Largest Charity Tournament in Mobile eSports History to Launch in March
SAN FRANCISCO, March 1, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Skillz, the worldwide leader in mobile eSports, has announced the largest charity tournament in the history of the industry. The tournament kicks off on March 3 and will be open to all 12 million registered Skillz players. Proceeds from the tournament will benefit Susan G. Komen®, the world's largest breast cancer organization, with Skillz committing to raise at least $100,000.
As eSports have grown into a multibillion dollar industry, charity tournaments have become an increasingly popular initiative for both companies and players to give back. In 2017, Twitch and Activision Blizzard each sponsored charity eSports tournaments for PC and console gamers, while Skillz hosted mobile eSports tournaments benefiting causes including the Special Olympics and Hurricane Irma relief efforts.
"As eSports eclipse the revenue and spectatorship of several offline sports, it is our responsibility to lead this nascent industry by example," said Andrew Paradise, CEO and founder of Skillz. "One in eight women in the United States will be diagnosed with breast cancer in her lifetime, and by supporting Susan G. Komen the Skillz platform will contribute to change."
Women have become a driving force in the eSports industry, with an even more pronounced impact in the world of mobile competition. More than half of all Skillz players are female, as were seven of the top ten competitors of 2017. Women have also spearheaded innovation of the Skillz platform, with nearly twice the percentage of female technical employees as tech companies such as Twitter, Uber, Microsoft and Google.
To date, Susan G. Komen has invested more than $956 million into research that has helped reduce breast cancer mortality rates in the United States by 39 percent in the past 25 years. The organization's work has impacted millions of women in over 30 countries, tackling one of the most widespread forms of women's cancer in the world. To meet the problem head-on, it also recently announced a Bold Goal, a push to reduce current breast cancer deaths by 50 percent in the United States by 2026.
To learn more about career opportunities at Skillz, visit www.skillz.com/careers. For more information about Skillz-enabled games and implementing mobile eSports competitions, visit www.skillz.com or email launch@skillz.com.
About Skillz
Skillz, the leading mobile eSports platform, connects the world's 2.6 billion mobile gamers through competition. In 2017, Skillz was named the #1 fastest-growing private company in America by Inc. Magazine, the first eSports company on CNBC's Disruptor 50, and the only eSports company on the San Francisco Business Times Fast 100. Over 12 million gamers use Skillz to compete in mobile games across 3,000+ game studios. Founded in 2012, Skillz is headquartered in San Francisco and backed by leading venture capitalists as well as the owners of the New England Patriots, Milwaukee Bucks, New York Mets and Sacramento Kings. To learn more, visit www.skillz.com.
Press Contact
Roxie Bostwick
Communications Lead
Skillz Inc.
pr@skillz.com
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SOURCE Skillz
