Author: Nik Ranger

Nadeshot hints at 100 Thieves following TSM into Japan with Apex Legends tweet Twitter, @Nadeshot / JapanFollowing Team SoloMid’s expansion into Japan, Nadeshot has teased a possible 100 Thieves push into the region as well. The games 100T’s founder is most interested in? Apex Legends and Valorant. On August 9, 2021, TSM announced that they would be expanding into Japan with an official Japanese social account and dedicated content. Given the country’s growing Apex Legends community, it was no surprise that TSM pro Eric ‘Snip3down’ Wrona was enlisted to formally introduce the new channel. Less than a week later, 100T founder Matthew ‘Nadeshot’ Haag posted a tweet in Japanese asking for quality creators to follow in the country’s Apex and Valorant communities. Unsurprisingly, fans have begun tying Nade’s tweet to 100T international expansion. The tongue-in-cheek “hoodie org” has been hitting global waters thanks to their esport teams, so official representation feels well within the realm of possibility. こんにちは日本。私はあなたの国でのエーペックスレジェンドとバロラントの成長にとても魅了されています。私がフォローすることをお勧めするプレーヤーやクリエイターはいますか？ — 100T Nadeshot (@Nadeshot) August 15, 2021 Roughly translated by Google, Nade’s tweet explains that he is “very fascinated by the growth of Apex Legends and [Valorant]” in Japan. He then requested recommendations for players and content creators worth following. Not only was this tweet similar to TSM’s introduction in that it specified Apex Legends, it also shared the use of Japanese kanji to reach out. 日本の皆さん、お待たせしました！🇯🇵 We’re extremely excited to announce the launch of our official Japanese social channel. We’ve felt the support from the community grow day by day and wanted to create a space dedicated to our Japanese fans. Welcome to the family: @TSM_JP pic.twitter.com/nMKmULmw1k — TSM (@TSM) August 10, 2021 While first-person shooters like Call of Duty and CS:GO have traditionally been considered more popular in the West, the genre has grown in popularity in the East in recent years. After the emergence of titles like PUBG and Overwatch, Apex Legends and Valorant have, more recently, experienced accelerated growth as well. While entirely possible that Nadeshot and 100 Thieves don’t have formal plans to expand into Japan, the tweet’s timing is intriguing. TSM has set up shop, Nade is beginning to do his market research, and an 100T expansion might not be far behind.

Nadeshot & 100 Thieves recruit college athletes after NCAA policy change NCAA/100 Thieves/NadeshotMatthew ‘Nadeshot’ Haag and 100 Thieves seem primed to tap into a whole new vein of content and talent — college athletes — following the NCAA’s landmark player policy decision coming into effect. On July 1st 2020, the governing body for college sports in the United States — the NCAA — ruled that college athletes could start making money off of their name, image, or likeness with sponsorship deals; Something they controversially unable to do before. Besides paving the way for the first new EA college football title since 2013, it also means athletes can sign to esports and streaming orgs, like 100 Thieves. Based on a recent tweet, this might be just what CEO Nadeshot has in mind. Who are the best gamers out of all the college athletes? We’re tryna work, let’s get it. @100Thieves — 100T Nadeshot (@Nadeshot) July 2, 2021 “Who are the best gamers out of all the college athletes? We’re tryna work, let’s get it,” Nade tweeted, which definitely seems to indicate the Thieves might be tossing out a sponsorship or two to some big names. So, who’s in the running to be the next member of 100 Thieves? Well, there are literally thousands of NCAA athletes in the U.S. but knowing how social media works, 100T will probably be most interested in those with an already-established following online. Read More: 100 Thieves’ Yassuo reveals fans have gambled millions of dollars using his referral code – Clemson Defensive End and avid gamer Xavier Thomas was quick to respond to Nade’s Tweet, and a big name from football or basketball would probably be the obvious choice. One thing’s for sure, though, 100T probably won’t have a shortage of interested athletes. That’s because the esports and gaming org is one of the most well-established brands in the scene, and while some college athletes might have hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of followers on social media, they’re still college students. This means any who play games online will have probably grown up seeing the Thieves brand somewhere or somehow on the internet, just like anyone else. But it might not be the traditional big-name sports that get all the attention. For instance, the most-followed college athlete on Instagram doesn’t play football or basketball at all, instead it’s LSU gymnast Olivia Dunne, who has over 1.1 million followers on the site. Based on Nade’s tweet, it’s a good bet the Thieves will be signing a college athlete in the future. Exactly who it is though, might just have to wait for signing day.

MrBeast and KSI invest in crypto marketplace Xcad Network MrBeast/YouTube: KSIPopular YouTubers and entrepreneurs Jimmy ‘MrBeast’ Donaldson and Olajide ‘KSI’ Olatunji have invested in Xcad Network, a monetization platform and NFT marketplace for YouTube. While the financial details are unknown at the time of writing, Xcad Network have welcomed both of the content creators as investors as they aim to help the next generation of YouTubers better monetize their content. This news quickly follows a funding round held by the company, in which they raised $3.9m to begin with the building of their platform. They’re set to announce more popular creators as investors in the coming days. The involvement of both KSI and MrBeast is thought to be seen as a major endorsement of the platform and the mission that’s driving those behind it, though it’s unknown if they’ll be involved in selling products on the marketplace once it’s launched. Xcad Network will construct a plugin for YouTube that allows “content creators to tokenize themselves” and helps viewers to earn rewards from watching and engaging with their content. This functionality will be available directly on the Google-owned video platform. Read More: How does MrBeast make money? – MrBeast has been on an investing spree as of late, injecting cash into mobile banking company Current and Juice, a venture that provides equity financing to YouTubers. KSI, on the other hand, has said to have invested a lot into cryptocurrencies and real estate — the latter of which he’s described as a “£10m empire.” Glad to be a part of this. (I know I said this on my crypto twitter but I’m truly proud of the potential of this project) https://t.co/DlidxqbxfQ — ksi (@KSI) May 17, 2021 “The Xcad Network will enable greater engagement amongst YouTubers and their viewers, providing the ability to monetize activity via a tokenized economy that rewards users for engagement and viewer loyalty,” said Xcad Network co-founder Joel Morris. “Mass adoption is the end goal here, KSI & Mr Beast investing is one giant step towards that goal.”

Motorsport Games acquires Studio397 to build on racing esports Motorsport Games / Studio 397Motorsport Games announced the acquisition of Studio397, the company behind the rFactor 2 simulation platform, to build on their presence in the racing esports landscape. A leader in racing game development, publishing, and esports solutions, Motorsport Games announced a binding term sheet on March 3 with the rFactor 2 developers. Studio397 will continue its own work on the racing sim platform, while also providing the “physics and handling models” for Motorsport Games’ future endeavors. A year after their establishment, Studio397 was put to the test by creating massive esports experiences like the 2017 Formula E Visa Vegas eRace with a $1 million prize pool, and has only built on their momentum from there. Through the years Motorsport Games and Studio397 have worked together for events like the 24 Hours of Le Mans Virtual race and the Formula E Race at Home Challenge, but are now joining forces for the long term. “We have been working with the team at Studio397 for a long time on both game development and esports,” President of Motorsport Games, Stephen Hood, said. “This is an acquisition that, when completed, makes complete sense for all parties and we are delighted to have them agree to join the Motorsport Games family.” As virtual racing continues to grow as a market, Motorsports Games are looking forward to being the exclusive users of Studio397’s expansive platform. “Securing rFactor 2 and the expertise behind it will be a huge advancement for us. We will bring our experience and knowledge to help maximize the potential of the rFactor 2 platform while also having exclusive access to its best-in-class technology for our future projects,” said Dmitry Kozko, CEO of Motorsport Games. The partnership is already creating buzz with Motorsport Games shareholder and two-time Formula 1 World Drivers’ Champion, Fernando Alonso, who sees a lot of potential in the deal. “The level of simulation and the feeling of driving offered by rFactor 2 is second to none,” he said. “I am delighted that Studio397 and rFactor 2 will be joining our Motorsport Games family and I am sure that we will enjoy a great deal of success together.”

