Manchester City have revealed they will take part in the next season of the Gfinity Elite Series after partnering with British esports organisation, Epsilon.
City are following in the footsteps of Fnatic, who partnered with Serie A giants Roma to create a FIFA division, though the Manchester club already sported a FIFA team - in fact they were one of the first in England to do so.
This move allows City to compete in both the Elite Series and the newly announced ePremier League, meaning their players will have even more opportunities to pick up championship points required to qualify for the biggest tournament of the year, the eWorld Cup.
City’s players, former FIWC runner-up Kai ‘Deto’ Wollin and eWorld Cup PlayStation finalist Marcus ‘Marcuzo’ Jorgensen, will make up half of the Gfinity roster with the other half being made up by rookie players found through the Elite Draft.
All of the players will sport Manchester City’s sky blue jerseys on stage while the CS:GO and Street Fighter Gfinity teams will still be solely associated with Epsilon.
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Gregory Champagne, chief executive officer at Epsilon is excited about the possibilities this could bring: "I am thrilled that we have formed this exciting partnership with the English Premier League Champions and prestigious club Manchester City. Together, we will push ourselves in the Elite Series and engage our fans in exciting new ways.
"Players will wear the renowned sky blue jersey of Manchester City eSports while we nourish and support them through our latest FIFA Training Program, enhancing their abilities as pro players.”
Nuria Tarre, chief marketing officer at City Football Group, added:“Manchester City eSports’ collaboration with Epsilon provides a very exciting opportunity for us to continue our digital expansion. The Gfinity Elite Series is a globally renowned tournament and we are delighted to be competing alongside Epsilon’s experienced team.
“Manchester City is dedicated to growing our presence within esports. Being part of the Elite Series gives our fans a new platform to watch our players compete and we’re looking forward to seeing how they progress.”
The new Gfinity Elite Series season kicks off on the weekend of October 26 before the finals will be held on December 6-7.