Elo Hell Esports is in the business of creating lasting experiences and elevating the pace of play in esports. With an unfaltering commitment to building the most memorable experiences in every major esports title, EHE is also helping the competitive gaming scene grow by nurturing and encouraging talented individuals to pursue opportunities that are just within reach.
There is a lot happening in esports right now, and Overwatch is just about to release a sequel. In light of this, this seems like the perfect time to talk to Philip Macartney, business director at Elo Hell Esports.
Q: Can you tell us a bit about EHE. What was your motivation behind the project?
A: I’ve been in the gaming and esports industry for just over 6 years now and it has always been my dream to take a startup to the very top. I’ve seen my friends in the industry achieve some great things, reaching the LEC with their esports teams and being featured in the forbes under 30 list. I want to be someone people in the industry look to as the person who can really add value to a project and bring a unique business perspective.
Q: Today you focus on producing high-quality esports events, but at the same time create positive environments for players to learn Overwatch. Do these two activities complement each other?
A: They go hand in hand I would say, in order to create a high-quality event you need to provide an environment where players can grow and learn. o use an example of this, when we were bidding to run Contenders Gauntlet last year we stressed to Blizzard the importance of not playing too many games in one day and using starting time that suited the player base and not production.
Q: How has EHE’s involvement with esports production been helping in shaping a better ecosystem for players and spectators?
A: Well looking away from the business side of EHE, our mission statement for the community is to turn passionate volunteers into working esports professionals. A lot of our resources and time go into developing people who are just getting into space.
Under our banner, these passionate people have produced one of the largest community events in esports, GitGud. This is more of a tier 3 event but alongside this we’ve created Trial Of Champions which previously had spots in NA Contenders Trials. It feels like we’ve built a path to pro system not just for players but for everyone getting into esports.
Q: Are there challenges you face on day-to-day basis in organizing events?
A: Oh definitely, one of the biggest challenges is the fact we are all remote and spread out across the globe. We have people in the UK, Australia, Brazil, North America and Europe which makes it definitely hard to organize events that have a short turnaround. But we have two amazing project managers, Homero Arellano and Sarah Wagg, who keep us on top of things!
Q: Do you think Overwatch can be a little more inclusive when it comes to grassroots communities who want to break on a competitive level?
I would say that Overwatch has a very inclusive grassroots community, there are tonnes of tournaments and events that allow people to get involved on a competitive level. As I mentioned earlier, our GitGud tournament does exactly that! People who want to get involved on a competitive level just need to look out for those opportunities.
Q: Are you excited about Overwatch 2?
A: Oh, 100%! The great thing about Overwatch 2 is that it will provide new incentives for people to get back into the scene. A new game always creates a new buzz, I’m really looking forward to the new opportunities and events that pop up with the new wave.
You can join as a volunteer at EHE by filling out this form.
