Esplay, the Nordic esports and community platform, is expanding into Denmark while also announcing a new partnership with Elite Hotels of Sweden AB to launch a series of hotel-based gaming events. This dual strategy aims to strengthen the platform’s regional presence by connecting with Denmark’s passionate Counter-Strike 2 (CS2) player base and creating a new, accessible competitive and community experience in Sweden.
The expansion into Denmark, announced by Esplay CEO Samuel Agirman, is framed as a logical step in uniting the Nordic gaming scene. In a LinkedIn post, Agirman highlighted the country’s “unique and deeply rooted Counter-Strike culture,” stating that welcoming the Danish community “strengthens not only Esplay, but also the position of the Nordic scene within esports.” This move follows Esplay’s established presence in Sweden.
Concurrently, Esplay has partnered with one of Sweden’s largest hotel chains to create Elite Gaming by Esplay. The first event in this new series is scheduled for 1–3 May 2026 at the Elite Hotel Mollberg in Helsingborg. The event is designed as a hybrid experience, combining a BYOC (Bring Your Own Computer) LAN for up to 100 community visitors with an official VRS (Valve Regional Standings) Tier-2 professional tournament.
The professional tournament component will feature a $5,000 prize pool, sponsored by Shark Gaming Systems A/S. It is an open-signup event with a maximum of 8 teams, where all matches will be played on a dedicated 20-computer LAN setup at the hotel. The tournament format includes two groups of four, with the top three teams from each group advancing to a single-elimination playoff bracket.
Beyond the professional competition, the event caters to the broader community. General admission LAN seats are available, offering participants scheduled community tournaments with skin-based prize pools and a watch party for external guests. Esplay is offering packaged deals that bundle LAN entry, hotel accommodation, and food.
The announcement of this event series emerges in a broader industry context. Recently, Valve instituted a major policy change banning the promotion of skin gambling and trading sites at officially licensed tournaments. This has created sponsorship challenges, particularly for the Tier-2 competitive scene, making partnerships with mainstream brands like hotel chains a potentially strategic alternative for tournament organisers. According to the guidelines announced by Valve, the skin-based prize pools for community events are not a problem as these are not official VRS events.
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