Xbox, ESPORTSU and Paidia partner to launch women’s collegiate esports series
On Tuesday, Xbox, ESPORTSU and Paidia Gaming announced that they are partnering together to launch a competitive collegiate esports series for rising women players. The series will include three events, culminating in the Collegiate Esports Commissioner’s Cup in Texas which will take place in May.
All of these events will be focused on VALORANT. The first will be a qualifying tournament for the best college-level, women VALORANT players in North America. The winners of this tournament will secure a spot in the Collegiate Esports Commissioner’s Cup Texas from May 6-7 at the Arlington Esports Stadium. CECC Texas is the largest multi-conference gathering of collegiate esports programs across North America and hosts over 64 teams playing different titles.
In addition to the CECC qualification tournament, Xbox, ESPORTSU and Paidia Gaming have teamed up to create The Paidia Cup: Women’s VALORANT Matchmaking Season. Women’s VALORANT teams from across North America will compete from February through May, with one matchup a week broadcasted on the Paidia Twitch channel. The top two teams from this stretch of competition will receive invitations to play in a showmatch at CECC Texas. Whoever wins this match will officially become the Paidia Cup champions.
“We are thrilled to partner with Xbox and Paidia on this important and ground-breaking new initiative,” said Jim Connelly, Chief Revenue Officer for CSMG/ESPORTSU. “Together, we will continue to push the boundaries to open doors and make the esports gaming space more inclusive, by shining the spotlight on the incredible talents and skills of women gamers.”
To further support participants, the organizations will also be providing support from “elite college coaches” called “the Road to CECC” and a content series called “Cast This,” which will aim to find and develop new shoutcasting talent.
“At Paidia our mission is to provide an inclusive and safe place for women and diverse gamers to connect, learn and play,” said Jill Kenney, CEO for Paidia Gaming. “Initiatives like this one are paramount to closing the equity gap that has dominated our industry for decades. We couldn’t be more excited to partner with Xbox and ESPORTSU to create a series of events and content that celebrates women gamers and the power of positive play.”
“At Xbox, we believe that gaming is for everyone, and should be ‘Inclusive of all’ and ‘Accessible to all’. Paidia and ESPORTSU share these same values, which is why this collaboration is such a natural fit,” said Katie Schroeder, US Xbox Marketing. ”We are proud to be working alongside Paidia and ESPORTSU in their efforts to create an inclusive online gaming community and to empower gamers around the world to do more of what they love – connect to their community through games.”
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