From the 7th-9th April, the 70th Insomnia Gaming Festival (i70) took place at the NEC in Birmingham, with British Esports back at the event taking part in different activities.
But, what were some of the highlights?
We look back at some of the best moments across the i70 weekend, and look forward towards Insomnia 71 later this year.
Minecraft Gaming House Build Battle Challenge:
On the Friday of the i70, British Esports took over the Tournament Zone to host the Minecraft Gaming House Build Battle Challenge in celebration of the new gaming houses in Sunderland as part of the NEPC.
Across the four sessions throughout the day, 40 individuals took part in the Build Battle to create the best gaming house possible – with all of the creations putting a unique spin on the brief.
The top build from each session won a NEPC Gaming House Experience for two people, and each finalist was showcased on the British Esports Twitter for the public to vote for the best build of the event.
Build A, first image above, came out victorious in the public poll, and won an extra NEPC Gaming House experience for six people.
Well done to everyone who was a finalist in their session at i70, and a massive congratulations to Adam for winning the overall prize with 47% of the votes!
The BEe Show LIVE from i70:
Following on from the success of The BEe Show at Insomnia 69, the podcast made its return to i70 even bigger than ever.
Over the weekend, we spoke to a wide variety of guests from all areas of the gaming and esports industries, with a very special guest joining us for the latest episode of the podcast.
From voice acting to speedrunning, we managed to discuss a huge range of roles in the scene, and how people can get involved with them.
These interviews will gradually be posted to the British Esports YouTube channel over the coming weeks, so keep your eyes peeled on our channels.
eFootball Showmatch takes the Esports Stage:
On Friday afternoon, representatives from the Home Nations and Gibraltar took to the Esports Stage in a round-robin eFootball tournament in the battle of the nations.
Players from Esports Wales, Esports Northern Ireland, and Esports Gibraltar came together in Open and Women’s divisions to determine the top nation for eFootball – and the competition did not disappoint.
The players representing the home nations were:
- Cerith ‘CerithDennis’ Dennis – Esports Wales (Open)
- Georgia ‘GeorgiaPeplow27’ Peplow – Esports Wales (Women’s)
- Nick ‘Davetreebake’ Hatton– Esports Northern Ireland (Open)
- Kaylee ‘Kay_04’ Finegan – Esports Northern Ireland (Women’s)
- Dean ‘DeanoSZN’ Penfold – Esports Gibraltar (Open)
After many close rounds, Esports Wales did the double – with Cerith winning the Open division, and Georgia Peplow taking the Women’s category.
This showmatch came as a celebration of eFootball talent in and around the UK, ahead of the opening of the NEPC in Sunderland – the new home of the Home Nations.
British Esports take on the British Army:
On the Saturday of the event, British Esports went head to head with the British Army’s Rocket League team in a surprise showmatch.
Elliot Bond (Head of Community Development), Aaron Rook (Social Media and Community Manager), and Saul Parsons (Video Content Executive) came together to take on representatives from the Army’s esports teams live on the Fan Zone stage.
After a slow start, the British Esports team took a lead, and continued to storm ahead with every match. The final game of the day ended with a 7-2 victory for British Esports, but both teams played well throughout the entire showmatch.
For more information about what the Army, RAF, and Royal Navy are doing in the esports scene, check out their social media pages.
With i70 over, all eyes look towards Insomnia 71 – which is set to happen at the NEC again from the 7th-10th September 2023.
More information about the event can be found on the Insomnia website, or through their social channels.
To learn more about what British Esports are doing in Sunderland, and for details on the upcoming launch of the NEPC, check out the NEPC hub on our website.