Miller Lite show streaming ambitions in latest Complexity deal Credit: ComplexityDallas Cowboys’ esports organization Complexity Gaming have expanded their deal with Miller Lite, after naming the brand their exclusive alcohol beverage in May 2019. [jwplayer nskEm2nz] Initially centering around a physical sponsorship at Complexity’s headquarters in Texas, the partnership now extends to streaming. Seemingly a reaction to the physical limitations of brand activations due to the global health crisis, the deal now features “fan-centric content initiatives” and marks a continued interest in esports for the MillerCoors brand. Complexity players who are of drinking age in the US will participate in live stream activities for the brand, which have been designed to “develop a deeper connection to fans,” by playing in a relaxed atmosphere and telling stories of how they find themselves playing video games professionally. The organization competes across Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, Valorant, FIFA, Fortnite, Apex Legends, Madden, Hearthstone, and Magic: The Gathering, though the specific players that fans can expect to see on-stream have not been named at the time of writing. Complexity’s branding across live streams, social media, and partnership assets have all been updated to align with the new deal too. This includes filters on Snapchat and Instagram, as well as downloadable assets for fans to use on their social media profiles. “Miller Lite’s desire to dive in and understand the esports audience has made them an invaluable partner,” said Ashley Chalk, Complexity’s vice president of partnerships. “With a renewed focus on live streaming, we’re continuing to improve both player and fan experiences through access and unique engagement opportunities that bring people together in a time when many are apart.” The relaxed nature of the expanded partnerships fits with the original vision of the collaboration between Complexity and Miller Lite, which was first announced on May 15, 2019. At the time, the alcoholic beverage brand was named the title sponsor of the player lounge in Complexity’s GameStop Performance Center — an area where teams could relax and unwind with the drink available on-tap.

Microsoft Unveils New Xbox Adaptive Controller for Players With Disabilities MicrosoftMicrosoft has unveiled an all new “Xbox Adaptive Controller” which is specifically designed to make gaming more accessible for gamers with mobility issues. While gaming is one of the most accessible pastimes imaginable, there are still some people that find it difficult to enjoy them, with physically impaired players often at the top of that list. However, the people over at Microsoft have decided to do their bit to tackle that issue and have developed a new Xbox Adaptive Controller which is a device designed to work with various peripherals and make more Windows 10 and Xbox One games accessible for people with disabilities. With gaming controllers often being difficult to use for players with physical impairments, this new customizable controller is flat with two large buttons on the top, two USB ports, and a number of other accessibility ports. Read More: Microsoft’s Corporate Vice President Says he Wants to Make Cross-Progression on all Games Happen – It can be mounted on tables and wheelchairs or even placed on the floor so that gamers can use the main buttons with their feet. The accessibility ports will also make a number of third party peripherals like one-handed joysticks usable. Nic Bungay, Director of the Care, Campaigns and Information team at Muscular Dystrophy UK, discussed how important video games can be for disabled people and commented on the charity’s work with Microsoft during the controller’s development. “Microsoft’s new Xbox Adaptive Controller will make a real difference to disabled people, particularly those with a muscle-wasting condition whose movements will become increasingly limited over time”. “We know from our own research that video games are important to many disabled people. It allows them to socialise and compete with others on an equal basis, which has a positive effect on their wellbeing. Despite this, more than one-in-three young, disabled gamers told us they feel excluded due to a lack of accessibility.” “By working in partnership with Microsoft, we hope that today marks the first step towards a more inclusive video gaming culture.” The Xbox Adaptive Controller will go on sale later in 2018 for $99.99 and is sure to be a big hit and well received by the gaming community at large. The announcement video with more information on the device can be found below.

Microsoft, Sony reportedly in bidding war to buy Square Enix RedditMicrosoft and Sony are two bidders reportedly vying for a slice of Japanese gaming giant Square Enix. Multiple buyers are interested in buying the publisher, according to an April 16 report by Bloomberg. The report, citing multiple people familiar with the matter, claims that numerous buyers from Japan and overseas are looking to buy out Square Enix. These include tech giants Microsoft and Sony, according to additional reporting by ‘Shpeshal Ed’. Sony has worked extensively with Square Enix in the past, publishing numerous franchises including Final Fantasy and Kingdom Hearts on PlayStation consoles. Microsoft is one of the potential buyershttps://t.co/j0qFgUlWio — Balatro Nick (@Shpeshal_Nick) April 16, 2021 Microsoft, on the other hand, is rapidly expanding its video game division, buying out more than 30 studios in September 2020. Square Enix would be another string in the tech giant’s gaming bow. Square Enix’s share prices on the Tokyo Stock Exchange have gone up by 12% after the news broke just before trading opened on April 16. It closed at 6,160 JPY ($56.59 USD) on April 15, before rocketing up to as high as 7,050 JPY ($64.77 USD) for the day. According to Bloomberg’s report, it’s unclear if buyers like Microsoft and Sony are interested in Square Enix as a whole, or just their gaming divisions. The company also specalizes in manga publishing (Gangan Comics) and CGI animation (Square Enix Image Studio Division). Square Enix themselves have not publicized their intentions to sell.

McLaren to sell esports and F1 NFTs through Tezos partnership McLarenBritish motor racing team McLaren have partnered with open-source blockchain platform Tezos to launch their own non-fungible token (NFT) platform for their fans. Described as the “world’s most advanced blockchain” in the announcement, Tezos has been named the company’s technical partner in a deal spanning multiple years. McLaren will build their own platform to celebrate their legacy in racing as part of the deal, aiming to provide an “unrivaled NFT fan experience” across their teams in Formula 1, INDYCAR, and esports. Their exact NFT offerings — which involves tokenized ownership of digital assets — have not been disclosed at the time of publication, but a tweet specifies that all of their teams will receive their own. While some people on Twitter have responded to the partnership with negativity due to concern surrounding the environmental impact of NFTs, McLaren have gone out of their way to explain their stance. They acknowledge that adding NFTs to blockchains, as well as transitions, can require a “huge amount of computing power” but that their new partner Tezos “doesn’t rely” on this. “It’s far more energy efficient” than alternatives, according to the racing giants. We are excited to welcome @tezos, the worlds most advanced blockchain, as an Official Technical Partner. 🤝 McLaren will use the energy efficient and upgradeable Tezos network to create a series of non-fungible tokens (NFT) across F1, INDYCAR & Esports 🎮 pic.twitter.com/Rn0q9Lf35q — McLaren Shadow (@McLarenShadow) June 17, 2021 Lando Norris, a Formula 1 driver for McLaren that owns his own esports team called Quadrant, will be featured in at least one of the upcoming NFTs. “Tezos and McLaren Racing uniting to create a unique fan-focused NFT platform is an innovative step in an exciting and rapidly developing industry,” said Lindsey Eckhouse, McLaren Racing’s director of licensing, ecommerce, and esports about the deal.

Mazda follows BMW & Mercedes into esports with HellRaisers The latest in a long line of automobile brands have entered esports, with Mazda establishing a partnership with Ukrainian organization HellRaisers. [jwplayer EgytOyjv] Announced by HellRaisers on October 19, the partnership is said to be the first between a car manufacturer and an esports organization in Ukraine. More specifically, the deal is with Mazda’s official distributor and brand importer in the nation, Auto International. Automotive brands are nothing new in the space by now, with companies like BMW sponsoring the likes of Cloud9, G2 Esports, and Fnatic and Mercedes-Benz sponsoring League of Legends’ global esports events. However, this is the first official move into esports by Mazda — further signaling that the industry’s fan base is a prime demographic for such companies. The partnership will see Mazda advertise through the organization’s “media activities,” which includes videos, content surrounding tournaments, and projects involving “opinion leaders of the car and esports industries.” “Unlike the international practice, no car brand in Ukraine has ever collaborated with an esports organization,” said Tatiana Sheremet, Marketing and PR Manager of MAZDA’s official importer in Ukraine. “For a Ukrainian brand distributor, this is a unique project, and we’re very glad to see our brand become the first car partner and friend of an esports team in Ukraine.” This deal is significant for HellRaisers after its rebrand on August 5 raised plenty of eyebrows in the community, something that the organization will have wanted to avoid. Keeping fans on board with a project is imperative to bring in sponsors and, subsequently, more money. Other car brands that can be seen using esports as a means for marketing include Audi with Astralis Group, Honda with Riot Games’ LCS and Team Liquid, Haval with Virtus.pro, McLaren with DragonX, and Kia with Riot Games’ LEC and Rogue.

