We built an on-site hosting programme around the live tournament itself, bringing journalists into the event environment with direct access to players, referees and fans — giving them the material for authentic, on-the-ground coverage rather than a desk-based writeup.

Alongside that access, we shaped the story we wanted media to tell: surfacing engaging player narratives, including a British champion who had just won £500,000 at another event, and positioning the event’s business scale and cultural weight to earn treatment as a mainstream story rather than niche esports coverage.

The combination of live access and wider framing landed pieces across national and broadcast outlets, including Newsbeat, BBC Radio London, The Times, and a 20-minute documentary with BBC World Service.