TGS Esports (TGS.V) announced today The Collegiate Champions Series, a first-of-its-kind esports development program featuring tournaments, virtual workshops, and a case competition with $32,000 in scholarships and grants up for grabs, representing the most of any esports program in Canadian history.
“Esports has exploded in the collegiate space with programs being launched in schools all over Canada. There are curriculums, events, dedicated facilities, and more. With this program, we are creating a new vertical for students and faculty to get involved with no barrier to entry,” said Spiro Khouri, CEO, TGS. “The program is a great way for schools looking to get into the esports space to work with our team, at no risk to them, and learn all about integration in bigger ways.”
At the decrepit age of 24, my reflexes and competitive esports skills have long since vanished. However, reading TGS’ latest press release fills me with an overwhelming sense of joy knowing that this generation’s demographic of gamers will have the opportunity to participate in such a fulfilling program. TGS’ Collegiate Championship Series will be made available to all Canadian post-secondary students for free. With this in mind, if you’re fresh out of high school and you have a passion for esports, you may want to seriously consider this opportunity. Hell, if I was still in school and in my prime, I would have signed up in a heartbeat!
Although my dreams of becoming a esports competitor are dead and buried, TGS’ Collegiate Champions Series is the perfect opportunity for Canadians looking to gauge their competitive skills. Moreover, the program is easily accessible and will take place virtually with tournaments beginning July 10, 2021. Additionally, Virtual Classroom Workshops will start in the fall, followed by a Case Competition in the winter. To sweeten the pot, students can win $22,000 in scholarships and four paid internships at TGS. The school with the most participants will win the School Spirit Award, which provides the winning school with a $10,000 technology upgrade for their esports program.
“Our priority since day one at Volcanic has been to improve the talent pipeline for Canadian esports…As the industry continues to scale rapidly, there must be easily accessible, low-cost, and high-value programs to set up existing and future talent for success. The Collegiate Champions Series is precisely that; we’re doing more than hosting a tournament and calling it a day. We’re building a solid esports future in Canada,” said Shawn Caldera, CEO, Volcanic Media.
The Collegiate Champions Series was developed by TGS’ recently acquired Volcanic Media and is intended to advance the Canadian esports industry as well as create opportunities for Canadian students to pursue careers in esports. The program focuses on three key pillars: PLAY, LEARN, and ADVANCE.
The PLAY pillar will kick off the program with a series of collegiate tournaments coast-to-coast for Canadian post-secondary students. Students will compete in both Super Smash Bros. Ultimate and Rocket League with a whopping $22,000 in scholarship prizing on the line. The program’s LEARN pillar will teach students the fundamentals of the esports industry over a 12-week period. Lastly, the ADVANCE pillar will allow students the opportunity to apply their knowledge during a Case Competition where students will present their own innovative ideas for a chance to win an additional $10,000 in grants in winter 2021.
For investors, The Collegiate Champions Series will likely draw additional attention to TGS’ as the Company continues to expand its presence in the rapidly expanding esports market, which is expected to surpass $1.5 billion by 2023. With this in mind, TGS may be worth keeping an eye on leading up to the launch of The Collegiate Champions Series program and its recently announced Pinnacle esports event.
TGS’ share price opened at $0.12, down from a previous close of $0.125. The Company’s shares are down 4% and are currently trading at $0.12 as of 10:39AM ET.
