbs.
“I’m paralyzed from the chest down, and it’s been 14 years now,” he told In The Know.
Adjusting to this reality wasn’t initially easy. The first two months of Stoutenburgh’s recovery were incredibly challenging, his mother Christine recalled. Over time, Stoutenburgh adapted to life confined in a wheelchair, as his family searched for a hobby he could enjoy in spite of his limited mobility.
“When I knew he was gonna be paralyzed forever, it kind of, like, tore me up inside,” his brother Andrew said. “So I turned it into a focus on trying to find something for him to continue living his life the best that he could.”
While scanning the internet, Andrew came across the QuadStick, a mouth-operated joystick for gamers. The joystick, which comes in three different models, has sip and puff pressure sensors that can be connected to any game controller button. Its price can range between $400 and $550.
Stoutenburgh, who admitted that he had been a “hands-on” type of person prior to his accident, quickly embraced the new device, first by using it to play Halo Wars, which he called “a real easy game,” and later by moving on to Call of Duty.
“When I first got the QuadStick, I wasn’t that good,” he said. “It’s basically just one analog with three holes that you can sip or puff into and then a lip trigger at the bottom. But the more you use it, the more you learn what you can do, what you can’t do. You gotta just play smarter and not harder basically.”
It wasn’t until Stoutenburgh signed with esports organization Luminosity Gaming and started streaming on Twitch that he really start to cash in on his gaming skills. In the process, he began making a name for himself as Rocky NoHands. He has since accumulated 60,000 followers, breaking several world records along the way.
Still, Stoutenburgh, who predicts he’ll have an even bigger year in 2021, believes he has a bigger purpose: to inspire and motivate those who are living with a similar disability.
“If a guy, who can’t move his body, can use his mouth to play any video game and actually be better than most people that use their actual hands, then anything’s possible for whatever you want to do,” he said. “Me being on Twitch live streaming, showing the world what I can do, showing people that ‘hey, look, you can still play games,’ there’s tons of devices out there that you might not know about.”
