Category: Uncategorized

For this new article, we decided to leave the reins of the blog to Nicolas Mivielle, Production Manager from Ubisoft Montreal, for him to tell us more about their internal competition, the Ubisoft Gaming League, that they organize regularly with the help of Toornament:

Hello, my name is Nicolas Mivielle, I have been an organizing member of the Ubisoft Gaming League (UGL) for 5 years, and we will celebrate the 6th anniversary of the competition this year.
It’s an internal association that has been created and is maintained by Ubisoft Montreal employees on their free time, with a simple objective in mind: organize competitions and video games tournaments for all Ubisoft Montreal employees.

Overwatch final with public during Season 5

We want to give the employees a sharing time and space with their colleagues (we really focus on the fun side of the competitions), but also let them discover games that may not be part of the Ubisoft catalogue. For our 5 years anniversary, we also added a new dimension to the UGL, with a partnership with a game that’s yet to be announced, with a strong esport side. We organized an internal tournament, on an Alpha version of the game, to provide the studio with feedback, and check their objectives and ambition, thanks to our huge pool of competitive players and organizers.
We hope that this kind of partnerships will develop in the future, because it was a blast organizing such a competition, and the input has been invaluable for the studio.

Since the beginning of this initiative, we have organized close to 40 tournaments that gathered several hundreds participants. We work with seasons and blocks, and try to have tournaments on as many game genres as possible (MOBA, Fighters, MMO, FPS, RTS etc.). Ubisoft Montreal graciously makes everything we need available, with a total freedom when it comes to organization and communication matters.

DOTA2 casters with prizes behind for Season 6

We finish each season with a Just Dance tournament during a summer gathering where all 3,000 employees are present, before the beginning of the next one in September.
We do use Toornament for the whole process, for both public and private tournaments of the UGL. It’s a great tool that is perfect for all of our needs. We plan on diving deeper into the advanced functionnalities of the Toornament technology, like the TV or the API, for a better integration into our website. This will allow for more visibility and a customized experience for everyone.

Just Dance grand final for the end of season 5

We will soon start the 2nd Block of our Season 6, with For Honor and Rocket League tournaments. We will also organize a “Tournament of Power” in this block, which was a new format we experimented last season, that consists of an evening with many different fighting games, and the ability to qualify on any game present before the finals.

For those that would want to learn more about our organization, or follow our public tournaments, head to the UGL Website, or the UGL Twitch Channel, where we stream all public finals.

Thank you Nicolas for the extensive presentation of the Ubisoft Gaming League, and congratulations on the great initiative!
Don’t hesitate contacting us if you are wondering how Toornament could help you build great events for your co-workers or employees!

It is hard to believe you would not have heard about Apex Legends, but just in case, it is the latest Battle Royale released by Electronic Arts and developed by Respawn, the creators of the Titanfall series. It’s fast-paced, brutal and seems to have understood everything a Battle Royale must be and do to succeed.

The post-launch numbers are quite eloquent:

And the first weekend saw a peak concurrent players at more than 2 Million players, and almost 500,000 viewers on Twitch. Needless to say, the launch has been a huge success, and we felt it on Toornament too, with a lot of Apex Legends Tournaments created since the release of the game!

Official tournaments have also started, with the first Twitch Rivals on Apex Legends having been held earlier this month, with European and North American teams challenging each other to a points race during an evening:

So if you want to join the hype train, gather two of your friends and drop in King’s Canyon with your powers and weapons to claim the victory! And if you have the soul of an organizer, we have the perfect guide to help you organize your Apex Legends tournament!

Now that we are almost one month into 2019, it’s time to see what this new year has in store for us, esports-wise. The big names will of course keep doing what they do, some with major changes, others on well-known formula.
We must also keep an eye on some challengers and newcomers that plan on claiming their share of the market.
We have selected some interesting titles that we will hear about in 2019.

First off, we do not see the big current actors going out any time soon, and some games such as DotA 2, Counter Strike: GO, Rainbow Six: Siege, FIFA, Call of Duty, Rocket League and Overwatch will just keep on doing what they do, with the same formats, circuits etc.
Others are trying to bring new things in the mix, like the franchising for League of Legends, but ultimately, spectating-wise, it should not break your habits.

