Berlin, August 2nd, 2021 – Berlin International Gaming (BIG) and OMEN, HP’s gaming brand, are extending their long-standing collaboration.
After joint successes such as reaching the finals of ESL One Cologne 2018, and securing multiple trophies and the top position in the World CS:GO Rankings, BIG and OMEN are also focusing on the promotion of young esports talent as a key element of the cooperation.
“Since the unforgettable moments at ESL One Cologne 2018, we count OMEN among our loyal collaborators, and it has been an important pillar of our organization ever since,” says Daniel Finkler, CEO of Berlin International Gaming (BIG).
“At the heart of the tie-up is our talent development program. Building on the success of the BIG. OMEN Academy team, which is a key part of our talent program, we are launching an international Academy League. Together with OMEN, our Academy team will be competing across Europe, and by doing so, we’ll reach another milestone in our work together.”
OMEN is also now the main supporter of the new BIG Valorant team built around Fatih “gob b” Dayik. Valorant was released in summer 2020 by Riot Games – the developers of League of Legends – and has already taken the esports world by storm. BIG announced its entry into Valorant with a professional team under team captain Fatih “gob b” Dayik in July 2020.
“OMEN has been an outstanding collaborator over the last few years, and their support of the BIG Valorant team is testament to the ongoing relationship and our collective engagement in one of the strongest growing esports titles out there,” says Daniel Finkler, CEO of BIG.
“BIG has proven with the CS:GO, team, that they understand how to set up successful teams for the long term and establish them at the top. Our support of BIG’s Valorant Team and the renewed collaboration between OMEN and BIG is the next logical step towards the future. With gob b, we have an absolute esports veteran on board who has already been able to celebrate great successes in CS:GO and we are pleased to continue working with one of Germany’s most successful FPS players,” says Jochen Ziegler, Director Personal Systems Marketing DACH, HP Inc. “We’re excited to see how the ongoing tie-up between OMEN and BIG will develop as we continue to support esports and the amazing talent in this industry.”
In addition to continuing the BIG. OMEN Academy, the founding members of the WePlay Academy League are expanding the academy team scene and driving the professionalization of esports even further.
The League enables players to take part in an international competition with prize money of over USD 100,000, which is intended to give rising talents the opportunity to work towards a professional career.
BIG and OMEN are also continuing their joint commitment in the amateur sector. This year, for example, the “BIG Academy Hunt” tournament was held for the first time. The tournament is intended to encourage amateurs to test themselves against semi-professional teams such as the BIG. OMEN Academy Team and compete under professional conditions.
OMEN Squad
With OMEN Squad, OMEN has launched a streaming format this year in which personalities such as Headshinsky, aSmoogl, Maty and Sissor face new gaming challenges twice a month. This project has now been extended for another year.
“OMEN Squad allows us to be close to the gaming community and interact directly with them. The partnership with BIG also plays a big role here. For example, in April we were able to hold a League of Legends showdown against the BIG League of Legends team successfully. We hope to leverage even more synergies between OMEN Squad and BIG in this area in the future,” said HP’s Jochen Ziegler.