Marvel reassembles with Team Liquid for esports apparel until 2022 Team LiquidEntertainment giant Marvel and Team Liquid have renewed their partnership and released a new collection to celebrate. [jwplayer 8OkYePcx] Over a year on from the initial announcement of Team Liquid helping Marvel enter the esports industry, the collaboration has now been extended for another year. Now lasting through to 2022, the partnership’s renewal has been commemorated with the release of retro-themed hoodies, sweatpants, shorts, and t-shirts. The collection features 8-bit interpretations of Captain America, Hulk, Iron Man, and Thor alongside Team Liquid branding. Since entering the industry with Team Liquid in June 2019, Marvel have released a number of collaborative clothing lines with the org including both esports-focused designs and more casual, streetwear items. It’s said that original content will be a component of the extended partnership, though no specific plans have been unveiled at the time of writing. More co-branded merchandise and apparel will come from Team Liquid and Marvel. So far, they’ve used designs of The Avengers, Iron Man, Spider-Man, Captain America, Black Widow, X-Men, The Hulk, and Thor. “We’re excited to continue our team-up with Marvel,” said Team Liquid owner Steve Arhancet. “Both of our brands are built around compelling narratives: heroes, rivalries, triumph and even, overcoming hardships. And, there’s so many more stories for us to tell together through custom apparel, original content and other fan offerings.” Marvel, who are owned by The Walt Disney Company, also partnered with Australian organization The Chiefs in a two-year deal, which was announced in February this year. The extension with Team Liquid shows that the company are serious about esports after successfully completing their first year in the industry, and that can only be a good sign for the future.

Man scams Google and Facebook for millions just by asking Branden MillerLast week, a Lithuanian man pled guilty to wire fraud, aggravated identity theft and three counts of money laundering charges after admitting he stole $99 million from Facebook and $23 million from Google between 2013 and 2015. Evaldas Rimasauskas, the man who plead guilty to the charges, had an incredibly brazen plan to steal from the two corporations: just ask for it. It wasn’t as simple as just calling the companies and asking for a cool multi-million dollars, but it was pretty close. Rimasauskas sent Google and Facebook multiple invoices for items neither company had purchased in the first place. The invoices were sent along with contracts and letters that Rimasauskas had forged to make it appear like they had been signed and ratified by agents from each company. He even forged emails to make them appear like they had come from Facebook or Google executives. Rimasauskas registered a company in Latvia with the same name as Taiwanese hardware manufacturer Quanta Computer to take the wire deposits from the companies banks. It seems no one at either company checked to see if these invoices were real or not, which meant Rimasauskas managed to make roughly $122 million dollars in total. The scammer will be sentenced later this Summer on July 29, and faces up to 30 years in prison, but the crazy part is he hasn’t even given all of the money back yet. Rimasauskas agreed to fork over $50 million dollars of his haul, but the other $73 million is still unaccounted for, possibly in Cyprus, Lithuania, Hungary, Slovakia, and Latvia, according to boingboing. Google seems to have gotten their stolen $23 million back, but whether Facebook will ever see the rest of their $99 million, remains to be seen.

Madden NFL launches multi-year collegiate program across 2,500 campuses EAElectronic Arts and Learfield IMG College have entered a multi-year partnership to find future esports stars at colleges. [jwplayer q2PHNyT5] Level Next, The College Esports League, is said to support over 2,500 campuses across the United States and starts with Madden NFL 21. Beginning on November 9, registration is open to all college students that are attending a four-year accredited university. The league will “feature at least one of EA’s esports franchises” and serves as the gaming company’s official home for collegiate esports. There’s no word on other titles that the league may adopt in the future but EA are also behind FIFA, NHL, and Apex Legends. Taking collegiate esports to the next level? An eight-week regular season will lead to playoffs and a culminating championship, with the winning team being named the national champions. The Fall Champions Series will have a $150,000 total prize pool. The Madden NFL 21 Championship Series is the official top flight of competition for the American football game and includes sponsors such as Pizza Hut, Snickers, Verizon, and Gillette. The 2021 Club Championship, which is part of the series is set to give out $750,000 across its competitors. “Until now, collegiate esports has been primarily small-scale, community-based and fragmented. This program will bring the excitement and camaraderie of college competition to a new level,” said Todd Sitrin, SVP of EA’s competitive efforts. “By leveraging EA’s decades of experience at the intersection of traditional sports and esports, and Learfield IMG College’s unprecedented scale and position as the official rights holder for more than 200 universities and conferences, this collaboration will establish a much-needed structure within the collegiate esports ecosystem and help accelerate Madden NFL competitive gaming popularity.” The ultimate goal of Level Next is to “unify competitive play at universities nationwide,” which also provides a platform for up-and-coming talent to show off their abilities. Much like in traditional sports, esports organizers are looking to schools and colleges to create a talent pipeline across multiple gaming titles.

Luminosity Gaming Partner with Universal Music Canada and Launch ‘Gaming Hip Hop’ Playlist Canadian esports organization Luminosity have announced a breakthrough partnership with the Canadian arm of Universal Music and have launched ‘Gaming Hip Hop’. Luminosity say it is the first partnership between a record label and an esports organization, and will “formally connect music and the ever-growing gaming world.” Luminosity has some of the biggest names across esports within their organization, both competitive/professional players as well as streamers. In total boasting over 60 million social media followers, Luminosity fields teams in Call of Duty, Counter-Strike and SMITE, plus some of the biggest names in streaming including Tyler “Ninja” Blevins. The partnership with Universal Music may have been inspired by Ninja’s groundbreaking stream with Drake, who is signed to Republic (a division of UMG), which smashed Twitch viewing records. Professional gamers and streamers are often playing music when live streaming, mainly Hip Hop, and so the partnership’s first project is the ‘Gaming Hip Hop Playlist’. UMG Canada President & CEO Jeffrey Remedios recognized the opportunity that music has in gaming: “We are always looking for new ways to reach music fans and Luminosity Gaming is the answer. Music is an essential part of esports and gaming as the two worlds are very much intertwined. We’re very proud to forge a local connection with a global reach between two Canadian organizations located in Toronto.” The companies want to ‘cross-promote’ by developing content which can be shared through live streams, not just by gamers but by artists too – so maybe another Drake and Ninja stream on the way? Luminosity founder Steve Maida said the partnership was another example of the expansion and opportunities of esports. “Our pairing is a natural fit and I’m looking forward to seeing how we can further integrate music into gaming. This partnership with Canada’s leading music company is only further proof esports is multi-faceted and has no boundaries.” You can check out the ‘Gaming Hip Hop’ playlist here, available on both Spotify and Apple Music.

Esports bookies Luckbox post C$5.4m annual loss amid CEO departure LuckboxReal Luck Group, the parent company of esports betting company Luckbox, have reported a net loss of almost C$5.5m for 2020. Luckbox, an esports bookie that allows fans to bet on “all major esports tournaments”, have announced the departure of their CEO, Quentin Martin, just days after posting their annual performance. In their financial statement for 2020 they revealed that they had a net loss of almost C$5.5m before income taxes, down from C$20.5m in 2019. The drastic change in expenses is said to be predominantly the result of share-based compensation being reduced. The betting company’s largest expenses came in the form of salaries and director fees. These costs totaled almost C$1.55m, according to a financial document. On the flip side, Real Luck Group reported revenues of C$75,480 against a cost of sales amounting to C$287,947 — resulting in a gross loss of C$212,467. In 2019 they generated a total income of $4,024 against a cost of sales of C$81,186. “We were able to organically and efficiently increase our audience as the global pandemic brought esports betting into focus during early 2020,” said Martin of the company’s performance. “The calendar of esports events was adversely impacted, particularly in the second half, due to the postponement of the biggest esports event of the year – the Dota 2 International. This year’s esports calendar looks much better, and our strong balance sheet positions us for healthy growth in 2021 and 2022.” Be it #VALORANT or #CSGO, pro player @1ukecsgo and the newest addition to our streamer roster got you covered. Want to convince yourself? Catch one of his streams and send over some love! 📺https://t.co/AT95px4BIs pic.twitter.com/lrIPV1w2DV — Luckbox (@Luckbox) May 5, 2021 Martin is said to have voluntarily stepped down as CEO of the newly public company. Having stepped up as the chief executive in February 2020, he oversaw several instances of funding, the hiring of key C-level staff, and a public listing in Toronto. Replacing him as CEO is former Dunder Casino chief executive Thomas Rosander. “I am confident that we can build on the excellent work done so far under Quentin’s leadership to make Luckbox a world-leading esports betting destination,” commented Rosander.

