The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has announced the games to be included at the inaugural Olympic Esports Series, with a variety of mobile games included among the categories.
“The Olympic Movement brings people together in peaceful competition,” said Chair of the IOC Esports Liaison Group David Lappartient. “The Olympic Esports Series 2023 is a continuation of that, with the ambition of creating more spaces to play for both players and fans of elite competition. We look forward to witnessing some of the world’s best compete on the global stage, as well as exploring together shared opportunities and lessons – across health and wellbeing, training and innovation.”
Qualifying events for the Esports Series begin today, with both professional and amateur esports players from around the world invited to take part ahead of the grand finals, which will be held in Singapore’s Suntec Centre on June 22-25 and streamed globally.
Each of the featured games have their own competition formats and entry requirements, which will align with current IOC recommendations for the participation of athletes holding Russian and Belarusian passports.
The future of esports?
Of the nine announced games included in the event, two are exclusively mobile: Tic Tac Bow, an archery game which includes tic-tac-toe elements, and Tennis Clash, which follows the game’s successful collaborations with the Australian Open and Roland-Garros. Furthermore, Virtual Regatta is available on both mobile games and via browsers, while cycling will be represented by the app Zwift, available on mobile devices as well as PC’s and Apple TV’s.
“We’re excited to combine the worlds of archery and gaming with this brand-new strategic twist on the sport,” said Tic Tac Bow developer Refract Technologies CEO Michael Chng. “Accessible to gamers and archery fans anywhere on their mobile phones, Tic Tac Bow gives players around the world a chance to win the first-ever World Archery Tic Tac Bow Championships – and a trip to Singapore for the Olympic Esports Finals.”
We listed Tennis Clash developer Wildlife Studios as one of the top 50 mobile game makers of 2022.
