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(Atlanta, GA – April 22, 2021) – The National Association of Collegiate Esports (NACE), the North America Scholastic Esports Federation (NASEF), and Skillshot Media will host and broadcast the spring Scholastic Esports Championship between Friday, April 23 and Sunday, April 25, 2021.
“We are thrilled that this event is the first integration of high school and collegiate esports nationally,” said Todd Harris, founder and CEO of Skillshot Media. “We are appreciative of the participation from NACE universities, NASEF high schools, multiple game publishers, and many partners. Beyond showcasing competition across six game titles and three hardware platforms we are emphasizing student education and skill development throughout the event, truly combining playing with learning.”
All competitions and programming will be broadcast in partnership with Twitch Student on twitch.tv/skillshot per the schedule below:
Friday April 23 at 5pm ET: NASEF (High School)
Saturday April 24 at 5pm ET: NACE (Collegiate Day 1)
Saturday April 24 at 5pm ET: NACE (Collegiate Day 1)
HyperX is supporting the event by awarding a Cloud series gaming headset to every winning player and team.
“We began the spring season with 227 registered university teams, and it all comes down to this weekend,” said Michael Brooks, executive director of NACE. “The finals will be fiercely contested and we are excited that college coaches can also get a view into up and coming high school talent via this combined event.”
During breaks in the competition, event sponsor eHire and other partners will provide video tips to viewers around securing a job inside and outside of the massive gaming industry.
“The NASEF approach uses esports to build life and career skills,” said Gerald Solomon, founder and executive director of NASEF. “Events like the Scholastic Esports Championship allow the thousands of high schoolers participating in NASEF clubs to gain insight into college scholarships, and pathways to higher education and employment.”
Added Christie St. Martin from Queens Collective, “At Queens, our goal is to democratize access to gaming and economic opportunity for women worldwide. We are proud to support the Scholastic Esports Championship and their message of inclusive competition and game-based education for upward mobility.”
Media Contacts:
Skillshot, hi@skillshot.com
Emily Cox, ecox@NACEsports.org
Claire LaBeaux, claire@NASEF.org
ATLANTA — March 24, 2021 — Ghost Gaming, the Atlanta-based esports organization and gaming lifestyle brand, has announced its collaboration with the Georgia Film Academy (GFA) and esports production company Skillshot Media to develop Georgia’s workforce for the growing gaming and esports industry.
As a result, Ghost Gaming establishes a relationship with students on Georgia’s public college and university campuses, who are eligible to participate in GFA’s Digital Entertainment, Esports & Game Development Certification. Each semester the GFA, Ghost Gaming, and Skillshot Media will identify opportunities for students to have additional hands-on exposure and internships.
The collaboration kicks off this Spring 2021 semester, with GFA’s Fundamentals of Esports class, which includes twenty-six students designing and operating an invitational collegiate esports tournament in the popular game Valorant. Three members of Ghost’s professional Valorant team roster will serve as coaches for the college teams competing in the final match on Thursday, April 8, with GFA students executing the event management, tournament operations, marketing, live-stream production, and on-air hosting and commentary.
“The GFA is excited to collaborate with Ghost Gaming and Skillshot Media to offer students professional experience and exposure, leading to high-demand careers and the growth of the full eco-system within the digital entertainment, gaming, and esports industries here in Georgia.” - Jeff Stepakoff, Georgia Film Academy Executive Director
Ghost Gaming has competitive teams and creators in the most popular competitive titles including Fortnite, Rocket-League, Valorant, Call of Duty Warzone and PubG Mobile.
“In relocating Ghost Gaming to Atlanta one key consideration was the availability of talent as we grow. We’re excited to collaborate with the Georgia Film Academy and Skillshot Media to provide students additional industry learning opportunities and to help fill our own workforce needs” - Andrew Steinberg, Ghost Managing Partner
The GFA is a collaboration of the University System of Georgia and the Technical College System of Georgia created to meet education and workforce needs for high-demand careers in Georgia’s creative industries. Last year, Skillshot Media worked with the GFA to establish an esports pilot class at Georgia State University. The initiative has quickly grown to include additional institutions and an expanded certification to include multiple new courses.
According to the Georgia Department of Economic Development (GDEcD), esports has emerged as one of the fastest-growing industries in the state, with gaming having an economic impact of over $830 million last year.