London Mayor Sadiq Khan turns to esports to address youth unemployment Sadiq Khan/LDN UTDSadiq Khan, the Mayor of London, will utilize esports in an attempt to address youth employment in the capital of England. [jwplayer q2PHNyT5] He has tapped UK-based organization LDN UTD to host digital skills workshops, an inter-borough tournament, and talks from esports personalities and talent. Staffordshire University, Salford University, and the University of East London will all host workshops and feature appearances from the likes of FaZe Tass. The initiative will bring together young people from London boroughs Hackney, Kingston, Lambeth, and Lewisham. The workshops include topics such as video editing, social media management, and graphic design. LDN UTD may also offer some participants work experience or an internship to give them practical experience in esports. The LDN UTD Inter-Borough Esports Championships will combine “the power of esports and education to tackle rising rates of youth employment.” The tournament will take place on both FIFA 21 and NBA 2K, starting on December 5 and crowning champions on December 19. FIFA content creator Rambo will host the event, which will be broadcast on Twitch. We are excited to bring to you our very first Inter-Boroughs Esports Champs In collaboration with the @MayorofLondon and support from @FaZeTass More info 👉https://t.co/ocBZyK1d9w pic.twitter.com/8oyQSFOlS0 — LDN UTD (@LDNUTD) November 5, 2020 “The growth of esports over the past 12 months has been considerable,” said Sadiq Khan, the Major of London. “The industry is generating millions of pounds for our economy, as well as creating much needed jobs for our community, particularly here in London. With that growth comes a level of responsibility, and I am proud that my Sport Unites programme is able to help fund LDN UTD, an organisation who are using their platform and the power of esports.” LDN UTD have previously worked with grime recording artist P Money to raise awareness of the issue of knife crime in Lewisham, hosted a FIFA competition to address loneliness during lockdown, and partnered with football club Leyton Orient to celebrate diversity in gaming.

Logan Paul gets insane $700,000 offer for CryptoPunk NFT Logan PaulOne of the latest NFT crazes sweeping through influencer circles are the CryptoPunks. These innocent-looking pixel portraits can fetch insane prices, and apparently someone offered Logan Paul $700,000 for just one. You may have seen FaZe Banks selling one of these NFTs just a few days before for over $500,000, but that very well could just be the tip of the iceberg. That’s because just a couple of days later, Logan Paul apparently one-upped him at the CryptoPunks game – at least in price. On August 3, Logan revealed he’d gotten an offer for more than $600,000 for one of the NFTs. Just got a $630,000 offer for my favorite Cryptopunk … should I sell ? 😏 pic.twitter.com/YUEWn73gxI — Logan Paul (@LoganPaul) August 3, 2021 “Just got a $630,000 offer for my favorite CryptoPunk… should I sell?” Paul posted on Twitter. While anyone in their right mind would probably sell with that offer, Logan apparently decided to hold off. “A couple months ago, I bought this CryptoPunk. This one’s my favorite, I have a bunch, but this one’s my favorite,” Logan explained. “I just got a bid on it for $632,000, which is insane for a jpeg. But the question is: should I sell it at that price, or should I hold?” Like we said, anyone who’s not already a multi-millionaire YouTuber-turned-boxing star would probably seriously consider that offer. However, the elder Paul brother chose to hold, even when the price continued to go up. $700,000 for an NFT “UPDATE: was offered $700k but decided not to sell,” he updated a few minutes later. Either he REALLY likes that CryptoPunk, or he’s confident the price will continue to rise. Either way, that’s a lot of money on the table. UPDATE: was offered $700k but decided not to sell https://t.co/T84TGQY9xq — Logan Paul (@LoganPaul) August 3, 2021 However, $700,000 isn’t the most a CryptoPunk has ever gone for, as a couple have sold for well over $1 million already. With more and more influencers getting involved as you read this, the average price could continue to rise. For instance, 100 Thieves CEO Nadeshot is also going in on the CryptoPunk trend, as you can tell by his latest Twitter profile picture. The NFT craze might be slowing down from it’s popularity earlier in 2021, but it will be interesting to see how high the prices for CryptoPunks can actually get.

Light-weight PS5? Japan’s version has mysteriously unique measurements Sony / Pexels, Sora ShimazakiThe PS5 is a big console, but the Japanese Digital version appears to be pretty unique. Based on official measurements, Japan’s PS5 seems to be a mysteriously light-weight version of the usually hefty system. The regular PS5, with disc drive included, is about 10 pounds heavy — making it around the weight of a heftier newborn baby. The Digital PS5, by contrast, is a little over eight pounds. Both are considerably heavier than their last-gen counterparts. But it seems that Japan’s Digital PS5 is a decent amount lighter. According to the official user’s manual, the Japanese version (model number CFI-1100B01) is around 0.66 pounds lighter than the versions found elsewhere. As of yet, there is no straightforward explanation for the change in size. But there are some theories making their way around the web as people want the light-weight PS5 for themselves. Conspiracy: The old PS5 Digital Editions have a secret disc drive inside them. https://t.co/dnAN5wkvg8 pic.twitter.com/GLEEB0wfYb — Daniel Ahmad (@ZhugeEX) July 24, 2021 While industry expert Daniel Ahmad jokes that the normal Digital PS5s might have a disc drive hidden within them somewhere, that’s about as realistic as the theories get. In terms of raw differences between the consoles, PSU’s Ernest Lin could only find one material change. As Lin notes, the Japanese Digital PS5 uses a different screw for its vertical stand — one that allows you to screw it in by hand, rather than with a screwdriver. We won’t even dive into the average weights of screws here, but no, they don’t usually weigh… two-thirds of a pound. At the moment, that’s where we’re at. No one knows why the Japanese PS5 is lighter and there have been no official explanations laid out. The current reigning theories seem to be: 1) a secret disc drive, 2) the world’s heaviest screw, and 3) a typo. Whatever the case may be, if you want a mobile PS5 to carry around when you travel, it might be worth checking ticket prices to Japan.

LG UltraGear expands global esports presence with Gen.G LoL partnership Riot Games/LG/Gen.GLG Electronics is continuing to make its name as one of the premier brands in esports with a new partnership with top esports organization Gen.G’s League of Legends division. LG’s UltraGear gaming monitors have become a standard-setter as far as esports and gaming is concerned, and they’ve been working to fully immerse themselves into the community through multiple ventures. Not only are they creating their monitors with competitive gamers in mind, but they’ve also run tournaments with top streamers such as xQc and TimTheTatman. Now, they’re supporting one of the biggest esports teams in the world with their UltraGear monitors: Gen.G’s Korean League of Legends team. Gen.G also runs the Gen.G Global Academy that provides esports education programs, as well as help aspiring esports experts with the Gen.G Foundation. This partnership with Gen.G allows LG to demonstrate its support for the gaming community, with a new line of monitors available in 2021. “With a young and dynamic brand such as LG UltraGear as our partner, we look forward to providing the ultimate gaming experience to not just professional players but to gaming fans across the globe,” said Chris Park, CEO of Gen.G Esports. “Based on our common objectives and values, I’m excited about the diverse possibilities this collaboration will deliver to our fans and customers.” Jang Ik-hwan, senior vice president of LG Electronics, shared a similarly positive sentiment. “This partnership gives LG the opportunity to actively supporting the gaming community while our stellar 2021 LG UltraGear lineup will allow Gen.G’s elite players to perform at their very best,” he said. “We’re proud to play a role in fueling the growth of the exciting world of esports and delivering the ultimate gaming experience through our exceptional gaming monitors.” The 2021 lineup of LG UltraGear gaming monitors will be on display in LG’s virtual exhibition booth during CES 2021 starting January 11.

