Gfinity PLC Gfinity continues partnership with Formula 1® (8784J)

TIDMGFIN

RNS Number : 8784J

Gfinity PLC

05 April 2018

Dissemination of a Regulatory Announcement that contains inside information according to REGULATION (EU) No 596/2014 (MAR)

Gfinity plc

("Gfinity" or the "Company")

Gfinity continues esports partnership with Formula 1(R)

Formula 1 teams to offer positions in their official line up to online racers

Gfinity plc, a leading international esports group, announces that it is continuing its relationship with Formula 1(R) and Codemasters, the publisher of the official game of the FIA FORMULA ONE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP(TM), and has been announced as Events Partner for season two of the F1 Esports Series. As part of the arrangement, Gfinity will manage tournament operations for the live events including the adjudication framework which supports all competitive gameplay and broadcast all the live events.

The second season of the Formula 1 Esports Series will start on 13(th) April and will see Mercedes AMG Petronas Motorsport, Red Bull Racing, Force India F1 Team, Williams, Renault Sport F1 Team, Haas F1 Team, McLaren, Toro Rosso and Alfa Romeo Sauber F1 Team set up their own esports teams to compete in the F1 Esports Series 2018.

The competition, open to everyone on the PlayStation(R)4 computer entertainment system, Xbox One and PC, launches with four in-game online events on F1(TM) 2017. The fastest ten players on each gaming platform will race off in a live-streamed event with the top three on each platform qualifying for the first ever Pro Draft and the chance to be signed by one of nine teams.

The official esports drivers will then represent their teams in the second half of the season as they race in the three live events that will determine the 2018 F1 Esports Series Teams' and Drivers' World Champions with a prize fund of at least $200,000.

Neville Upton, CEO at Gfinity said:

"We are excited to continue to work with Formula 1 as the events partner. F1 and Codemasters maximised the true potential last year by fully integrating the F1 Esports Series into the final Grand Prix weekend in Abu Dhabi through both their linear TV partners and streaming platforms and we look forward to building on that success in season two with more events and broadcast opportunities."

Julian Tan, Head of Digital Growth & F1 Esports at Formula 1 said:

"It has always been our goal to get the teams involved as soon as possible and we are delighted that they have recognised the potential of the F1 Esports Series at such an early stage. Last year's series was a great success and demonstrated that there is a clear audience and interest in this innovative, exciting form of racing. We will continue to invest in the Esports Series as we feel it is a great way for us to interact and engage with a new audience."

Frank Sagnier, CEO at Codemasters said:

"Codemasters is extremely proud to be involved in the F1 Esports Series. The quality of the racing we saw during last year's series was spectacular and the integration of the teams for the coming season is going to take the competition and its promotion to the next level. We strongly believe that Esports is a platform that allows us to engage with a wide, diverse audience in addition to our traditional gaming community."

Enquiries:

 
 Gfinity plc                                  www.gfinityplc.com 
 Neville Upton, Chief Executive                  Via Walbrook PR 
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 Allenby Capital Limited - AIM                  Tel: [phone] 
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 Jeremy Porter / John Depasquale 
 
 Shore Capital - Joint Broker                    Tel: +44 (0) 20 
                                                       7408 4090 
 Patrick Castle 
 
 Walbrook PR (Media & Investor                    Tel: +44 (0)20 
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 Paul Cornelius / Sam Allen            or [e-mail] 
 

About Gfinity

Founded in 2012, Gfinity has established itself as one of the world's leading esports companies. The London-based business enjoys strong relationships with game publishers, players and the wider esports community and has built a solid reputation for delivering high quality competitions, both on-line at www.gfinityesports.com and off-line, in addition to producing industry leading esports broadcasts.

The Gfinity Esports Arena at Fulham Broadway, London is the home of UK esports showcasing regular tournaments across the full range of competitive games. Beyond its own tournaments Gfinity provides a full turnkey solution for brands wanting to create their own esports tournaments and has staged premium esports events around the globe for leading publishers and brands including Formula 1, Microsoft, Activision, EA, Xbox, Gillette and HP.

About Formula 1(R)

Formula 1(R) racing began in 1950 and is the world's most prestigious motor racing competition, as well as the world's most popular annual sporting series. The 2018 FIA Formula One World Championship(TM) runs from March to November and spans 21 races in 21 countries across four continents. Formula One World Championship Limited is part of Formula 1, and holds the exclusive commercial rights to the FIA Formula One World Championship(TM).

Formula1 is a subsidiary of Liberty Media Corporation (NASDAQ: LSXMA, LSXMB, LSXMK, BATRA, BATRK, FWONA, FWONK) attributed to the Formula One Group tracking stock.

The F1 FORMULA 1 logo, FORMULA 1, F1, FIA FORMULA ONE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP, GRAND PRIX and related marks are trademarks of Formula One Licensing BV, a Formula 1 company: All rights reserved.

About Codemasters

Codemasters, the award winning videogame developer and publisher, has a 30 year heritage. With titles distributed globally, Codemasters is a leading developer and publisher of driving and racing entertainment games including DiRT, GRID and the official BAFTA award-winning FORMULA 1(TM) series of videogames. The company is fully controlled by Reliance Big Entertainment Ltd. (RBEL). For more information on Codemasters' product portfolio, please visit www.codemasters.com. Join in the conversation with @codemasters on Twitter or Like us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/codemasters.

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The company news service from the London Stock Exchange

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April 05, 2018 02:00 ET (06:00 GMT)