Unfortunately, it will not be the case for all games, and Blizzard recently announced it was stopping esports activities around Heroes of the Storm, so the game competitive scene will only be alive through community tournaments.
Bad news for Valve too, as their Artifact game really has trouble taking off, and they will have to bring a new vision to the game if they want it to compete with the other Card Games out there…

But let’s move on to clearer skies, with games that will probably leave a lasting mark on 2019, whereas they are newcomers, or plan exciting new things for their new season!

First off, newly released Super Smash Bros Ultimate will probably know a flourishing year, especially now that Nintendo has really started investing in esports. Some tournaments are already announced, and great things are to be expected. Pretty much the same can be said for Dragon Ball FighterZ, which has only growth in competitive interest since its release.
Two other games are on our radar, namely Magic the Gathering: Arena and PUBG, with their large scale circuits announced, they both are in a hit or miss situation, especially given the concurrence they are facing in their respective domains.

Speaking of the concurrence, PUBG is of course often compared to Fortnite, which is currently the most played game around the globe. But it still has to prove it has what it takes to become a successful esports title, and the 2018 experience has shown it was popular, but the game must find its format and pace, which PUBG has apparently found with their Pro League.
On the topic of Card Games, the main contender, Hearthstone, is to undergo some important changes for the next season, and after Heroes of the Storm, fans were getting anxious. We will know more next month, but Blizzard should not drop what is currently its most successful esports title (though Overwatch receives much more love).

Moving on to fighting games, we already mentioned Dragon Ball FighterZ, who is coming in a landscape where established titles like Street Fighter and Tekken are king, but some other challengers are on their way, with the new installments of the Soul Calibur and Mortal Kombat series. Hard to tell which will be voted in by the community, and there is probably room for several of them, given their different styles.

And it would be a mistake to forget mobile games in all of this. Fortnite, PUBG and Hearthstone all have their mobile versions, but some exclusive mobile titles are also going strong, like Clash Royale (and new Brawl Stars by Supercell about to make its entrance), Arena of Valor, Mobile Legends or Critical Ops! They might be less talked about, or even frowned upon, but their qualities and interest they generate are very real!

Finally, 2019 might be the year the Real-Time Strategy comes back to the front of the stage, with Starcraft II still alive (though in smaller circles), with the revival of the Warcraft III series. We doubt that Blizzard will take the reins to drive a new competitive scene, but we must not underestimate the power of nostalgia of the game that re-invented modern strategy and created the MOBA genre…

All in all, 2018 has been a tremendous year for esports, with records beaten on a monthly basis, and it is not looking like it is slowing down any time soon! Success stories happened, and games will keep building on them, whereas new ones will try to claim their spot in the fray, so it’s time to step right in and let your voice be heard, and skill be witnessed!

We all know that Toornament can handle official esports events with millions of dollars on the line, pitting international players in months-long leagues for world recognition and fame. But the platform is also fitting to welcome you and your friends or family for a good competitive time, given it is entirely free!
Whether you have a friendly FIFA League going every week, or just decide to get Super Smash Bros Ultimate out at a family reunion, know that Toornament is here to help you smooth things up and quickly create a tournament !

Some people have already largely understood that, and made good use of the platform, and here’s Gregoire, a colleague of ours, that decided to take his Nintendo Switch along during Christmas Holidays for everyone to enjoy:

“I always have my Nintendo Switch with me, and suggested a few games after the Christmas meal. Everyone got excited, and i set it up in the living room, with 1-2 Switch running.
What started as a quick and fun family activity soon became an epic tournament in which all 25 members of the family wanted to compete.
Ages ranged from 6 to 50 years old, and even though the tournament went on for more than 2 hours, everyone stayed focused and motivated, with kids asking for results every few minutes, and showing off their wins to their cousins or parents.
I shared the link to the tournament via our family group chat, so everyone could see and follow the matches, and set up a tablet with the Toornament TV by the Nintendo Switch.
Once it was over, I told them they just played some esports, like the people I usually work with!”
– Gregoire Pascal, Webedia Press Manager

And now that the results have achieved posterity, no doubt Daphne will brag about this tournament in future family reunions!

We are glad to have been a part of Gregoire’s family Christmas holidays, and wish you all great friendly tournaments!