Gen.G Unveils NBA 2K League Team Name and Logo at the Asia-Pacific Invitational in Seoul, South Korea

LOS ANGELES and SEOUL, South Korea and SHANGHAI, Jan. 19, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Global esports organization Gen.G today unveiled the team name, logo and social media channels for its new NBA 2K League squad, the Gen.G Tigers of Shanghai. The announcement was made today in Seoul, South Korea by Gen.G CEO Chris Park at the NBA 2K League APAC Invitational at Nexon Arena — the league's second international qualifying event in the Asia-Pacific region.

In September, the NBA 2K League and Gen.G announced that the Tigers of Shanghai will be joining the league for the 2020 season, becoming the league's first team outside of North America. The launch signified the first step in Gen.G's long-term effort to help the NBA 2K League develop a stronger presence globally, with an emphasis on Asia and China in particular. Gen.G's new franchise logo depicts a crouching tiger donning the organization's signature black-and-gold colors, an attack-oriented symbol familiar to Gen.G's international #TigerNation fan base.  

"We are thrilled to introduce the Gen.G Tigers of Shanghai, the latest addition to Gen.G's #TigerNation," said Chris Park, CEO of Gen.G. "The 2020 season will be historic for both Gen.G and the NBA 2K League's bright future in Asia."

Gen.G and the NBA 2K League have already collaborated to grow the league's international player pool and fanbase. Gen.G recently hosted the Shanghai Invitational, its first-ever Pro-Am tournament in China featuring 20 of the best Chinese NBA 2K players. Seven players from that group were invited to the APAC Invitational, where NBA 2K League personnel will be in attendance to identify players who will become eligible for the 2020 NBA 2K League Draft.

As part of its continued effort to engage with a growing worldwide fan base, the NBA 2K League this week launched the league's official Weibo channel in China, where NBA 2K League fans in China can follow along for the latest news, updates and content.

Further underscoring the appetite for the game on a global scale, the NBA 2K League will host the NBA 2K League Global Invitation Match, a series of exhibition matches featuring APAC Invitational players and 2019 NBA 2K League Finals MVP Michael "BearDaBeast" Key (T-Wolves Gaming) playing against top representatives from NBA2K Online 2 (a free-to-play online game published in China), including National League Champion "Shy." The games will be live-streamed in China on Tencent's Penguin Esports, Douyu (a Gen.G streaming partner) and Huya.

In addition to NBA 2K players from China, the APAC Invitational showcases top talent from Australia, New Zealand, the Philippines and South Korea competing over two days of gameplay, including scrimmages and a tournament, and participating in interviews with league representatives. The tournament on Jan. 21 will be livestreamed on the NBA 2K League's Twitch and YouTube channels and in China on Tencent's Penguin Esports, Douyu and Huya.

Committed to the growth and global expansion of the NBA 2K League, Gen.G will build on the success of the Shanghai Invitational to identify top talent across Asia in the near future and contribute to the development of the NBA 2K League. 

For more information, fans can follow the NBA 2K League on Twitter (NBA2KLeague), Instagram (nba2kleague), Facebook (NBA 2K League), Twitch (NBA2KLeague) and YouTube (NBA 2K League) and visit NBA2KLeague.com.  Fans can follow Gen.G on Twitter (GenG), Instagram (gengesports), Facebook (GenGesports), Twitch (geng) and YouTube (Gen.G esports) and visit www.geng.gg.

About the NBA 2K League
The NBA 2K League, a professional esports league co-founded by the NBA and Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. (NASDAQ:TTWO), launched in 2018 and features the best NBA 2K players in the world.  Each of the league's 23 teams features six players who compete as unique characters in 5-on-5 play against the other teams in a mix of regular-season games, tournaments and playoffs.  During the 2019 season, NBA 2K League partners included Anheuser-Busch, AT&T, Champion Athleticwear, Dell, Facebook, HyperX, New Era, Raynor Gaming, SCUF Gaming, Snickers, Stance, Tencent, Twitch and YouTube.  For more information about the NBA 2K League, visit NBA2KLeague.com.

About Gen.G esports
Established in 2017, Gen.G is the leading esports organization connecting the U.S. and Asia. Ranked #6 in the inaugural Forbes list of the world's most valuable esports companies, Gen.G is the only major organization that owns and operates top teams in the world's leading esports markets -- China, South Korea, and the United States. Its unique portfolio of teams, winners of 7 global championships to date, includes the Seoul Dynasty franchise of the Overwatch League; 2014 & 2017 League of Legends world champion team in South Korea; the world's top all-female Fortnite team, based in Los Angeles; and the NBA 2K League's historic expansion franchise in Shanghai. 

Gen.G's core mission is to help fans and athletes use the power of gaming and esports to get ahead in and beyond the competition. The company has quickly become a commercial and thought leader, building a global, inclusive, and cross-cultural future for sports entertainment. Its widely acclaimed initiatives include: #TeamBumble, the leading team platform for the empowerment of women in gaming; and Gen.G Elite Esports Academy, the world's first fully-integrated academic esports program. Gen.G's teams, content creators, and corporate staff work out of their offices in Los Angeles, Seoul, and Shanghai.

More information about Gen.G esports and its teams can be found at: www.geng.gg 

SOURCE Gen.G esports