EE CROWNS THE FIRST-EVER CHAMPION OF THE EE MOBILE SERIES – THE UK’S FIRST MOBILE GAMING TOURNAMENT

Monday 21^st January 2019: EE, has announced the first-ever winner of The EE Mobile Series – the pioneering mobile gaming tournament that saw avid gamers compete for the ultimate prize in gaming - to become a member of one of the world’s biggest and most successful esports teams, Fnatic.

Aspiring professional gamer, Scotland’s Liam ‘ThunderStruck’ McCarron, clinched the highly coveted spot on team Fnatic with a 3-1 victory against Jules ‘Bigbadjulsy’ Swanson in a thrilling Grand Final at the BT Sport Studios, broadcast live over Twitch and YouTube to over 31,000 esports enthusiasts.

ThunderStruck, crowned the first-ever Champion of The EE Mobile Series on Sunday, joins the talented Fnatic Clash Royale Academy roster, where he will receive a full-time competitive salary, world-class training and their own gaming set-up, to ensure they have all the tools needed to significantly improve their game, by training with the best in the world.

Liam ‘ThunderStruck’ McCarron, The EE Mobile Series Champion: “The EE Mobile Series has been an unbelievable journey. I’m delighted to become the first-ever Series Champion, winning the opportunity to represent Fnatic - it feels unreal knowing I’ll be able to play for the Fnatic fans.”

Renowned as a leader and innovator of the global professional esports industry, Fnatic continues to lead the way and are widely recognised as instrumental in shaping this new world sport into the rapidly-growing phenomenon that it is today. Since 2004, Fnatic has competed in every major esports gaming title and platform, establishing itself as one of the most successful Western teams in history.

For the inaugural tournament, EE challenged aspiring pro gamers to lead their Royale Family to victory in the popular universe of Clash Royale - the real-time, head-to-head battle selected as the official mobile game for The EE Mobile Series.

The latest phone from OnePlus, the OnePlus 6T, featured throughout the mobile gaming tournament, including the live final itself, where each skilled finalist was also given the handset. The state-of-the-art device, designed with the mobile gamer in mind, which features a bespoke Gaming Mode, is available now on EE’s award-winning network from EE stores, over the phone and from ee.co.uk/OnePlus.

Pete Jeavons, Director of Brand Marketing at EE: “The response from our customers and esports enthusiasts has been amazing and justified EE’s entrance into mobile gaming with

The EE Mobile Series. I’d like to take this opportunity to thank our partners OnePlus and esports pioneer, Fnatic, who helped us create the ultimate mobile gaming competition - changing the life of our first-ever Champion, Thunderstruck. Who says you can’t use your smartphone and our superfast 4G network to win a spot on one of the world’s best esports teams?”

Wouter Sleijffers, CEO, Fnatic: “The EE Mobile Series has been a fantastic chapter in the Fnatic story. Fnatic famously has a long history of building up legendary players and we truly believe that we have found yet another promising prodigy in ThunderStruck, who emerged the winner out of a large and highly competitive pool of players that participated in the series. We look forward to welcoming ThunderStruck into the Fnatic family and help him take on an exciting role as part of our academy.”

Carl Pei, Co-founder of OnePlus, said: “Congratulations to ThunderStruck for a hard-fought victory in The EE Mobile Series. eSports is a hugely competitive field, and on top of talent and practice, the right equipment can give you an edge. We optimised the OnePlus 6T to deliver an incredible gaming experience – fast and responsive, combined with superfast EE 4G, giving every bit of speed you need.”