Shawn Byrd received a heart transplant and was granted a wish four years ago. He is now giving back
IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 14, 2020 (Atlanta, GA)
Four years ago, Shawn Byrd had three open-heart surgeries and in November of the same year, he received a heart transplant that saved his life. Following his transplant, the Make-A-Wish Georgia Foundation granted Shawn his wish to go on a Lord of the Rings Tour in New Zealand. Shawn and his family traveled to the country and toured the Lord of the Rings set. While Shawn has enjoyed a full and healthy life for the past four years, he is currently in the hospital with some complications and may be playing at this event from his hospital room.
Shawn and his father, Wes Byrd (CEO of the esports apparel company Skullz) will be competing in an InvitationATL (IATL) event, joining corporate teams in a Fortnite private match to crown the Invitation ATL Esports Corporate Champion. Matches will be live streamed on Twitch.TV with play-by-play commentary on Tuesday, Dec. 15, 2020 at 5pm EST.
IATL is a digital event series that combines gaming culture, competition, and celebrity involvement to raise awareness for charities, companies, and causes spearheaded by Skillshot Media.
"Gaming for good is a concept we're always excited to support at Skillshot", said Todd Harris, Skillshot Media’s CEO. "We're excited to have companies across Georgia participating in the first-ever InvitationATL Esports Corporate Challenge.”
The competition fees will grant wishes for local children fighting critical illnesses. For 25 years, Make-A-Wish Georgia has brought transformational wishes to more than 8,000 children and families. The event is considered a casual Fortnite competition that will boost employee engagement and corporate competition from the socially distanced comfort of home.
“Working alongside Todd Harris and the team at Skillshot Media has given me tremendous insight into the selflessness and generosity of the gaming community,” said Tim Earley, Make-A Wish Georgia CEO. “Whenever this community comes together to support the mission of Make A-Wish Georgia through wish granting, fundraising and/or raising awareness, amazing things happen!”
For Wes Byrd and his son Shawn, this event means a lot.
“It is such an honor and pleasure to be able to help give back to an organization that has given so much to us,” says Wes Byrd. “Words cannot describe how much it means to a family that is going through so much. Make-A Wish brings smiles and joy to children and their families who have suffered greatly.”
“Shawn has been in the esports and gaming space and playing at Skullz LAN parties all his life. He is looking forward to using what he has grown up loving as a way to help those who have helped him.”
For more information, visit:
Gamers.Vote, Comcast and multiple gaming and esports partners, including Twitch and Skillshot Media, today announced ‘InvitationATL’—a virtual event on September 29th focused on boosting new voter registration. The event will feature an online invitational Fall Guys tournament and a Chess.com showmatch with top live-streamers.
“Our mission is to aggressively register gamers as new voters before the registration deadline closes in 15 states, which is home to well over one-third of all electoral votes,” said Gamers.Vote CEO, Christie St. Martin.
InvitationATL will be produced by Skillshot, presented by Gamers.Vote and Comcast, and supporting partners including Twitch, HyperX, Ghost Gaming, XSET, Skullz, SwaggedOutNerds, Chess.com, Atlanta Esports Alliance, Shotcall.gg and others to be announced.
“With half of all U.S. adults playing games, that is 133 million potential voters,” said Todd Harris of Skillshot Media. “ With this virtual event, a follow-on to our first one in July, we hope to drive awareness and facilitate direct online voter registration for this massive, digitally connected gaming audience.”
Twitch.TV is supporting the activation with a custom platform extension that directs participants and viewers to online voter registration in 39 states plus the District of Columbia.
The online Fall Guys tournament will include top streamers and icons committed to helping their communities register to vote, with additional tournament invitations being extended to active duty, reservist, and veteran military personnel in appreciation of their service.
Beyond Fall Guys, viewers will be treated to an hour of competitive chess between top gaming personalities.
Details on how to watch the September 29th InvitationATL live-stream will be posted to www.iatl.gg
With a mission to put more Georgians to work in all aspects of the state’s multi-billion-dollar entertainment industry, the Georgia Film Academy (GFA), in partnership with Skillshot Media, kicked off its first-ever Esports program at Georgia State University (GSU) on Thursday, August 27th. The GFA 3500 Fundamentals of Esports provides students with real-world professional workforce training while exploring the numerous career paths available at the nearly 160 Esports companies located throughout Georgia. Esports is emerging as one of the fastest growing industries in the state, according to the Georgia Department of Economic Development (GDEcD).
