Who won the Madden NFL 19 Championship Series?
Yuriy SheremetThe Madden NFL Championship Series has become one of the most eagerly anticipated eSports events in the calendar. The Madden NFL 19 Championship Series was a record-breaker. The Madden NFL 19 Super Bowl was the most-watched live tournament in the history of Madden eSports. At its peak, some 97,000 people tuned in on Twitch to watch the NFL 19 Bowl live stream, equating to a 650% year-on-year increase.
Ultimately, the aim of Madden NFL eSports is to spread the entertainment of American Football across the globe, creating new fans of NFL franchises and NFL superstar players. Along the way, Madden NFL eSports is also making superstars of Madden eSports players too, with Drini Gjoka bagging his second Madden NFL Major victory by winning the Madden NFL 19 Bowl. Gjoka got the better of opponent Mike Spoto from the word go and ended up running out a very comfortable 41-0 winner. The result means that Gjoka moves closely behind Michael Skimbo as the second most successful gamer in the history of Madden eSports. Gjoka’s career earnings have subsequently skyrocketed to an impressive $200,000 too.
ESPN’s coverage of the Madden Championship Series has helped NFL eSports scale new heights
The Madden NFL 19 Championship Series culminated in the NFL 19 Bowl, which saw the latest NFL Major dished out, along with the biggest prize purse. The entire Championship Series resonated with NFL gamers across the US. Its partnership with broadcaster ESPN helped cement the NFL 19 Championship Series as a serious eSports competition. Its “Road to Madden NFL Bowl” documentary was a four-part triumph, underlining the commitment and effort that goes in to becoming the best NFL eSports professionals.
All you need to know about the Madden Championship Series
It’s not just stateside where the Madden NFL 19 Championship Series took hold either. The British Esports Association has gone to great lengths to cover the Series too. In real life, when you bet on NFL each team has 16 regular-season games, culminating in the postseason towards Super Bowl qualification. The Madden Championship Series builds on that number, by inviting 16 of the world’s most talented Madden 20 gamers to face-off for a $220,000 prize pool and the kudos of becoming the undisputed Madden NFL champ.
The strapline of the Series is “from couch to champion”. It’s designed to inspire budding Madden NFL gamers and NFL fans to try and piece together their passion for the sport with their gaming attributes and bring them closer than ever to the NFL. Madden NFL was one of the latest arrivals to the eSports scene. It wasn’t until 2016 when EA Sports decided to launch its $1 million Madden Championship Series.
The Madden Championship Series consists of multiple ‘Major’ tournaments. It’s the qualification campaign for the season-ender – the Madden Bowl. The EA Major tournaments allow Madden NFL eSports professionals to accrue ‘MCS Points’ throughout the season which can help them try to gain qualification for the Madden Bowl. The Madden Club Championship is arguably the biggest event of the season, attracting 512 entrants. The Club Championship begins with an online ladder event and an elimination decider, before culminating in regional live finals and the global live final. With a prize purse of a whopping $703,000, it’s the most lucrative prize to win in Madden eSports.
Nevertheless, the kudos of winning the Madden Bowl and being selected as one of the best 16 performers over the course of the Madden Championship Series is hard to beat. Drini Gjoka has certainly captured the imagination of eSports pundits across the globe. He first announced himself onto the Madden eSports stage by winning the Madden 18 Challenge – an event where virtual unknowns can make their mark. Since then, Gjoka has qualified for all scheduled Majors in the Championship Series and has appeared in three Championship games, including the Madden 19 Bowl. With continued coverage from ESPN and ESPN 2, as well as Twitch and YouTube, it’s fair to say that NFL eSports has come a long way in the four years of its existence, cementing it alongside FIFA – which has seen stars like Gareth Bale launch their own FIFA eSports clubs – as EA Sports’ most lucrative eSports titles.
Yuriy Sheremet – Expert in mobile gaming and esports among shooters and MOBA games.
At EGamersWorld, Yuriy, as in 2020 when he joined the portal, works with content, albeit with adjustments to his area of responsibility.