Avyd hires CEO’s Alex Jebailey as its new FGC director
(Photo: CEO)
Avyd is bringing in Community Effort Orlando organizer Alex Jebailey to run its fighting game community initiatives, the company told Yahoo Esports.
The long-time FGC tournament organizer, and former community manager for Killer Instinct developer Iron Galaxy, was brought on to help Avyd grow into what the company hopes to become a prominent esports online gaming and tournament platform. His responsibilities will include event planning, overseeing partnerships, and increasing engagement within the FGC.
“Avyd’s vision and what they see for esports and the FGC is all very promising. With my experience hosting FGC events and building communities, I can help Avyd with their foray into the FGC,” Jebailey told Yahoo Esports.
Avyd has and will continue to invest in events like NCR, Combo Breaker, and CEO to help them grow present an even better experience for the FGC and attendees. Jebailey doesn’t expect any changes to CEO and how he runs it, especially as it and other events continue to expand in scope.
“I’ll continue to run CEO and its events the same way you’ve seen them over the years. CEO has had some great presenting partnerships in the past and Avyd is no different. I wouldn’t be able to put on a production like CEO without partnerships like this,” Jebailey said.
(Image: Avyd)
“At Avyd, we are assembling a team of community first esports enthusiasts with the experience we need to bring our vision to life. It was only natural that when we made the decision to support the FGC so strongly I wanted to bring on someone as experienced as Alex to help us accomplish our goals and bring our vision for the FGC to life,” Avyd CEO Scotty Tidwell said in a statement.
Back in March, Avyd announced its arrival to esports, and its intent to put on a $100,000 Fighting Game Championship for a handful of games, including Street Fighter V, Mortal Kombat XL, and Super Smash Bros. Melee. The series is expected to close out 2016 with a Winter Championship.
The announcement caused a bit of confusion since Avyd’s first qualifying event was supposed to be the NorCal Regionals, a Street Fighter V Capcom Pro Tour Premier Event. A few days later, Avyd amended its plans for its fighting game event by removing Street Fighter V and postponing the qualification process.
“Avyd wanted to support NCR and they did in a big way. The announcement was a little premature in execution, due to a desire to support NCR, but we’ve all learned from it and have been in communication with companies interested in what Avyd brings to the table,” Jebailey said. “Avyd has since brought me on to make sure their entry into the FGC is done right.”
Avyd will consult with the community to help shape its event, which is reportedly still on track for this winter. Now that Jebailey is in-house, he’s working with the rest of the staff to get the championship series off the ground as well as coordinate other FGC-related events.
“I want to thank everyone I’ve interacted with over the years that has contributed to CEO’s growth. I hope for continued support as I dive deeper into esports, and I look forward to seeing the FGC thrive,” Jebailey said.
Michael Martin covers all things related to Street Fighter V and the FGC. Follow him on Twitter at @Bizarro_Mike.