“Georgia is rapidly becoming a global epicenter for both entertainment and technology, and the Esports and videogaming industry are at the nexus of these new economies,” said Jeffrey Stepakoff, executive director of the GFA. “Today, we begin to train Georgians for these exciting high demand careers in Esports and, from a workforce perspective, we start to shape a new industry for our state.”
GSU’s Creative Media Industries Institute (CMII) will house this unprecedented public/private partnership, including online and in-person classes.
"Videogames are now the largest entertainment industry in terms of both revenue and popularity", said Todd Harris, CEO of esports solution company Skillshot Media. "In Georgia, gaming and esports had an economic impact of over $830 million last year and the goal with this new program is providing a well-trained Georgia workforce for this rapidly growing industry."
“Collaborative partnerships like this pilot program between the Georgia Film Academy, Skillshot Media and Georgia State University have been critical to developing the state’s unrivaled gaming software development talent pipeline,” said Deputy Commissioner of Global Commerce Scott McMurray, Georgia Department of Economic Development. “We look forward to seeing the opportunities this program creates for students across Georgia and for our world-class digital and esports recruitment team who work every day to attract prospective companies to the esports capital of the nation.”
GFA plans to expand Esports training beyond the introductory pilot program to offer specialty courses as well as opportunities for coveted industry internships across the state. As the program and coursework grows, the GFA hopes to expand industry hubs and opportunities for all universities and colleges in the state system.
“We’ve seen first-hand the value of GFA’s film production certification in providing jobs for Georgians,” said Stepakoff. “The intent of this new program is to provide an Esports certification complete with the opportunity to glean real-world experience through internships. The GFA will ensure that our new programs, like our current film production courses, are affordable, accessible, lead to jobs, and provide great value for Georgians.”
Broadly regarded as the Esports capital of the nation, the City of Atlanta annually hosts more than 39,000 gamers and Esports enthusiasts each November for the world’s largest digital festival – DreamHack. The GDEcD estimates that the state will have nearly 12,000 direct and indirect jobs in digital entertainment this year, with an estimated economic impact of $550 million.
Georgia is home to three different professional franchised Esports teams, including the Atlanta Reign (Overwatch League), Hawks Talon GC (NBA 2K League) and the Atlanta FaZe (Call of Duty League). The state also boasts three varsity college Esports teams: Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD), Georgia State University (GSU) and Georgia Southern University (Georgia Southern). Georgia was among the first five states in the nation to recognize Esports as an official competitive high school sport. There are now over 100 high schools in the state undergoing competitive Esports.
(From left-to-right, top-to-bottom: LAIKA, Missing Peace, Sonic Rebel, King of Sneakers, Skooly, Leah Culver, Favor, and Sage Hammond.)
Skillshot Media, Gamers.Vote and esports organization Ghost Gaming today announced the talent list for InvitationATL—a digital festival on Tuesday, July 21 filled with musical performances, videogame live-streaming and a $10,000 online invitational Fortnite tournament to raise awareness of voter registration and participation across the 133M adult gamers in the US.
“Our mission in July is to get as many gamers registered as new voters as possible” said Gamers.Vote CEO, Christie St. Martin, “With InvitationATL, Skillshot Media and the Atlanta community have embraced this mission with an incredible tentpole event featuring performers from both music and esports.”
Event participation includes Atlanta-based musicians across diverse genres including John Hopkins from the Zac Brown Band, Bill Kelliher from Mastodon, Waka Flocka, Skooly, Isaac Hayes III, Leah Culver, and more, including a world debut performance from new artist Sonic Rebel.
Programming includes casual video-games played by special guests including actor Jesse Usher, and a virtual reality DJ set by KRYOMAN - Spirit Link powered by TribeXR.
The event culminates with a 49 team $10,000 Fortnite tournament showcasing invited competitive players from esports teams FaZe Clan, NRG, Ghost Gaming, and XSET, along with top streamers and invited players from organizations including Atlanta Reign, GamersDoingThings, KontrolFreek, the National Association of Collegiate Esports and many others.
The full talent list and event schedule is available at www.iatl.gg. The live-stream event will kickoff on Tuesday, July 21 at 3pm ET at www.twitch.tv/skillshot.
Twitch.TV is supporting this activation with a custom platform extension that directs participants and viewers to online voter registration. New Georgia Project is the local civic engagement partner.
