Interactive

US – Unikrn introduces certification program for eSports

By Phil - 22 October 2015

Unikrn, a gaming and eSports company, has introduced the world’s first competitive integrity certification program for eSports.

The program, which is being immediately adopted through a partnership with FACEIT the leading platform for online competitions in PvP multiplayer games, will promote industry-wide best practices that ensure the legitimacy of match results in events organized by Unikrn partners (such as FACEIT). Participating leagues and tournaments will be ranked along different tiers of competitive integrity based on the extent to which they satisfy different requirements of the program.

The program, which will be the world’s first competitive integrity certification program for eSports, takes a 360-degree approach, addressing all aspects of competition organization that may have implications for competitive integrity. This includes a player code of conduct, standards for investigating possible violations and specific rules tailored to both LAN and online-based events. The program will encourage a constant dialogue between players, teams, organizers and significant third parties, developing best practices that competitions can adopt to safeguard the competitive integrity of eSports.

“As eSports reaches a tipping point of mainstream acceptance, the legitimacy of match results is more paramount than ever,” said Rahul Sood, CEO Unikrn. “Advertisers, investors and fans depend on it, and that is why we’re launching a collaborative system to ensure competitive integrity and anti-cheating across all major competitions. The key here is getting all key stakeholders to the table, engaging in proactive discussions to set industry standards.”

Participating leagues and tournaments will be ranked along different tiers of competitive integrity based on the extent to which they satisfy different requirements of the program. FACEIT will play a key role in the development and rollout of the initiative, acting as the first certified, partnered organizer and offering crucial on-the-ground feedback regarding its functionality. At its core, this initiative will be a collaborative effort between Unikrn, FACEIT, and many more partners. Unikrn is currently in discussion with leading players, teams, organizers, and publishers throughout the eSports industry, forging crucial partnerships and seeking feedback on early drafts of the certification criteria and process.

The Unikrn Competitive Integrity Program is designed to establish an ongoing dialogue between all major competition organisers regarding best practices for competitive integrity in eSports. Organisers that join the program will be challenged to become leaders on this issue, and will be given the support to effect industry-wide change.

“No single party can safeguard competitive integrity on its own,” said Bryce Blum, Unikrn’s Director of eSports and author of the certification program. “A comprehensive approach to address this issue will require the eSports industry to be as innovative as the games themselves. We need to establish industry-wide standards, share information, and harness our collective resources to achieve the results we can’t obtain individually.”

“Fairness and sportsmanship are defining pillars of competitive sports; you can’t have one without the other. This partnership with Unikrn ensures that both players and fans can be confident in the results of Unikrn events,” says Michele Attisani, co-founder and COO of FACEIT. “We’re happy to work with Unikrn to begin the important work of making eSports as fair as possible. This means players and spectators can focus on seeing gameplay at the highest level of skill. This is a win for everyone.”