Collegiate esports has emerged as a dynamic and rapidly expanding field within the realm of higher education. It encompasses competitive video gaming at the university and college level, providing a platform for students to showcase their skills and passion for gaming. These programs not only provide gamers with the opportunity to compete against their peers, but also build communities of like-minded student gamers and develop life skills such as teamwork, strategic thinking, and respect. Collegiate esports serves as a bridge between academics and the booming world of competitive gaming, allowing students to pursue their gaming ambitions while pursuing a higher education.
As part of this, Riot Esports, the world’s leading publisher of esports (video game competitions), has developed two competitions featuring its most acclaimed titles: College League of Legends (CLoL) and College VALORANT (CVAL). It also has a support and mentoring program for college clubs to help them develop and grow.
In order to enhance these competitions, Riot Esports has signed a partnership with GGTech Entertainment, a renowned company specializing in the organization of diverse esports events and tournaments. With a global reach spanning 25 countries across four continents, GGTech Entertainment brings extensive expertise to the table. Among its prominent competitions is UNIVERSITY Esports, attracting participation from over 100,000 students representing more than 1500 universities.
GGTech and Riot Esports have been working together for a number of years on various competitions in EMEA and Latin America.
GGTech will bring its global collegiate experience to help build on the success of the existing programs. To this end, it will work closely with the RSAA (Riot Scholastic Association of America), the Riot Esports’ entity charged with governing collegiate competitions and fostering the development of gaming as a meaningful and complementary part of the high school and college experiences.
The intention is to enhance the current program by building upon its foundation, while maintaining key aspects such as the competition format, prizing structure, live event presence, and other essential elements of the existing product.
“As we add more games and continue to grow our offerings, we wanted a partnership where we could bring the whole program under one roof. We are looking forward to leveling up our game and building more collaboration with students and schools of all sizes, investments, and solo queue ranks,” J.T. Vandenbree, Head of the RSAA, said.
“We’re delighted to be working with RSAA to help build on the success of Riot’s college programs. We want to use our decade of global experience in collegiate esports and work with the community to create new and exciting experiences for all college students in North America,” Josh Williams, Global Director of UNIVERSITY Esports at GGTech Entertainment, said.
“We are extremely proud to be partnering with Riot Esports. The recently signed agreement represents a significant challenge for us. Entering the esports ecosystem in the United States, where nearly half of the population plays video games on a regular basis, is a tremendous opportunity for GGTech and our team to further expand in one of the largest markets in the world. We want to bring our expertise and passion for creating innovative businesses to the university environment. This venture is an exciting project that we will approach with the utmost dedication and professionalism,” José Parrilla, Global CEO of GGTech, said.