InvitationATL will be produced by Skillshot, presented by Gamers.Vote and Ghost Gaming, with additional supporting partners including Twitch, HyperX, New Georgia Project, Respawn, Greenberg Traurig, Axis Replay, United In Gaming, KontrolFreek, Skullz, Skinz.gg, Reely, Subnation, SUBSUME, Nexus, Atlanta Reign, GamersDoingThings, Placement Music, Radar Live, Fandom, Represent Us, TribeXR, Atlanta Esports Alliance, MomoCon, and the Georgia Game Developers Association.
Skillshot Media, Gamers.Vote, and esports organization Ghost Gaming today announced InvitationATL—a virtual event on July 21 focused on voter registration and including a $10,000 online invitational Fortnite tournament.
“Our mission in July is to get as many gamers registered as new voters as possible” said Gamers.Vote CEO, Christie St. Martin, “With InvitationATL, Skillshot Media and the Atlanta esports community have embraced this mission with an incredible tentpole event featuring top icons from esports, traditional sports, and music.”
InvitationATL will be produced by Skillshot, presented by Gamers.Vote and Ghost Gaming, with additional supporting partners including Twitch, HyperX, Atlanta Reign, Axis Replay, New Georgia Project, Greenberg Traurig, UnitedInGaming, Radar Live, and others to be announced.
“We’re thrilled to work with Gamers.Vote and top Fortnite players and streamers on InvitationATL,” said Todd Harris of Skillshot Media. “Gaming reaches 133 million US adults. With this event, we hope to support awareness and direct voter registration among the massive gaming audience.”
Twitch.TV is supporting the activation with a custom platform extension that directs participants and viewers to online voter registration in 39 states. InvitationATL partners New Georgia Project and venue Axis Replay will support onsite voter registration on the Atlanta beltline.
“We should take a lesson from gamers right now,” said Nse’ Ufot, CEO of the New Georgia Project. “We are honored to be a part of the gaming community’s connection—a bold example for uniting through civic engagement and voting.”
The online Fortnite tournament will include top streamers and icons committed to helping their communities register to vote, with $10,000 being awarded to the winning teams in the Fortnite competition.
Details on how to participate and watch the July 21 InvitationATL will be posted to www.iatl.gg
About GAMERS.VOTE
Gamers.Vote is a broad coalition of the best gamers, game companies, platforms, and streamers in the world. We ARE gamers and we know the power of focusing the gaming community on voter registration and voting. More information and free streaming, partner, and social kits can be found on our website. Join the movement: www.gamers.vote
About GHOST GAMING
Ghost Gaming is an Atlanta-based organization focused on cultivating and facilitating the best talent in gaming, design and content creation by providing a platform to create unique partnerships in sports, music, entertainment, fashion and tech. We have built a social media community with millions of fans and followers, becoming one of the most popular names in gaming, www.ghostgaming.com
“Not everything that is faced can be changed, but nothing can be changed until it is faced.”
- James Baldwin
As the call for meaningful change and reform continues to sweep across the country, Skillshot is teaming up with gaming and esports partners across the city of Atlanta in the fight for social justice. We are standing with 20+ gaming & esports companies for a virtual gathering to celebrate Juneteenth on Friday, June 19, 2020. This event is presented by Axis Replay.
“This is a time to reflect and rejoice in the progress achieved by the African American community and a reminder of what is still left to do. The event will showcase celebrity guests, spark discussion, educate viewers, and highlight esports gameplay & more,” says Ryan Johnson, Executive Director of Cxmmunity, a non-profit organization focused on increasing minority participation in the esports and video game industry.
On June 19th, 2020 7PM – 12AM, the live broadcast of the virtual esports gathering to celebrate Freedom for All will be available on twitch.tv/axisreplay | youtube.com/axisreplay | facebook.com/axisreplay |mixer.com/axisreplay, and hosted on partner broadcasts, twitch.tv/checkpointXP | ESTV and more. The program will include influencers, entertainers, and pro-athletes like: Erin Ashley Simon, Larry Ridley, Jeezy, Desi Banks. Allies for change include: FaZe Clan, Invest Atlanta, the Atlanta Chamber of Commerce, NFL Alumni Association, EventsDC, Twitch, Fight Tyme Gaming, Black Salt Coreuption, United Way, Cxmmunity, Axis Replay, RIISE Ventures, Gamers Vote, Vote to Live, Atlanta Esports Alliance, ESTV, NutriGMR, Beasley Esports, Checkpoint XP, Atlanta Inno, Esports Insider, Gamer’s Outreach, Ultimate Gamer, eFUSE, Black Python.
