We are thrilled to announce that Heroic is entering virtual racing as a partner team of the newly created ESL R1 league. 

Heroic will be one of 12 teams competing in the league alongside car manufacturers like BMW and Porsche and top esports teams like FaZe and G2.

The full list of teams include: 
-	Apex Racing Team
-	BMW M Team BS+COMPETITION
-	FaZe Clan
-	Furia
-	G2 Esports
-	Heroic
-	Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS Esports Team
-	MOUZ
-	Porsche Coanda
-	R8G Esports
-	Team Redline
-	Team Williams Esports

ESL R1 is a pristine esports league that will set a whole new standard for virtual racing by establishing a dedicated intersection for car manufacturers and players. It takes what's best of real-life racing and merges it with the limitless possibilities of the digital realm. While celebrating the pinnacle of speed and skill, ESL R1 creates new champions and delivers an immersive, shared spectacle for the audience. 

Oliver Valsgaard, Director of Esports at Heroic Group, says: 
"We are honored to be joining such an ambitious league and are looking forward to pushing the limits of virtual racing together with EFG and Rennsport. The competition will be fierce, but we are confident that our racers have what it takes to compete for titles. We can't wait to see what the future holds and are ready to hit the virtual track!". 

Virtual racing has been gaining popularity in recent years as technology has advanced and made it more accessible to a wider audience. The franchise will bring together some of the top teams and players in the industry, providing a platform for intense competition and high-level gameplay that will entertain the growing fan base. 

Isikcan Aysev, Chief Commercial Officer at Heroic Group, says: 
"As we expand our reach to a new demography, we anticipate increased interest from brands and sponsors looking to engage with the virtual racing fans. We look forward to going beyond boundaries to create exciting and authentic partnerships with them."

The inaugural live tournament will kick off the ESL R1 2023 Spring Season with a bang at the free-to-enter IEM Expo, a part of Intel Extreme Masters (IEM) Katowice, on February 10-12, 2023. Each season, the 24 top-ranked drivers will advance to the ESL R1 Major where they will face off to decide who will become the ESL R1 Champion. The 2023 calendar consists of two seasons, each culminating with a live, final event and a total prize pool of €500,000. We will announce our car and drivers when our rebranding goes live later this week.

With ESL R1, Heroic is now a partner team in three global franchise leagues:  
- Blast Premier (Counter-Strike)
- ESL Pro League (Counter-Strike)
- ESL R1 (Rennsport)

This makes Heroic just one of three esports organizations globally which hold these positions, with FaZe Clan and G2 being the other ones. By entering ESL R1 as a partner team, we expect a notable boost in annual recurring revenues.

To read more about ESL R1, please visit: https://eslr1.com/ 

Contact:
Joachim Harg, Head of Finance and Investor Relations
harg@heroic.gg
+47 911 25 560

About RENNSPORT
RENNSPORT is a new virtual racing platform that makes ultra-realistic racing accessible to anyone. It's our obsession to create the perfect racing game. It will be ready for ultra-realistic virtual racing but also fun to drive. Throughout the journey automotive and game development experts join forces to create a virtual racing hub for all motorsports enthusiasts. We want to inspire with a bold combination of driving physics developed and validated by experts within the automotive industry and combined with custom Unreal Engine 5 graphics.

About ESL FACEIT Group
The ESL FACEIT Group ("EFG") is the leading competitive games and esports company. At EFG we create worlds beyond gameplay where players and fans become community. The company is built on the great legacy of the world-renowned ESL, FACEIT, DreamHack and DreamHack Sports Games brands. We harness this legacy to further innovate and develop the esports and gaming landscape worldwide. Working with our developer, publisher, brand, and media partners, we deliver products and experiences that accelerate gaming culture and make gamer communities come together. Join us on the journey as we help gaming communities thrive by creating worlds beyond gameplay that unite players, fans, and creators around the esports and games they love.