Why brands like Spotify & Louis Vuitton advertise through League of Legends Yicun Liu/Riot GamesThis year’s League of Legends World Championship is almost at a close, and it’s been the most sponsored edition of the legendary event to date. [jwplayer 0ryqkFvi] The popular MOBA title seems to be going from strength to strength each year, with rising viewership, ever-growing commercial success, outside recognition from traditional sports, and a more robust competitive ecosystem. With brands such as Bose, Spotify, Mercedes-Benz, and Cisco getting involved in 2020, as well as a landmark broadcast deal for Chinese viewers, it’s fair to say that Riot Games’ flagship title is leading the pack when it comes to commercial partnerships. Dexerto spoke with Naz Aletaha, head of global esports partnerships and business development for Riot Games, to find out exactly why major brands are dying to get involved with League of Legends esports. “It’s definitely evolved over the years,” Aletaha said of how such deals begin. “In the last two or three years is where we’ve really seen an inpouring of inquiries, attention, and understanding. Understanding is the most important piece. Esports has been pretty big for quite some time, we started in 2011 and each year the sport, fandom, and viewership has continued to grow. “In the early years, there wasn’t a solid understanding in the marketplace on what esports was and really what the value proposition was for brands to get involved. There were probably some questions brands had around the longevity of esports, whether it was a sport or not.” Broadening the pool What are the factors behind such a change in heart for prominent, household companies? We still see some sports fans ridiculing the concept of competitive video games when they get their time to shine on networks such as ESPN, so it’s clear that the industry has a way to go before the general population is acclimatized. That’s changing rapidly on the business front, however. “The market has a pretty good baseline understanding of what esports is now, the viewership and engagement that we see are really starting to rival what’s seen in traditional sports, and the audience is incredibly engaged,” she explained. “This demographic is getting harder and harder to reach through traditional forms of marketing.” On the surface, it may seem fair to attribute the rise in viewership — which likely is in part down to the global health situation, with sports being sidelined for much of the year — to the mainstream acceptance, but Aletaha thinks there’s more to it. “The fact that we’re so global and we’ve set up an ecosystem where partners and brands can get involved at various levels opens up so much opportunity,” she said. “We have 12 regional leagues across the world and then we have these massive global events that bring attention from every corner of the world, that’s very attractive to brands.” League of Legends has an official competitive structure that sees major leagues taking place in major countries and regions; Brazil, China, Europe, Korea, Latin America, North America, and plenty more are all involved. This translates well when they’re all brought together in what’s deemed a “global” event, and Riot Games ensure that these fan bases are served properly. “For our global events, because we are catering to a global audience, we broadcast Worlds in over 15 languages,” said Aletaha. “That level of customization and localization allows us to accommodate brands that are interested in certain markets through specific language feeds. China is a very good example of this. You see our global partners in the Mandarin feed but you also see specific Chinese partners that are very relevant for that local market.” The legitimacy of the All-Star Event and MSI In League of Legends’ suite of global competitions are three annual events. There’s the Mid-Season Invitational, an All-Star Event, and, of course, the World Championship. The latter is, as you’d expect, the crown jewel of the game’s esports calendar — but does it prop up the other tournaments? “Worlds, if you plotted our events on a pyramid, is the pinnacle,” she explained. “That’s what every team in our ecosystem is working towards throughout the entire season. You could liken it to our Super Bowl or our World Cup.” Despite Worlds undoubtedly being the summit of competition, Aletaha thinks each of the three global initiatives has their own merits and each contributes towards the commercial interest in League of Legends esports. “All three of our global events have their own unique value and themes,” she told Dexerto. “Each event has its own identity. All-Star is a fun celebration of the season, it’s meant to celebrate the pros and their performance, and be something that fans can engage with. MSI is meant to be a midpoint check-in on who is the best. You’ve watched a split in each of the regional leagues so now let’s have those winners face-off to determine who’s the best at the halfway point. “If you’re a partner of the three global events, it gives you the opportunity to always be on. Through the first split you’re working up to MSI, then there’s Worlds, then we finish the year with All-Stars.” This year’s World Championship has a nice mix of gaming brands and companies that operate outside of League of Legends’ expected periphery. That’s not by design, as Aletaha explains, but instead is a testament to the variety of partners that they’ve managed to secure. There’s not a quota to meet in terms of diversity of companies, instead, it’s about who can help them to improve the experience for fans. “Our goal with any partnership, whether it’s with an endemic or non-endemic brand, is that that brand wants to come in and do right by our audience,” she said. “That’s the most important box that we look to check. You can see endemics like Alienware and Secretlab have such a deep understanding of the audience and the community, that makes them incredibly able and willing to do things for and with our fans that we really like to see. “The same thing can go with Mastercard and what they do for their community, and Mercedes-Benz and Spotify too. We don’t look to achieve a certain mix [of endemic and non-endemic brands], we try to look through the same lens across any partner that we bring into the fold.” The Making of Take Over: The #Worlds2020 Anthem Hear from the team that developed and composed the 2020 anthem as they provide unique insight on how it was born! Check out the episode on @Spotify: https://t.co/wOMCcYXXOO pic.twitter.com/N8iQOYIxm2 — LoL Esports (@lolesports) October 30, 2020 It’s more about the value proposition of a prospective partner. How do they add to the experience, whether that be the broadcast, shoulder content, social media, or in a venue? Riot Games always keep the product in mind, and how it will be received by their spectators. “Any partnership has to be a win-win-win,” said Aletaha. “It’s not just a two-way win for Riot Games and our partner, it has to be a win for our whole ecosystem. That’s the goal. I don’t think you achieve that goal if it’s a pure transaction where a sponsor pays you dollars and you display their logo. It has to be more than that. “We really look to create a robust campaign with each of our partners that, of course, includes advertising elements, but that advertising should reinforce what they’re doing for the community. That’s what’s going to make the brand successful and continue to drive [partnership] renewals. All of this needs to accrue to our fans and their experience with League of Legends esports.” Content is (still) king This year’s World Championship has been supplemented with content from almost all of their partners. From Spotify producing and housing podcasts, to Cisco writing blogs about their involvement, to Mastercard enabling Riot Games to produce video series, it’s clear that there’s a focus on content — now more than ever. Aletaha insists that this isn’t just a sign of the limitations brought about this year, but it definitely helps to be able to work with partners in such a way considering the difficulties. “The fact we’re a digital sport and our audience is digitally-savvy absolutely helps given the constraints that has been presented,” she explained. “The live event experience is really important and compelling for brands, but when you also focus on the digital side you’re going to be able to engage with exponentially more fans. The content play is what we’d do regardless.” Perhaps the most groundbreaking advancement made in terms of advertisement capabilities for League of Legends was the integration of in-game banners. Announced in May 2020 with Mastercard and Alienware up to bat first, partners were now able to have their brands shown right next to the action during live matches. This innovation is just the tip of the iceberg when considering the potential scale of such technology, but it’s already a success for Riot Games. “It really adds to a well-rounded package,” she told Dexerto. “It’s important for partners to really be woven through the various touchpoints that we can offer. Any single asset or placement is valuable on its own, but it’s the sum of the parts that creates a cohesive, holistic connection to the sport and reinforce their activation and engagement. “Sponsors are absolutely loving it and it starts to bring us to parity what traditional sports offer. You’re used to seeing brands next to a pitch or a court, we’re now able to do that in our physical arenas and also leverage our virtual real estate as well.” One pertinent question that arises when you consider the potential impact of in-game ads is surrounding their value. Just how much dollar value do they provide to partners, and how is value even measured? An approximation of watch time multiplied by a set figure is likely the formula, and Riot Games enlisted some help to nail down a price tag. “We worked with Nielsen, who use a quality index score to evaluate banners,” said Aletaha. “They use a methodology to evaluate the rest of our inventory, and inventory for sports in general. We worked really closely with them on this, including when we developed the product itself because we needed to make sure we were optimizing for viewability, clarity, placements, and angles to make sure they’re effective for our partners.” The Beijing News reported that Bilibili (BLG’s parent company) successfully bid the exclusive (only in China) broadcasting right of Worlds for the next three years for the price of 800 million yuan(113,349,768 USD), beating competitors such as Huya etc.https://t.co/jv1ZHIyD30 — Ran (@ran_lpl) December 3, 2019 We’d be remiss to ignore the landmark deal closed by Riot Games and Bilibili. In December 2019, it was reported that the Chinese video platform had purchased the rights to broadcast Worlds in Chinese for 800 million yuan (roughly £90 million) over three years. Confirmed in August this year, though the monetary value was never officially disclosed, this transaction is the largest media rights deal to date. In many traditional sports, media rights deals are the largest piece of the pie but that hasn’t translated into esports yet, somewhat down to the prominence of streaming platforms such as Twitch and YouTube, but this purchase, in particular, demonstrates that the tides may well be changing. “There absolutely will be growth in media rights revenues going forward,” she said. “The Bilibili deal is a landmark deal and a testament to the demand for the content with our fans. I think that demand is going to continue to go up. “You see the viewership numbers year-over-year — the play-ins at Worlds this year broke all of our records — and we’re seeing a massive demand for content. We hope to service that viewership by putting on an incredible production.”

