The New ePremier League Season Is Finally Here
Donovan “Tekkz” Hunt, representing Liverpool, won the inaugural ePremier League season. The 17-year-old, Fnatic-signed player beat KyleLeese_ in the grand finals, establishing himself as the best FIFA player in the UK. What’s in store for ePremier League Season 2?
The first ePremier League season attracted more than 80,000 peak viewers with close to 40,000 viewers on average. While those numbers might seem low when talking about popular esports titles like CS:GO and League of Legends, they’re quite high in the world of FIFA esports.
“Our inaugural ePremier League season had a great response from fans and clubs… The tournament brought together experienced EA SPORTS FIFA pros and first-time competitors and gave them the unique opportunity to compete and win for their favorite clubs. We are very pleased to be working with our clubs again to build on the momentum from our first ePL season and look forward to welcoming even more fans and EA SPORTS FIFA players to the tournament.” – Richard Masters, Premier League Interim Chief Executive
Driven by such a huge success, Premier League and Electronic Arts announced the return of the ePremier League for the ongoing 2019/2020 season, hoping for an even more successful campaign.
ePremier League 2019/2020 Season
The registration period is already behind us. Online qualifications began on December 2. FIFA 20 gamers on PlayStation and Xbox have four months to assert their dominance, experiment with tactical approaches and bring their A-game for a chance of qualifying for the club playoffs.
ePremier League Season 2 | Key Dates
Here’s a closer look at the ePremier League 2019/2020 key dates:
- Online Qualifications: Through December 22, 2019
- Club Playoffs: February 2020
- ePremier League Finals: March 27-28, 2020
In addition to the ePremier League Season 2 announcement, Electronic Arts and Premier League also announced the prize pool for this year’s event.
A total of £40,000 goes to the best ePremier League Season 2 players. More precisely, £20,000 goes to the winner, while the runner-up goes home with £10,000 in his pocket. Lastly, runners-up of both Xbox and PlayStation finals receive £5,000.
“Winning the ePL Final for Liverpool FC was one of the most memorable moments of my life… Wearing the shirt of the club I’ve been watching all my life made the win even more special and I have had some amazing experiences since being crowned ePL Champion. I’m looking forward to playing again this year and hopefully winning back-to-back titles for Liverpool.” – Donovan “Tekkz” Hunt, winner of the inaugural ePremier League season
Dan “Gingerninga95x” Hilliard Q&A
Esports competitions are known for portraying numerous Cinderella stories. The inaugural season of the ePremier League had one too, and it almost went all the way.
Meet Dan Hilliard, a passionate FIFA gamer who’s been in love with EA’s football sim ever since the PlayStation 1 days. Dan, who goes by the name Gingerninga95x, competed in the ePremier League semifinals while representing Brighton & Hove Albion.
Here’s a short interview with Dan who’s been nothing but modest regarding his ePremier League success:
How did you get from being a passionate FIFA player to becoming a professional?
I certainly wouldn’t call myself a professional. I have always had a love of FIFA and I’m generally a competitive person, so I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to be the first to represent the club I also love.
What’s it like being a professional FIFA player? Do you find it difficult to explain your trade to the people around you?
I still only play FIFA recreationally, most nights an hour or so sometimes. I have a completely regular job and FIFA is more of a hobby for me.
Seeing as you have ePL experience, what are your thoughts on the upcoming season as well as the overall level of organization in FIFA esports?
I imagine this year is going to be a lot harder with more participants entering due to the media coverage last year’s competition received, I can’t comment much on the organization of the esport as this was my first and only competitive tournament.
In your opinion, what’s preventing FIFA from becoming the next big thing in the esports world?
It is all about the money, I feel. Prize pools for other games are much higher. You also have to invest a lot to play at the professional level, which not everyone is capable of doing and can become a barrier for FIFA becoming the next biggest esport.
We all know FIFA 19 was atrocious gameplay-wise. What about FIFA 20? What are your thoughts on this year’s FIFA gameplay?
Yes, FIFA 19 truly wasn’t perfect. FIFA 20 also needed patches, but hopefully, it will get sorted out because we want the best for the game.
Should EA stop selling new FIFA games on a yearly basis and set up a subscription/game pass system instead?
I’m not sure that’s something EA needs to implement. I think it should be more about skill and less about how much you spent on the game. Just take a look at Fortnite’s success. It has one of the largest prize pools in the world for the recent World Cup and it’s a free-to-play game. Everyone is on the same level and only skill gets you to the top.
We’d like to thank Dan for his time and wish him the best in the upcoming ePremier League season!
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