The Global Gaming League (GGL) has announced SZN Zero, the new league’s first season, with team leaders T-Pain and Ne-Yo, along with details about the first GGL event.
SZN Zero kicks off on August 23, where T-Pain’s team, Nappy Boy Grizzlies, will go against Ne-Yo’s team, Gentleman’s Gaming Team. The events will take place in Las Vegas, as the two teams battle it out in four-round matches in games that span four different genres. The GGL has gotten permission to use games from Activision Blizzard, Bandai Namco, Capcom, EA, Tetris, and Ubisoft.
The matches in SZN Zero lead up to a championship match in November, held at the Palms resort and casino. After that, SZN One will begin in 2026.
The teams are made up of casual and pro gamers, including influencers, actors, artists, athletes, and other high-profile individuals. T-Pain and Ne-Yo’s teams are as follows:
- T-Pain’s Nappy Boy Grizzlies
- Dan Rue
- Kat Gunn
- Babyfacekiddo
- Jumpman
- Ne-Yo’s Gentleman’s Gaming Team
- Tylah Yaweh
- Avesky
- Kaash Paige
- Askjoshy
T-Pain and Ne-Yo have had some fun, light-hearted banter on social media ahead of the event. The two continued the banter in their official statements about SZN Zero, with T-Pain commenting:
“Gaming is just as important as music or any other sport, to me. Ne-Yo had some words for me on socials, I heard enough of what he had to say and felt it was time to show him that I actually do this. But honestly I’m just ready to have some fun with my friend, because bottom line, that’s what gaming is all about. Now folks will just have to see what happens on Aug 23rd when we face off in Las Vegas at the GGL SZN Zero launch.”
And Ne-Yo’s response was as follows:
“Honestly, I was trying to connect with T-Pain to maybe be part of his team but when he kept blowing me off and then I saw that video of him talking about my lips, I decided the only way to get his attention would be to call him out. Now, we’ll see just how good he really is – or isn’t – when we go head to head.”
Clinton Sparks, the Founder and CEO of GGL and a Grammy-winning artist, shared a statement about the Global Gaming League as well:
“We wanted to build something that brought gamers from different backgrounds and cultures together in a unique way that was equally fun and competitive. With SZN Zero, we will introduce an authentic and relatable form of entertaining competition that will converge music, fashion, celebrity, and culture bringing the biggest form of entertainment in the world – video gaming – to the masses.”
Two weeks ago, fans were able to get a first look at what a Global Gaming League match would look like as T-Pain went head-to-head with Bryce Hall. Co-hosts Nick Cannon and Jermaine Dupri were also live at the events, which featured a half-time show from Soulja Boy. Fans can watch it below:
For more news on the esports industry, check out the latest collaboration between the Esports Integrity Commission and ggCircuit to create a certification for esports venues.