“Juneteenth is the oldest, nationally celebrated commemoration of the ending of slavery in the United States and a reminder of the pride, resilience and determination of African Americans in American history. Even though COVID-19 has hindered live event celebrations and parades, Axis Replay and our partners are committed to fight for social justice. As an ally, I want to do more, and we do it best by giving our community a way to celebrate and connect, both in-person and virtually. We’re making a difference through our shared love of esports and video games. This is our commitment to the future, and it starts with us. Together we win,” says Allie Young, CEO of Axis Replay.
Through the observance of African American freedom with an emphasis on education, achievement, assessment, improvement and celebration, the event will reflect on this day of independence through the shared voices of the video game community.
“Black history is an essential part of the history of the United States and it is important that we continue to promote awareness, create safe spaces, and be inclusive. In cities across the country, people of all races, nationalities, and religions are joining forces to truthfully acknowledge a period in our history that continues to influence and shape our society today. Being sensitive to the conditions and experiences of others is vital for us as a people to make significant and lasting improvements in our society,” says Todd Harris, Chairman of the Board, Atlanta Esports Alliance.
For more information and a schedule of events and want to get involved, visit www.juneteenth.gg.
Partners Include United in Gaming, Skillshot Media, Uspech Marketing, Film Quality Services, Big Block Media, Visual Weaponry, Softgiving and KontrolFreek
COV-AID is proud to present a massive, multi-platform, one-day online charity event on Tuesday, May 5, 2020, at 1pm EDT / 10am PDT. The event will feature more than 10 hours of content showcasing popular gamers, athletes, artists and other personalities streamed across top social game-streaming platforms including Twitch, YouTube, Mixer, Twitter and Facebook. All proceeds will be donated to Americares and Boys & Girls Clubs of America to help the fight against COVID-19, and to support front-line medical professionals, first responders, and families most directly affected by COVID-19.
The event will feature a mix of interactive, live-streamed competitions and performances, plus pre-recorded content from entertainers, athletes, and other personalities. Talent will include Grammy Award-winning artist Lil Jon, Super Bowl champion Rob “Gronk” Gronkowski, and many others. Additional talent will be announced.
COV-AID is an egoless alliance of talent, distribution and nonprofit partners coming together to fight COVID-19. Event organizers and logistical partners will earn no revenue from COV-AID. All proceeds will support the event’s nonprofit beneficiaries and their work.
“This is such an extraordinarily challenging time for people all over the world,” said United in Gaming Co-Founder Andrew Smoltz. “I am grateful to my partners for coming together for this event so we can help make a difference for Americares and Boys & Girls Clubs of America, and the essential workers and families they support.”
Skillshot CEO Todd Harris added: "Everyone is at home. Everyone. Some people are feeling isolated and we figured this was a great moment for digital-native talent to step up and take the lead in bringing people together, albeit remotely, to enjoy each other's company while also addressing the urgent challenges we all face.”
“We're especially thankful for our amazing talent, all of whom are all donating their time to participate in this event,” added Uspech Marketing Consultants Founder Jennifer Erdman. “No one involved in COV-AID is taking any fee or percentage, which allows us to ensure every penny raised goes directly to these two essential organizations at this critical time."
Americares is providing desperately-needed personal protective equipment (PPE), training and emotional support to ensure health workers on the front lines of the pandemic can continue their lifesaving and life-changing work.
“Americares is heartened to see such an outpouring of support to help health workers on the front lines of the pandemic,” said Americares President and CEO Christine Squires. “With support from COV-AID, we can provide even more masks, gloves, gowns and essential training to protect our health care heroes.”
Boys & Girls Clubs of America is committed to remaining open to support the children and families of front-line medical professionals and essential workers while also providing meals and virtual learning at thousands of Clubs around the country.
“For 160 years, Boys & Girls Clubs have navigated times of tragedy and crisis to provide safe places for kids and teens. Today, we are committed more than ever, to ensure Club staff, members, families and communities have the resources and support they need to navigate these uncertain times,” said Boys & Girls Clubs of America President and CEO Jim Clark. “Thank you to COV-AID and its partners for helping support our work during this critical time.”
For more information, or to make a donation, please visit cov-aid.org.
