{"id":6392,"date":"2026-05-07T10:52:24","date_gmt":"2026-05-07T17:52:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ten100tv.com\/?p=6392"},"modified":"2026-08-24T13:13:34","modified_gmt":"2026-08-24T20:13:34","slug":"level-up-esports-world-cup-season-1-highlights","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ten100tv.com\/?p=6392","title":{"rendered":"LEVEL UP"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-6445\" src=\"https:\/\/ten100tv.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Untitled-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2500\" height=\"1402\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ten100tv.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Untitled-1.jpg 2500w, https:\/\/ten100tv.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Untitled-1-188x105.jpg 188w, https:\/\/ten100tv.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Untitled-1-494x277.jpg 494w, https:\/\/ten100tv.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Untitled-1-88x49.jpg 88w, https:\/\/ten100tv.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Untitled-1-768x431.jpg 768w, https:\/\/ten100tv.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Untitled-1-1536x861.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/ten100tv.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Untitled-1-2048x1149.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2500px) 100vw, 2500px\" \/><\/p>\n<h1><\/h1>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h5 class=\"cvGsUA direction-ltr align-start para-style-body\"><span class=\"a_GcMg font-feature-liga-off font-feature-clig-off font-feature-calt-off text-decoration-none text-strikethrough-none\"><span style=\"color: #ffff00;\">THE OPPORTUNITY:<\/span> In the summer of 2024, Saudi Arabia hosted the first-ever Esports World Cup. Commonly referred to as the Olympics of video games, the debut of the EWC was more than just a competition. It was a gathering of the gaming tribes. For 8 weeks, one global event captured the attention of ALL the fanbases of ALL the world\u2019s most popular games.<\/span><\/h5>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<div style=\"padding: 56.21% 0 0 0; position: relative;\"><iframe style=\"position: absolute; top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%;\" title=\"LEVEL UP SEASON 1 TEASER\" src=\"https:\/\/player.vimeo.com\/video\/1191290675?badge=0&amp;autopause=0&amp;player_id=0&amp;app_id=58479\" frameborder=\"0\"><\/iframe><\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<h1><\/h1>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h5 class=\"cvGsUA direction-ltr align-start para-style-body\"><span class=\"a_GcMg font-feature-liga-off font-feature-clig-off font-feature-calt-off text-decoration-none text-strikethrough-none\"><span style=\"color: #00ff00;\"><span style=\"color: #ffff00;\">THE CHALLENGE:<\/span> <\/span><\/span><span class=\"a_GcMg font-feature-liga-off font-feature-clig-off font-feature-calt-off text-decoration-none text-strikethrough-none\">\u00a0<\/span><span class=\"a_GcMg font-feature-liga-off font-feature-clig-off font-feature-calt-off text-decoration-none text-strikethrough-none\">Before the success of <em>Drive To Survive <\/em>or <em>Full Swing<\/em>, sports like F1 and golf were seen as inaccessible \u2013 and the cultures surrounding them as monied and elitist. \u00a0But with Esports, there is a bias that is more challenging. \u00a0It\u2019s a bias that says none of this even matters because <span style=\"color: #ffff00;\">this isn\u2019t a real sport<\/span> and <span style=\"color: #ffff00;\">these aren\u2019t real athletes<\/span>. \u00a0Hell, they\u2019re not even real people. \u00a0<span style=\"color: #ffff00;\">They\u2019re just nerds<\/span>. <\/span><span class=\"a_GcMg font-feature-liga-off font-feature-clig-off font-feature-calt-off text-decoration-none text-strikethrough-none\">\u00a0 <\/span><span class=\"a_GcMg font-feature-liga-off font-feature-clig-off font-feature-calt-off text-decoration-none text-strikethrough-none\">So when pro gamers came to Riyadh in the summer of 2024, they weren&#8217;t just fighting for the Esports World Cup, they were fighting skepticism that any of this was really a thing. There&#8217;s a reason Esports had found no takers in the traditional sports media landscape. And in the case of this series, overcoming skepticism <\/span>would be compounded by the burden of understanding what the hell is going on in so many different games. How can an outsider be expected to know what winning looks like in two dozen games when &#8211; at best &#8211; they may have only played one or two?