As sports leagues adopt esports verticals within their leagues, Monumental Sports has been a first mover in bringing forward an esports franchise – Caps Gaming – affiliated with the Washington Capitals
Washington Capitals Captain Alex Ovechkin is featured on the cover of the upcoming NHL21 videogame
Monumental Sports & Entertainment today announced its 2020-21 season programming for Caps Gaming – an esports-focused sub-brand that aims to help foster the growth of the NHL competitive gaming community and create visibility for hockey’s esports scene. As the focal point of its programming this season, Caps Gaming will bring back the Caps Gaming Showcase presented by Leidos again for 2020-21.
The Caps Gaming Showcase is an EA Sports NHL21 competition featuring the best 6’s teams in the NHL gaming community. In 2019-20, 82 teams participated in the Caps Gaming Showcase. This year’s competition will be an eight-week, Swiss-format event beginning in early December 2020. At the conclusion of the eight weeks, the top 32 teams will qualify for a single-elimination tournament that will run from early February through early March. The total prize pool for the Caps Gaming Showcase in this season is $20,000. Signups for the Caps Gaming Showcase will begin in mid-November. Leidos returns as the presenting partner for the Caps Gaming Showcase for the second year in a row and will have brand integration on Caps Gaming Showcase livestreams on the Capitals’ Twitch channel, social graphics, and on Caps Gaming jerseys worn by all four semifinalist teams in the Showcase.
“When we first introduced Caps Gaming to the ‘Chel’ community, we were blown away by the response,” said Zach Leonsis, SVP, Strategic Initiatives at Monumental Sports & Entertainment. “We couldn’t be more excited to expand upon last year’s inaugural season of Caps Gaming and continue to engage with this quickly growing esports community. Esports is a key growth initiative for Monumental Sports & Entertainment, and Caps Gaming is certainly an important part of our strategy.”
In addition to the Caps Gaming Showcase, Caps Gaming is pleased to announce a new competition for this season, the Caps Gaming 3s Challenge, presented by UAE USA United. The Caps Gaming 3s Challenge will bring together 32 of the top 3’s squads in the NHL gaming community for a double-elimination tournament with $3,000 going to the winning team. Signups for the 3s Challenge will open on October 29, 2020 and action will begin on November 14, 2020. UAE USA United will be the presenting partner of the Caps Gaming 3s Challenge and will have logo integration on the tournament landing page and on all livestreams for the tournament on the Capitals’ Twitch channel.
“Young people in the UAE and US have many shared values and interests – including a passion for competitive gaming,” said Yousef Al Otaiba, UAE Ambassador to the US. “Our collaboration with Monumental will continue to connect the UAE’s dynamic esports community with likeminded gamers here in the United States.”
This season, all Caps Gaming competitions will be hosted on the Rival Games platform. Rival’s technology provides organizations the ability to manage their own custom-branded gaming community. Caps fans will be able to join the community and compete against each other in different gaming titles for rewards points, as well as participate in various tournaments that Caps Gaming will host throughout the year.
Select games from both the Caps Gaming Showcase and the Caps Gaming 3s Challenge will be livestreamed on the Capitals’ Twitch channel at http://twitch.tv/capitals. Additional programming for Caps Gaming in the 2020-21 season will be announced at a later date. To celebrate the launch of NHL21 and Alex Ovechkin as the game’s cover athlete, Caps Gaming will host an all-day launch stream on the Capitals’ Twitch channel on October 16 beginning at 10am eastern time.
Follow Caps Gaming on Twitter at @CapsGaming and Instagram at @CapsGaming.
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About Monumental Sports & Entertainment
Monumental Sports & Entertainment is America’s leading sports and entertainment family. Our people, players, teams, and events bring excitement and joy to millions. We invest and innovate to consistently raise the game so we can deliver extraordinary experiences that will inspire and unite our community, our fans, and our people. To learn more, please visit www.monumentalsports.com.
About Leidos
Leidos is a Fortune 500® information technology, engineering, and science solutions and services leader working to solve the world’s toughest challenges in the defense, intelligence, homeland security, civil, and health markets. The company’s 37,000 employees support vital missions for government and commercial customers. Headquartered in Reston, Virginia, Leidos reported annual revenues of approximately $11.09 billion for the fiscal year ended January 3, 2019. For more information, visit www.leidos.com.
About UAE USA United
With an open, progressive vision for the Middle East, the United Arab Emirates is a close friend and a strong ally of the United States. This partnership is built on ideals of inclusion, prosperity and peace. For a decade straight, the UAE has been the largest American export market in the Middle East, supporting hundreds of thousands of American jobs and facilitating bilateral investment. The UAE has also forged strong ties with cultural, medical and philanthropic institutions in the US to help enrich and improve the lives of people in both countries and around the globe. To learn more, please visit www.uaeusaunited.com.