Lawyer explains why Microsoft’s end goal might be Xbox Game Pass on PS5 Microsoft / SonyAn entertainment lawyer has broken down what Microsoft’s true end goal may be in terms of exclusivity following the purchase of Activision Blizzard. As he sees it, this could all lead to Xbox Game Pass on PS4 and PS5. On January 18, Microsoft shocked practically everyone by purchasing Activision Blizzard for a reported $70 billion. While the deal’s effects aren’t immediate, it does mean that portfolio games like Call of Duty, Overwatch, and World of Warcraft will fall under Microsoft’s umbrella by June 2023. The gaming world’s reaction, outside of surprise, has quickly trended toward the exclusivity conversation. While Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer discussed concerns over Xbox-exclusivity, his answers were fairly ambiguous. With Call of Duty players particularly worried about exclusivity, the questions haven’t quieted. Entertainment lawyer Simon Pulman has a theoretical answer, though: CoD won’t have to be Xbox-exclusive if Sony implements Game Pass – which just might be Microsoft’s goal. Can Microsoft bring Xbox Game Pass to PS5 and PS4? In a LinkedIn thread, Pulman (who is a Partner at Cowan, DeBaets, Abrahams & Sheppard LLP) discussed what the Microsoft acquisition could mean. Given CoD’s prominence in North America, he honed in on the franchise’s future. In one comment, Pulman explained that “Call of Duty now being Xbox-exclusive and day one Game Pass starting in 2023/24 is transformative for the gaming business in Europe and NA.” While this is a reasonable take, and one that PS players are likely worried about, Pulman doesn’t believe it’s Microsoft’s true end goal. As he explained, the possibility gives Microsoft the negotiating power to pull something even bigger off: “This provides massive leverage for Microsoft to get what I believe it really wants: Game Pass on PlayStation.” Pulman’s theory does hold some interesting weight. When asked about Xbox exclusivity, Spencer said “to players out there who are playing Activision Blizzard games on Sony’s platform: It’s not our intent to pull communities away from that platform.” Not making their games Xbox-exclusive would be an easy way to let those communities stay on PlayStation. A more profitable alternative would likely be to use their leverage and get Sony to implement Game Pass on their systems. Read more: Will Call of Duty still be on PlayStation? – While it remains unclear how negotiations will unfold, the Game Pass idea is an intriguing one. With Microsoft’s Bethesda franchises (like Starfield and Elder Scrolls) already hinting toward exclusivity, the possibility of Sony losing titles like CoD and Overwatch isn’t far-fetched.

Law firm investigates Bethesda over Fallout 76 returns Bethesda, the company behind Fallout: 76, is under investigation from a Washington D.C. based law firm for denying refunds to consumers after providing them with an “Unplayable experience”. Fallout: 76 has been under fire since it came out on November 14, with players complaining about glitches, bugs and an overall lack of engaging content. It seemed like Bethesda was going to give players a way out, when the offered PC players refunds for the game on November 22. That didn’t last long though, and on November 25, Bethesda rescinded the refund offer and would no longer be taking any returns. 600Now, according to a story by Games Industry, Bethesda is being investigated by Migliaccio & Rathod law firm for it’s return policy towards customers. “While minor bugs and glitches are expected with the release of most new games, Fallout 76 launched with a 56gb patch that has proven to be but a starting point for the game’s problems.” “Gamers who have tried to receive a refund because of the game’s myriad glitches have been unable to do so since they downloaded the game, leaving them to deal with an unplayable experience until patches bring it back to a playable state.” — Migliaccio & Rathod paralegal Bruno Ortega-Toledo So far though, no formal action has been taken against Bethesda, and they have yet to respond to claims of the investigation. Users on a Reddit thread discussing the investigation said they had experienced the inability to return the game they purchased. Read More: FIFA 19 FUTMAS Predictions | FUT SBC Cards – One user wrote in a highly-upvoted comment that Bethesda “refused my refund becuase I had already “downloaded the game.”

Activision’s employees at Raven Software just won unionization vote by a landslide ActivisionRaven Software employees have made history as a landslide vote on unionization could lead to the formulation of the first major union in the United States’ video games industry. On the day that Activision Blizzard was accused by the US Labor Board of “illegally” confronting staff regarding the possibility of unionization, those working for Raven – a studio under the Activision umbrella – made their feelings known. Back in July 2021, the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing officially filed a lawsuit against Activision Blizzard. Since then, Activision has been accused of allowing sexual harassment to take place in the workplace, which led to a staff walkout, and also it was alleged that they were “shredding documents” related to the case. Such allegations led to rumors about possible unionization. On April 25, Raven Software QA workers announced that a landmark vote would take place, following a ruling from The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) – and now, the results are in. First major US video games union created The vote was put to around 30 game testers at Raven Software, of which only three decided to turn down the proposal for a union. On May 23, Bloomberg reporter Jason Schreier confirmed the count – with an overwhelming majority of people being supportive of the proposals. He tweeted: “It’s now official: testers at Activision-owned Raven Software have voted to form the U.S. video game industry’s first major union. There were 19 votes for and 3 votes against.” It’s now official: testers at Activision-owned Raven Software have voted to form the U.S. video game industry’s first major union. There were 19 votes for and 3 votes against — Jason Schreier (@jasonschreier) May 23, 2022 The game testers, named the Games Workers Alliance, spoke to the Washington Post following the conclusion of the vote. Becka Aigner, a Raven Software quality assurance tester, told the newspaper: “The outcome of this election, the voice of the people coming together to vote yes for this union, is further validation that even a small group of folks in Madison Wisconsin standing together in solidarity can face up against a AAA studio giant like Activision, and come out the other side victorious. “Now that the fight for recognition is through, we can focus our efforts on negotiations. We’ll fight for respect, fight for better wages, better benefits, better work-life balance, fight for sustainability and job security, and continue to fight for our fellow workers in solidarity.” Activision responds to historic Raven Software vote Back in July 2021, Activision CEO Bobby Kotick admitted that the company’s initial response to the California lawsuit was “tone deaf”. This time, a spokesperson said of the news: “We respect and believe in the right of all employees to decide whether or not to support or vote for a union. “We believe that an important decision that will impact the entire Raven Software studio of roughly 350 people should not be made by 19 of Raven employees. We’re committed to doing what’s best for the studio and our employees.” Whether or not other developing studios under the Activision umbrella will follow suit remains to be seen, but many believe this could spark a domino effect right across the industry.