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COV-AID was created, and is being produced by, a consortium of media and technology firms with close ties to the gaming and esports community, including: United in Gaming, Skillshot Media, Uspech Marketing, Film Quality Services, Big Block Media, Visual Weaponry, Softgiving and KontrolFreek.
Editor's Note: The Georgia Department of Economic Development created and published this article on April 16, 2020. It is re-posted here with their permission.
As we confront the effects of COVID-19, the Georgia Department of Economic Development continues to work around the clock arming our partners with the resources they need to navigate these turbulent times. We’re also maintaining our focus on unique growth opportunities with expanding industries to help ensure that the state remains well-positioned to weather the economic impacts of COVID-19.
With stringent social distancing guidelines and requirements put forth in nearly every country across the world, digitally native brands and industries have been experiencing a significant, unprecedented uptick in website visits, streams and virtual interaction. The $1.4 billion esports industry has been no exception. The Atlanta Business Chronicle recently reported that streaming platform Twitch recently saw a 31% increase in viewership, while YouTube Gaming has also seen significant growth of about 15% on its streams.
Georgia has been on the frontlines of developing the global esports economy. Broadly regarded as the esports capital of the nation, the City of Atlanta annually hosts more than 39,000 gamers and esports enthusiasts every November for the world’s largest digital festival – DreamHack.
And while numerous in-person esporting events have also been postponed or canceled to help mitigate the spread of COVID-19, undoubtedly causing economic loss and disruption, the industry that was born online is well-versed in hosting events live from their audience members’ living rooms, and generating content-based revenue.
Skillshot, headquartered in Atlanta, recently reported that not only has there been a record number of participants playing online games, but that the number of people watching others compete is also at a record high, especially as traditional sports, leagues, team and players turn to online gaming as an alternative. For example, basketball fans across the country recently tuned in to watch Atlanta Hawks star Trae Young virtually participate in a televised NBA 2k tournament earlier this month.
At the college level, institutions such as Kennesaw State University just launched a spring esports series for students called “Game on KSU.” This digital tournament features three different games for students to compete in or watch, including: League of Legends, Rocket League and NA2k20. Participants can play from their personal computer, Xbox or PS4.
Recently, Skillshot announced the continuation of its partnership with the Georgia Department of Economic Development, the Georgia Film Academy and Georgia State University’s Creative Media Industries Institute (CMII) on a series of in-person and online courses focused on workforce education for the thriving gaming development and esports industries. These industries make up a current combined revenue of $140 billion. The first of many of these courses will begin this fall. The class will count as student credit hours toward CMII’s programs in Game Design Entrepreneurship.
The state’s skilled workforce and unrivaled support for the esports industry have attracted more than 50 of the world’s leading gaming companies and teams. This has helped create more than 12,000 direct and indirect gaming jobs and had a $550 million impact on the state.
In November of 2019, it was announced that Midtown Atlanta would become the new permanent home to professional esports team, Atlanta Reign. The city’s thriving game development and tech industries attracted the team to permanently plant its roots in Georgia. Atlanta Reign establishing its headquarters in Atlanta will create 45 new jobs and generate a $100,000,000 investment in growing the esports ecosystem throughout the region.
The Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech) recently completed a study demonstrating esports’ dominance in the state, and specifically in Atlanta. The report includes insights from key industry players validating the belief that Georgia’s esports ecosystem will continue to flourish in the coming years.
Georgia Tech also cited that esports continues to grow here not only because the state is home to vibrant game development, tech and entertainment industries, but because of the actions Georgia has taken to welcome the industry. For example, Georgia is home to three different professional franchised esports teams, including the Atlanta Reign (Overwatch League), Hawks Talon GC (NBA 2K League) and the Atlanta FaZe (Call of Duty League). Georgia is also home to three varsity college teams - the Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) team, the Georgia State University (GSU) team and the Georgia Southern University (Georgia Southern) team. Not to mention that Georgia was one of the first five states in the nation to recognize esports as an official competitive high school sport.
While COVID-19 has caused a great deal of economic uncertainty, we are confident in our state’s ability to weather this storm. One of the best ways GDEcD can continue to create jobs and enterprise opportunities for Georgians is by building on the strong economic framework that our state has established over the past several decades. We will remain on the frontlines of innovation and growth, and continue to engage groundbreaking industries like online gaming that attract new career and development prospects for our state.
