The overlap between video games and drone racing isn’t perfect, but it would take a dishonest individual to pretend there are no similarities between the two forms of entertainment. Multiplay, the host of Insomnia58 (the UK’s largest gaming festival), is one of the many groups to begin aiming to incorporate drone racing at their events. They announced on July 15 their joint venture with the UK Drone Show, Europe’s largest consumer drone exhibition, to launch the Drone Racing iSeries during Insomnia58.
Adding to their large list of esports at the event, the Drone Racing iSeries will appear at all Insomnia events for the next three years. Currently, it has a prize pool of 5,000 pounds, but there are considerations about pushing that number up to 10,000, which would make it the richest indoor drone event to ever be held in the UK.
Craig Fletcher, CEO and Founder of Multiplay said: “The Drone Racing iSeries at this year’s Insomnia will add an extra dimension to the festival. The UK is home to some of the best drone racing teams in the world and they will be battling it out at i58, presenting a real spectacle for the Insomnia community. It demonstrates that the festival is branching out to different areas of esports, with this representing a new category we’re dubbing RCSports. We can’t wait to see the response from our community once this debuts in August.”
Interest in Drone Racing in the UK has spiked over the past year due to a variety of factors, including the skill of their pilots. The World Drone Prix in Dubai was won by a 15-year-old U.K. local Luke Bannister, who has since also proven their skill in other events such as the DR1 invitational.
Insomnia58 will take place at the NEC, Birmingham from the 26 to the 29 of August 2016.
The original release information can be found here.