Lando Norris’ esports org Quadrant announces Elgato as official streaming partner Quadrant/ElgatoFormula 1 driver Lando Norris has been slowly building his brand in the esports and gaming content world, and now his organization Quadrant has revealed Elgato as its official streaming equipment partner. Quadrant is home to a number of content creators across different games, including Warzone aficionado Fifakill, who has worked his way up to being one of the best Warzone players in the world. On September 10, Quadrant revealed a long-term partnership with audio-visual technology provider Elgato. Calling the collaboration a “natural fit,” this marks Quadrant’s first official partnership, as they look to further bolster their standing in the space. With products ranging from webcams, lighting, microphones, capture devices and interface decks, Elgato will “unlock the combined audience of the channel’s prestigious talent team.” Jamie MacLaurin, Chief Sporting Officer at Quadrant, said: “We are really excited to announce Elgato as Quadrant’s first major partner. This is a brand that is synonymous with content creation and streaming across the globe and we are incredibly happy to have both their knowledge and experience on board. This partnership is a testament to the hard work put in by the team over the past 10 months and we cannot wait to see what creative content this collaboration produces.” Elgato senior partnerships manager Tom Hildreth echoed a similar sentiment: “After following them closely since their formation at the end of 2020, they have shown they aren’t afraid to try new things and create unique, high-quality content. With a growing roster of talented creators, an engaged community, and a strong brand, Quadrant is a team we are thrilled to be supporting and working with.”

Basketball icon Kevin Durant invests in New York Subliners & NYXL parent company Andbox/Steve Jennings for TechCrunchBasketball superstar Kevin Durant, through his investment arm with his agent Rich Kleiman, has invested in the parent company behind the New York Subliners and New York Excelsior. As well as obtaining a share in the company through their investment arm Thirty Five Ventures, Durant and Kleiman will serve as “creative partners” to the New York-based company. The amount invested was not disclosed at the time of publication. As well as operating as a standalone brand in Valorant, Andbox owns and operates the Call of Duty League franchise New York Subliners and Overwatch League brand New York Excelsior. They’re hoping to increase brand awareness in the mainstream through this partnership. It’s stated that the 32-year-old NBA star will collaborate with Andbox’s players in online tournaments and create custom apparel and content across their brands. Andbox are looking to host live events in their home market once possible, including retail pop-ups, watch parties, and meet-and-greets. They’re also establishing branded gaming centres alongside a partnership with Vindex’s Belong Gaming Arenas. Read More: Envy Gaming raises $40m investment – “The passion that New York sports fans have has really hit home with me,” Durant said in a press release. “Andbox is bringing that same energy to esports here, and that’s something Thirty Five Ventures is very excited to be a part of.” Other shareholders in Andbox include actor and producer Michael B. Jordan, former Turner president David Levy, GIPHY co-founder Adam Leibsohn, and Dapper Labs CEO Roham Gharegozlou. .@KDTrey5 / @richkleiman🤝 @andbox_official Welcome to the family Kevin Durant, Rich Kleiman and @35Ventures. There’s no bigger stage #NewYork #NYSL #EverUpwardhttps://t.co/LKNsAWf1Tf — Subliners (@Subliners) March 15, 2021 “There is no bigger stage in the world to compete on than here in New York, and that’s what drives superstars like Kevin Durant here and thankfully to us, just as it did with Clayster, a back-to-back Call of Duty champion who joined us this offseason,” added Farzam Kamel, Andbox’s president. This isn’t the first foray into esports for Durant, however. He was previously involved with the now-defunct Vision Esports, a major shareholder in Echo Fox. He invested alongside NFL star Odell Beckham Jr. and MLB’s St Loius Cardinals. The company was best known through its association with former athlete and actor Rick Fox.

Astralis sports director explains team’s new academy system AstralisAstralis Talent, a new sports-inspired academy program, has been launched by the Danish esports organization. [jwplayer WGyDcVLl] Unveiled on November 12, the initiative is said to be based on a “balanced, professional approach to performance and constant progress” and will be used to recruit young players. Astralis Talent members will be housed in the same facility utilized by the A teams of the organization, initially focusing on Counter-Strike and League of Legends. Recruits will be integrated into the org’s performance model, the training program that they cite as a major proponent of their success to date. Alongside stated intentions of building a 10-man roster in Counter-Strike, following unplanned breaks for two players due to “burnout and stress,” Astralis are ensuring procedures are put in place as a means of prevention. The talent program will be a component of keeping the main teams fresh, as well as developing prospective stars. To delve into the academy program, including the exact approach that’ll be used and concerns of them locking down future talent to generate profit in years to come, Dexerto spoke with the team’s director of sports, Kasper Hvidt. “We don’t know the best way to optimize players yet,” he told Dexerto. “We have ideas of the parameters we have to work on in order to create the best performance possible, but I don’t think any of us yet know the perfect formula. “There are still many parameters to work on, including in-game training in League of Legends and Counter-Strike. In the last six months, we’ve seen tools develop where pros are starting to cut down their performance into smaller pieces. This is the same in a sport like football, where they work on corner kicks, free kicks, and on other smaller details. In esports, players are not taught what they should actually do in solo queue so practice isn’t optimized. There are many things we can do to improve globally in performance.” Nature vs. Nurture Astralis Talent is an initiative that will evolve over time, exploring best practices to help mold the next generation of talent. More than that, it’s also a recruitment platform that will see the Danish organization create a support system for their main teams. “It’s a recruitment platform for the first teams,” Hvidt said. “In order to recruit talent for those teams, we need to attach the Talent team to the first-team staff. The ideas of the head coaches in the A teams will be brought down to the young talent we bring into the Astralis system. Football teams maybe bring one or two academy players into their main team, and that’s what we want to do, as well.” The newly-announced talent is effectively an academy system – but that’s complicated in League of Legends, where each of the 10 European LEC sides already houses academy teams in national leagues. In the past year, there have been examples of academy players being called up into top tier of play and performing well — something Astralis are cognizant of. “We want to go a step further; we have an academy team and below that, we have a Talent team,” he said. “For our Talent teams, we are looking at players from Scandinavia. There are so many talented players in the region between the age of 14-20 that haven’t had the chance to properly go into a professional athlete system, and that’s what we want to provide.” It’s not just prioritizing physical fitness or improving reflexes that go into being a professional player. They are assets for the organizations they’re representing, and with that come valuable requirements that are entirely absent from the server. This talent initiative will also prepare young gamers for that eventuality, too. “All the big teams, it’s our obligation to take the knowledge we have down to that pool of talent and help them to be as prepared as possible when they get the chance in the pro scene,” Hvidt explained. “There’s a big gap between being a good talent and being a professional, there are so many factors outside of the game. “When you’re hired by an organization you’re not just a gamer, you’re a professional athlete. There are a lot of obligations: media days, commercial obligations towards sponsors, and many other things you don’t see when you just follow the game.” Starting in January 2021, Astralis Talent will compete in both Counter-Strike and League of Legends wholly comprised of raw and mostly-undeveloped prospects. They’ll also be integrated into Astralis’ procedures for their A team, and that includes practice. Whereas in a normal scenario Astralis have to scrim the same teams they compete against, they will soon be able to prepare and produce new tactics against their protégés until they’re ready to be deployed in official competition. Merchants or maturation machine? When Astralis Talent was announced, there was skepticism shown towards its legitimacy. Some believe this program simply sounds like a ploy to snap up all the promising future stars of esports just to then sell them on for profit. The director of sports for the Danish giants addressed this perception. “Nothing is black and white, everything is in between,” he said. “It could be that we develop a really good player, an in-game leader, and within a couple of years he’s good enough to play in a tier-one team — but the main Astralis roster still has gla1ve and Magisk leading. It’d be quite hard to get into that team. “If somebody approached us to buy that guy, we’d have to look at the situation. It’s not like we’re trying to keep all of the players and have 25 teams, and we’re not going to build a roster that’s able to compete at the highest level; we want talent we can develop. If we were to buy all of the Danish players, we should have multiple teams capable of qualifying for a Major — which can’t happen.” Not denying the plausibility of selling their developed talent instead of retaining them for the main roster, Hvidt sees the initiative in a similar way to football academies. It’s incredibly rare, nigh-on unrealistic, that all young academy players will graduate to the main team. A couple may make it to the next level at the club, but the majority will naturally move on. “The dream is to recruit our own players, not to hold players against their wishes or bind them with crazy buy-outs,” he said. “If we can sell a player that we can’t use in our main roster within the next couple of months, so we’re actually [hampering] that player’s career, then we will try to sell him. This is a professional business so we won’t give them away, nobody does that. We all try to do the best business we can, of course.” 10-man rosters There’s a current trend emerging in professional Counter-Strike in which organizations are recruiting a sixth man. The likes of Team Vitality and ENCE are prime examples, and, of course, Astralis themselves. The four-time Major champions actually unveiled their intention to build a 10-man roster, however, though that plan has not quite come into fruition. While the likes of JUGi and es3tag joined the ranks since the initial announcement, the team currently have six players with Bubzkji serving as the substitute. Dexerto asked Hvidt about his current thoughts on the project, and whether Astralis Talent is the next iteration of the plan. “If you build a roster with Snappi, JUGi, es3tag, Bubzkji, and one more, then you have a top 30 team,” he said. “That team could qualify for a Major, and nobody would want to be in that team when the main Astralis exists as they would degrade their own career. This isn’t black and white either. “I think you can build a roster within the next two years that is good enough to support the main team, not compete with them. In this case, hopefully, we will be able to see when a player is due for a break before it’s needed and we can tell one of the young guys they have an opportunity with the main team while they’re relaxing. “When one of your best players is suddenly out for five months, it may be that you have to go out to the market. That’s no longer a conversation about support, that’s a substitute conversation and it’s too early for a Talent player to step up. Over time, we can develop a team that can help in practice and prevention of burnout; every organization should try to find a way to prolong their players’ careers.” The jury is out as to whether the academy approach will work for Astralis, but if it does then they will be playing their part in helping to develop the next wave of esports talent — and likely making some money along the way, too.

