Straight in at the deep end

Dear partners, colleagues, friends — I don't know about you, but here at PLAYzone the year 2026 is already in full swing. Some projects have wrapped, others are rolling at full speed and a few more are on the drawing board. I'd love to walk you through all of them, but that would turn today's newsletter into a never-ending catalogue. Let's not waste time then: I'll pick out the most important ones and, as usual, take you behind the scenes of our team.

Summer camps packed
with games and sport

Once again this year we've opened the summer dates for our day camps, which combine gaming at Vodafone PLAYzone Arena with sports activities led by instructors from the Faculty of Physical Education and Sport at Charles University. I'm really happy that, year after year, we get to show both kids and parents that gaming doesn't have to mean sitting glued to a computer — in esports, we insist on healthy movement too.

We also place a strong emphasis on guiding kids according to fair-play principles. If you'd like to reserve a spot for your children, you can take advantage of a 500 CZK discount — just enter the code KEMPZNOVU26 at checkout.

Number of the month: 650

That's exactly how many applicants signed up with the organisers of the global Esports Nations Cup to host local qualifiers. The tournament aims to become the largest national-team esports competition to date. In Czechia, the host role went to the Czech Esports Association — and PLAYzone, a co-founding member, was selected as the official media partner.

Football time
with Kany

In March, the fourth edition of the Czech FC 26 Championship powered by Hyundai came to a close. This season was all about the new generation: the title was claimed by just seventeen-year-old Zdeněk Havlát, and the Kooperativa FAKTOR award for the fairest player went to the equally young Jakub Hambálek. It was another season full of great stories, and so today I'd like to introduce you to Jakub Jícha — Kany — the guy behind this fantastic project who keeps pushing it forward.

Kany doesn't just score in football. He also plays Call of Duty 2 competitively and took a shared 5th place at the last Czech Championship. His interests don't stop at the computer though — he loves to plan a good hike in the mountains and hills too.

After Formula 1,
Counter-Strike

Reigning Formula 1 champion Lando Norris has a clear idea of how to spend his free time: playing Counter-Strike 2 or watching a match. He talks about his passion for gaming openly — just like his rival Max Verstappen. Now streamer OhnePixel has taken a peek inside Lando's inventory, and let's just say the guy has a genuinely impressive skin collection.