On Thursday, the Esports Integrity Commission (ESIC) and ggCircuit formally announced that they have signed a partnership to develop infrastructure for certified esports venues.
Financial terms of the deal, which was officially signed in June at the Global Esports Industry Week, were not disclosed.
Under the terms of this new deal, both companies will work together to create a “comprehensive venue certification system powered by ggCircuit’s suite of technologies—including ggLeap software, ggRock software, and ggRock hardware—and governed by ESIC’s robust integrity criteria.”
Venues that meet certification requirements will be deemed “officially certified esports venues,” according to the announcement. ESIC hopes that this “certified venues program will serve the international esports ecosystem by providing “trusted, verified, and competitive integrity compliant venues” that can be used for local competitive play.
“This partnership marks the establishment of yet another critical component of integrity infrastructure; the ability to reliably deploy local events in a manner that offers consistent expectations of competitive integrity,” said ESIC CEO Stephen Hanna. “This is a meaningful step forward in our commitment to raising the standard of integrity across every layer of the esports ecosystem. A global network of ESIC Certified venues offer a unique opportunity to anchor esports in environments that prioritise fairness, safety, and accountability. By combining ESIC’s integrity expertise with ggCircuit’s technology and network of venues, we are proud to be establishing the first truly integrity-compliant global venue network.”
Indiana-based ggCircuit is an esports-focused tournament software and server hardware company that supports esports venues through a product suite that includes 24/7 technical support, security measures, and more to make managing tournaments and data easier. More details about the company can be found here.
ESIC is an international organization that helps tournament stakeholders and IP owners monitor competitions to ensure compliance with rules on such things as cheating, gambling, doping, and match-fixing. The organization, empowered by tournament operators and other integrity partners, investigates issues of bad behavior and has the power to make rulings against players and teams found be in violation of league rules.