This week at 5-7, we look back on Madden NFL’s hugely successful Pro Bowl game, Polgz’ victory at the Bolts Chel Challenge and the impressive purse for the Fornite Championship Series.
Featured Image: NFL
Madden NFL back to Pro Bowl
The NFL season is now over following the Los Angeles Rams’ Super Bowl victory, but the weekend leading up to the final game against the Bengals, it was the Pro Bowl that held the spotlight. For the past few years, the majority of fans have agreed that skill competitions are more entertaining than the match itself, since players don’t want to risk injury by participating in this exhibition match. It was probably in this spirit of entertainment that the NFL added a game last year on the Madden NFL video game, in which a few players competed for honors and the title of champion.
Result: The broadcast broke all single-game viewing records in Madden NFL history with over 3.5 million viewers, more than one Stanley Cup game last year!
It is therefore no surprise that we repeated the experience this year, this time in Duo mode. Cincinnati Browns running back Nick Chubb and Los Angeles Chargers safety Derwin James faced Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson and Cowboys linebacker Micah Parsons. The event was hosted by the skillful Charissa Thompson, famed Chad Ochocinco Johnson, and 2020 winner Marshawn Lynch.
Kicking off with a nice tribute to the recently deceased NFL great John Madden, the game quickly got under way and you could clearly see the competitive side of the players. However, it was during the second half, during which Derwin James and Micah Parsons faced each other, that we felt the friendly tension on stage; we mocked each other, we jumped from the chair during beautiful games, it was candy for the viewers. The game ended on a note worthy of a Super Bowl, as with 4 seconds remaining in the game and trailing by one point, a three-point kick from Micah Parsons saved his team. with victory.
The event also aimed to break the Guinness record for the largest projection of a video game, which was achieved with a result of just over 47,300 square feet. While waiting for the official ratings, we can already congratulate the NFL for a second successful year of NFL, and hope for a third edition next year; considering the success of the first two, it would be surprising to see this annual match being shunned next year.
« Mama, we made it! »
Officially a Guinness World Record ????#Madden22 | #ProBowl pic.twitter.com/uZr83JiiRd
— Madden NFL 22 (@EAMaddenNFL) February 6, 2022
Back in person for the Bolts Chel Challenge
After more than two years of playing NHL competitions online from the comfort of his
Yes, NHL players could look forward to the return of in-person tournaments at the studios of a professional NHL Tour team. After a dominant performance, it was finally Ethan “Polgz” Polgar who got his hands on the prize pool of $6,000US.
Congrats to Polgz on taking home that massive dub from the @boltsgaming #ChelChallenge ???? pic.twitter.com/4yN0PqB7p0
– Full Sail Armada (@FullSailArmada) February 12, 2022
Considering the progressive return to normal, I expect a strong return to the competitions of the other NHL teams like the Minnesota Wild, the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Washington Capitals, which all had their respective tournaments before the COVID-19 pandemic. The Montreal Canadiens have announced their Winter Games, which will include an NHL22 component.
To read the full summary of the event, you can read the lines of my colleague Julien Coderre here.
A “Booster Shot” for the Fortnite competitive scene
After several months of declining interest from competitive Fortnite players, the Epic Games studio is trying to inject a dose of “hype” into its professional scene. Indeed, following the World Cup in 2019 which attracted a lot of attention with more than $100M in prize money, the competitive scene took a hit, like many others, largely with the impacts of the pandemic.
Several well-known players had also raised their frustration with the state of the game, criticisms to which Epic Games tried to respond with several updates and the arrival of the Champion Series Chapter 3, season 1, not to mention the prize pool of more than three million dollars. It remains to be seen if this grand prize will attract famous player duos to the esports scene, and if the event will live up to the expectations of the competitive Fortnite community.
For all the details on the Fortnite Champion Series, you can read our contributor Laureen Peers here.