<\/h5>\n<h1><\/h1>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h5>In addition, there was one final complication.<\/h5>\n<h1><\/h1>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h5>Although the project was greenlit and fully funded, there was zero creative development prior to the start of prep. \u00a0 With just weeks to go before the event, the job was not just to run a show, but to invent a show. \u00a0At $10M, the scale of the 5 ep series was huge, as was the pressure to deliver a product compelling enough to overcome skeptics and secure top shelf distribution. \u00a0Even though we had to build the plane while \u00a0flying it, we were able to land the project at Amazon. \u00a0 Season 2 is set to premiere on June 25, 2026.<\/h5>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<div style=\"padding: 56.25% 0 0 0; position: relative;\"><iframe style=\"position: absolute; top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%;\" title=\"LEVEL UP: S2 OPEN\" src=\"https:\/\/player.vimeo.com\/video\/1193813961?title=0&amp;byline=0&amp;portrait=0&amp;badge=0&amp;autopause=0&amp;player_id=0&amp;app_id=58479\" frameborder=\"0\"><\/iframe><\/div>\n<p><script src=\"https:\/\/player.vimeo.com\/api\/player.js\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h5 class=\"cvGsUA direction-ltr align-start para-style-body\"><span class=\"a_GcMg font-feature-liga-off font-feature-clig-off font-feature-calt-off text-decoration-none text-strikethrough-none\"><span style=\"color: #00ff00;\"><span style=\"color: #ffff00;\">THE SOLUTION:<\/span> \u00a0<\/span><\/span><span class=\"a_GcMg font-feature-liga-off font-feature-clig-off font-feature-calt-off text-decoration-none text-strikethrough-none\">For two seasons now, Level Up hasn&#8217;t been \u00a0just a window into a world &#8211; but a doorway for outsiders to enter this once-insular culture and discover a rooting interest without having to learn the rules of even one game. \u00a0That\u2019s because the unique format of the EWC is something even outsiders can understand &#8211; an Olympic \u201cmedal count\u201d style competition where teams race to win as many titles as possible in pursuit of gaming\u2019s ultimate prize, The Esports World Cup itself. \u00a0 And so, g<\/span><span class=\"a_GcMg font-feature-liga-off font-feature-clig-off font-feature-calt-off text-decoration-none text-strikethrough-none\">etting people to care about Esports players isn\u2019t that complicated after all- even if the games themselves may seem so. \u00a0That&#8217;s because<\/span><span class=\"a_GcMg font-feature-liga-off font-feature-clig-off font-feature-calt-off text-decoration-none text-strikethrough-none\"> this series isn&#8217;t about the x\u2019s and o\u2019s of one unknowable game. \u00a0It\u2019s about the race for the Cup, where character is revealed under pressure and the high stakes push for the $70M in prize money. But just as important as who is standing atop the podium are the forces that pushed them to get there. \u00a0And it&#8217;s here where we transform the non-gamers bias against esports into moments of unexpected recognition. \u00a0<\/span><span class=\"a_GcMg font-feature-liga-off font-feature-clig-off font-feature-calt-off text-decoration-none text-strikethrough-none\">We are all either running from something or to something in life. \u00a0And so in the end, w<\/span><span class=\"a_GcMg font-feature-liga-off font-feature-clig-off font-feature-calt-off text-decoration-none text-strikethrough-none\">e aren\u2019t really even rooting for them to win. \u00a0 We\u2019re rooting for them to be happy. \u00a0You don\u2019t have to be a gamer to understand that.<\/span><\/h5>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<div style=\"padding: 56.25% 0 0 0; position: relative;\"><iframe style=\"position: absolute; top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%;\" title=\"Level Up Season 2 - Esports World Cup Documentary Official Trailer\" src=\"https:\/\/player.vimeo.com\/video\/1202526754?badge=0&amp;autopause=0&amp;player_id=0&amp;app_id=58479\" frameborder=\"0\"><\/iframe><\/div>\n<p><script src=\"https:\/\/player.vimeo.com\/api\/player.js\"><\/script><\/p>\n<h1><\/h1>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h1><span style=\"color: #ffff00;\">THE SOKA SAGA<\/span><\/h1>\n<h5><\/h5>\n<div style=\"padding: 56.25% 0 0 0; position: relative;\"><iframe style=\"position: absolute; top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%;\" title=\"The Soka Saga\" src=\"https:\/\/player.vimeo.com\/video\/1189899016?badge=0&amp;autopause=0&amp;player_id=0&amp;app_id=58479\" frameborder=\"0\"><\/iframe><\/div>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h1><\/h1>\n<h5>Hailing from the rough streets of Oakland, \u201cSoka\u201d is the smack-talking extrovert who flips the script on the gamer-as-loner stereotype. \u00a0Soka is the &#8220;Alpha&#8221; \u00a0player \u00a0common at elite levels of traditional sports &#8211; taunting his rivals, rallying his team, and calling his shot. \u00a0But his <span style=\"color: #ffff00;\">bravado masks a troubled upbringing<\/span> marked by his father\u2019s time in prison. \u00a0Soka\u2019s dad once was a promising football prospect, but those dreams were cut short by jail time. \u00a0Once out of prison, his dad was thrilled when Soka took up football himself but furious when he told him he was quitting to be a pro gamer. \u00a0Soka now makes more money in a single night than his dad makes in a whole year. \u00a0 Soka fronts like he&#8217;s the Alpha &#8211; and in game, he is &#8211; but he emotions are raw when it comes to his family. \u00a0He credits his mom with winning his father over, saying he wants to \u201cprove her right.\u201d \u00a0 And with an unprecedented $1,000,000 prize within his reach \u00a0at EWC, Soka&#8217;s got more to prove than ever before.<\/h5>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h5>Soka is the first of many characters in our series with real-life stakes that are much more compelling than getting high score in some video game.\u00a0\u00a0In the episodes that follow, we traveled to the four corners of the globe to capture the backstories and motivations that our characters bring with them to Riyadh.<\/h5>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h1><span style=\"color: #ffff00;\">WHEN THE STAKES OF THE GAME&#8230; ARE REAL<\/span><\/h1>\n<h5><\/h5>\n<h5><\/h5>\n<div style=\"padding: 56.25% 0 0 0; position: relative;\"><iframe style=\"position: absolute; top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%;\" title=\"FIGHTING FOR MORE THAN HIGH SCORE.\" src=\"https:\/\/player.vimeo.com\/video\/1189896766?badge=0&amp;autopause=0&amp;player_id=0&amp;app_id=58479\" frameborder=\"0\"><\/iframe><\/div>\n<h5><\/h5>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h5><\/h5>\n<h5><\/h5>\n<h5>Steven\u00a0\u00a0Arhancet is one of Esports most recognized figures. \u00a0As Co-CEO of Team Liquid Enterprises, Steve oversees a team of over 300 employees from his HQ in Santa Monica. \u00a0Arhancet counts Peter Guber, NBA legend Magic Johnson, and life coach Tony Robbins as partners. \u00a0Steve is the gold standard in Esports and the man all challengers are gunning for. \u00a0And yet with an empire to protect, EWC presented Steve with a unique and personal challenge.\u00a0\u00a0<span style=\"color: #ffff00;\">Steve is openly gay<\/span> and grapples with competing at an event in a country that is officially hostile to people who share his orientation. \u00a0As a statement of his values, Steve changed the logo on the team jersey for EWC to include the pride colors. \u00a0This decision would not be without consequences, but as he enters EWC he must keep his eyes on the prize and fight off his biggest rival, Saudi Arabia&#8217;s Team Falcons.<\/h5>\n<h5><\/h5>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h5>With a deep and talented portfolio of teams, Steve Arhancet, should take solace in the fact that a multi-disciplinary tournament like EWC should be his for the taking. \u00a0But the shockingly aggressive poaching of talent (like Soka) by his rival, Team Falcons, has caught them on the back foot. \u00a0Liquid now knows they can\u2019t afford to concede points in the race for the cup by failing to compete in a particular game. \u00a0The arms race for talent is on. If Liquid don\u2019t have a presence in a game at EWC, they\u2019ll go get one. \u00a0And when it comes to Mobile Legends Bang Bang, the best talent in the world hails from one place: The Philippines. \u00a0There, in a remote village, we meet Sanford, A 19-year-old prodigy signed by Liquid months before EWC. \u00a0 Just weeks before the tournament, <span style=\"color: #ffff00;\">the unthinkable happens,<\/span> and he now finds himself not only the primary breadwinner for his extended family but also the caregiver for his ailing father. \u00a0Not to be outdone, the Falcons acquire their own team from the Philippines, and a clash of the titans looms. With his family watching from home and $1Million on the line, Sanford carries more than the weight of a tournament\u2014he carries their hopes for a better life.