PRESS RELEASE
THE ESPORTS AWARDS REVEALS FINALISTS FOR THE INDUSTRY AWARDS
- Riot Games, Valve, Tencent and Psyonix are among the finalists for the industry awards categories
- Finalists for the Esports Publisher, Esports Journalist, Esports Hardware Provider and more have been unveiled
- Voting is now open for the industry categories, alongside all other categories which opened previously
- Tickets for this year’s Esports Awards can be purchased over at esportsawards.com/tickets
LAS VEGAS, NV (September 29, 2022) – The Esports Awards, the most prestigious night in the esports calendar, is excited to present the 2022 inductees into this year’s Lifetime Achievement in Esports award which celebrates those that have dedicated their professional life to improving the industry. This year’s Lifetime Achievement inductees are Dennis ‘Thresh’ Fong, Emil ‘HeatoN’ Chirstensen, Daniel ‘OGRE1’ Ryan, Tom ‘OGRE2’ Ryan, Morgan Romine, Alexander Garflied, and Jason Lake.
The Lifetime Achievement inductees are selected by the distinguished Esports Awards panel, of whom each presents an individual they believe fits the award criteria. The criteria stands on the following three elements; any individual who has made a significant contribution towards elevating esports over the course of their professional career, someone who has worked within the esports industry for a significant amount of time and consistently supported its growth, and someone who has achieved a high level of popularity thanks to their work and has been a long time evangelist for the industry.
The full list of lifetime achievement inductees are:
- Dennis ‘Thresh’ Fong – Regarded as the first professional gamer in history, Thresh’s highest profile victory was in 1997 at the Red Annihilation Quake tournament, winning first place and id Software CEO John Carmack’s Ferrari 328. Dennis is currently CEO at ggwp.
- Emil ‘HeatoN’ Christensen – Considered one of the best Counter-Strike players of all time, HeatoN is the former captain of Ninjas in Pyjamas and a former professional Counter-Strike player.
- Daniel ‘OGRE1’ Ryan – Widely regarded as one of the greatest professional Halo players of all time alongside his twin brother, OGRE1 now manages G2 Esports Halo team.
- Tom ‘OGRE2’ Ryan – Known for being the most successful player in competitive Halo history,OGRE2 is now General Manager of the Mutineers, a Call of Duty league team.
- Morgan Romine – Director of Initiatives at AnyKey, Morgan Romine paves the way in supporting diverse, equitable, and inclusive community spaces in gaming and esports.
- Alexander Garfield – Creator of Evil Geniuses, a world-leading professional video gaming team.
- Jason Lake – Founder and CEO of Complexity and Global Head of Esports at GSQesports.
The inductees were announced during the Esports Awards’ 5th Spotlight Show of the year which aims to provide year-round content celebrating the esports industry. The show also played host to an exclusive interview with Lifetime Achievement in Esports Class of 2021 inductee Justin “Jwong” Wong who discussed what the future holds for him. Jwong is a legendary figurehead in the esports scene, having been a part of iconic moments throughout his 20 years of professional play.
The Esports Awards are also proud to reveal AimLab as their latest partner. AimLab has been developed as a training simulator for first person and third person shooter games. AimLab acts as a personal virtual coach and is currently helping over 25 million players with detailed reporting and analysis of their performance in over 12,000 tasks.
“I am elated to share the Lifetime Achievement Class of 2022 inductees. Each of these have paved the way for today’s generation of esports. Their hard work, dedication, and perseverance has shaped the esports industry into what it is today. The fourth iteration of the Lifetime Achievement provides recognition of what can be achieved in this industry and we truly welcome seven new admirable individuals.” Michael Ashford, CEO, Esports Awards
The Esports Awards 2022 campaign key dates:
- October 27: Finalists for Pro & On-air categories
- TBC: The Go Home Show
- December 13: Esports Awards 2022
The 2022 Esports Awards is brought to you in partnership with Lexus, Verizon, Plarium, Truman Factory, Secretlab, AimLab, Sizzle Creative and Tyson Foods.
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Esports Awards
Founded in 2015, the Esports Awards is the most prestigious night in the esports calendar and the only global award show that aims to recognize esports excellence.
The Esports Awards is dedicated to showcasing world-class performance and innovation from every corner of the industry throughout the year. It reaches its pinnacle at its end-of-year ceremony, considered the Oscars of esports. The ceremony celebrates everyone from the players, teams, media, hardware providers, games, events, and personalities that shape the esports industry.
The 2021 Esports Awards saw a record-breaking 20 million viewers across the campaign, and 10 million votes counted. For 2022 the Esports Awards is moving to a new home at Resorts World Las Vegas.
Media Contact
Swipe Right PR – Laura Byrne: laura(@)swiperightpr.com