<\/h5>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h1><\/h1>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h1><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-6478\" src=\"https:\/\/ten100tv.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/FILE_KV_DEF_LVLUP_1406-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1440\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ten100tv.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/FILE_KV_DEF_LVLUP_1406-scaled.jpg 2560w, https:\/\/ten100tv.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/FILE_KV_DEF_LVLUP_1406-188x106.jpg 188w, https:\/\/ten100tv.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/FILE_KV_DEF_LVLUP_1406-494x278.jpg 494w, https:\/\/ten100tv.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/FILE_KV_DEF_LVLUP_1406-88x50.jpg 88w, https:\/\/ten100tv.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/FILE_KV_DEF_LVLUP_1406-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/ten100tv.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/FILE_KV_DEF_LVLUP_1406-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/ten100tv.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/FILE_KV_DEF_LVLUP_1406-2048x1152.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\" \/><\/h1>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h1><span style=\"color: #ffff00;\">REVIEWS<\/span><\/h1>\n<h4><span style=\"color: #ffffff;\"><a style=\"color: #ffffff;\" href=\"https:\/\/filmthreat.com\/reviews\/esports-world-cup-level-up\/\">FILM THREAT<\/a><\/span><\/h4>\n<h5><em>&#8220;I\u2019m an old-school gamer who doesn\u2019t play anymore, but this series is fun to watch because of the competitive nature of the subjects, and even more so from hearing about their backstories. R.J. Cutler does a fantastic job of weaving the gameplay and stories together, so that fans of games such as League of Legends and Call of Duty, as well as non-gamers such as myself, will still enjoy the universal appeal of it all the same.&#8221;<\/em><\/h5>\n<h5><\/h5>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h4><span style=\"color: #ffffff;\"><a style=\"color: #ffffff;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.forbes.com\/sites\/marcberman1\/2025\/06\/03\/the-stories-behind-the-competition-esports-world-cup-level-up-docuseries-drops-june-6-on-prime-video\/\">FORBES<\/a><\/span><\/h4>\n<h5><em>&#8220;A mixture of competitive gameplay and a range of compelling participants, each with his or her backstory, the end result after consuming the first episode of Esports World Cup: Level Up is great anticipation of the remaining four.&#8221;<\/em><\/h5>\n<p><script src=\"https:\/\/player.vimeo.com\/api\/player.js\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p><script src=\"https:\/\/player.vimeo.com\/api\/player.js\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&nbsp; THE OPPORTUNITY: In the summer of 2024, Saudi Arabia hosted the first-ever Esports World Cup. Commonly referred to as the Olympics of video games, the debut of the EWC was more than just a competition. It was a gathering&#8230;..<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6392","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ten100tv.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6392","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ten100tv.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ten100tv.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ten100tv.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ten100tv.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=6392"}],"version-history":[{"count":88,"href":"https:\/\/ten100tv.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6392\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6489,"href":"https:\/\/ten100tv.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6392\/revisions\/6489"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ten100tv.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=6392"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ten100tv.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=6392"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ten100tv.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=6392"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}