Sources: Sports brand Kappa’s esports activities draw mixed reception Audacity/KappaItalian sportswear brand Kappa entered esports in August 2019 and their first year in action has been inconsistent at best, according to multiple sources familiar with their activities. [jwplayer WGyDcVLl] The esports industry has seen a flurry of activity from sportswear brands in the past couple of years, with major companies hurrying into the scene to secure exclusive merchandise and apparel deals with major teams. Nike with the LPL, T1, SK Gaming, and Vodafone Giants; adidas with Team Vitality, Team Heretics, and FOKUS CLAN; PUMA with Cloud9 and Gen.G. The list goes on. Kappa — a sportswear brand that sponsors the likes of Italian football league Serie B, Formula 1 team Alfa Romeo Sauber, and Premier League side Aston Villa — are no exception. Since entering esports with British organisation Vexed Gaming in August 2019, they’ve quickly expanded their reach and secured deals with a number of other UK-based teams. Diabolus, Demise, Audacity Esports, London Esports, and Tundra have all entered partnerships with the Italian company, in which most (if not all) of the agreements are three years in length. Dexerto spoke with people behind the scenes who are familiar with sports company’s operations to see how the collaborations have gone, most of which obliged under the condition of anonymity. Dexerto learned that following Kappa’s esports entrance with Vexed in August 2019, they hired sports marketing agency Van Hawke Sports to establish additional partnerships and expand their presence in competitive gaming. This resulted in many of the deals starting, at least as serious conversations, in February and March of this year. However, speculatively because of the global health situation and an apparent emphasis on serving their partners in sports as a priority, the company has allegedly dragged their heels in getting some of the deals off the ground. Despite having come to an agreement in the first quarter of the year in some cases, it’s said that it took a handful of months to get team-branded merchandise and an official announcement lined up. A home run or disappointing defeat? On the topic of overall satisfaction with how they have served organizations as their partner, there were mixed reviews. One source stated: “The setbacks on the core part of the partnership have been detrimental, and there has been little to no action from the side of Kappa to remedy.” They explained that the core of the partnership, and the main point of contention, is kit production. Another source explained that while they’re happy with the appearance of their kit, “communicating with their team around getting jerseys made for staff and players and running discounts with influencers has been very poor. Messages and emails have been ignored for weeks and are very rarely answered.” They continued: “Our jersey was publicly released with little to no notice and a large number of units of stock were ordered without our knowledge, leading to some design issues that we’d hoped to resolve.” Esports is occasionally criticized for its lack of professionalism, while sports is normally viewed in a much different light — then again, there have been decades of growth, development, and maturation for the former. With a sports brand entering esports comes an expectancy, an almost unspoken understanding, that they’re going to get the job done. The mixed reception to Kappa and their results so far may sound comparable to an amateur “bedroom” apparel manufacturer that we’re all too familiar with in esports. People may now be questioning why they came into esports, an emerging industry that had already welcomed the likes of Nike and adidas, if they’re allegedly unwilling to fulfill obligations. It’s also a point of interest that they chose to significantly expand into the United Kingdom — a nation that certainly isn’t at the top of the totem pole in the industry. One source explained that they “believe Kappa and Van Hawke have used the brand name of Kappa to encourage free advertising from a scene that has seen little sponsor support. With there being so many teams together, and seeing how ours and other partnerships have gone, this feels like a predatory one-sided practice.” Another source echoed this sentiment and delved deeper into the potential financial incentives of the brand attaching themselves to UK esports organizations: “Each deal safely secures Kappa approximately £1,700 in income, more if lots of jersey units are sold.” “If you’re being cynical, you could say that the aim was to secure 10,000-15,000 in sales quickly, however, I don’t think this affects the bottom line of Kappa enough to make it worthwhile,” they continued. “I think the actual reason is that the contracts can be very one-sided towards Kappa as the organizations have very little bargaining power due to their relative size, but Kappa can still enter into the UK esports market in a big way and make themselves known, without having to pay significant fees to larger organizations.” Vexed were happy to publicly share their thoughts on why the sportswear brand decided to add esports to their repertoire: “We put in some good groundwork with Kappa in the early days, where we’d discuss their brand, the esports marketplace, other sportswear brands, and so on. A degree of education was placed around esports as well as UK esports, which is something we are passionate about. “When we made the announcement, we generated significant coverage in the media and across social platforms which exceeded both of our expectations. So, I’m not surprised that other teams, tournament organizers or local sports agencies have approached them and that they have been open to their advances.” Without pointing fingers, because ultimately the responsibility of kit production falls on Kappa, it has to be noted once more that Vexed dealt directly with the brand when establishing their deal — whereas other eventual partners instead went through Van Hawke. While the sportswear giants may have enjoyed some additional exposure from the esports crowd through forming partnerships with organizations, it’s hard to believe that they’re providing a consistent service that adds to the industry having spoken to those with knowledge of their activities. Dexerto has contacted Kappa for comment.

Josh Richards, Noah Beck, and Griffin Johnson start $15m venture capital fund TikTok: Griffin JohnsonJosh Richards, Noah Beck, and Griffin Johnson, three of TikTok’s most popular content creators, have just banded together to form a new $15 million venture capital fund. TikTok stars are continuing to branch out with new endeavors and Animal Capital is the latest attempt from three of the biggest names on the platform. The brand new venture capital fund aims to be the first with a specific Gen-Z focus, launching with Richards, Beck, and Johnson at the helm. Together, the new $15 million fund will function as any other traditional venture group. From fundraising to assistance with large-scale launches, the young influencers aim to assist startup companies in reaching a “new generation of consumers.” “With the team we’ve assembled, I have no doubt that Animal Capital will set a new standard in the investment space,” Richards said in the announcement. At more than 60 million TikTok followers combined, along with millions more across other social platforms, the three influencers believe they can “really affect business outcomes” for emerging brands. With the guidance of Marshall Sandman, formerly of WarnerMedia, and Michael Gruen, founder of a prolific talent agency, the team has already been busy. In the past 12 months, Animal Capital has invested in a number of startups, including new beverage company Super Coffee and unique smartphone app Breakr. “We want to set an example for other digital creators who maybe haven’t thought about how to leverage their value,” Gruen said. “Digital creators have a lot to offer, they are uniquely tapped into the culture.” View this post on Instagram Animal Capital is also launching with a litany of diverse advisors. Read More: How does Pokimane make money? – From Justin Kan, co-founder of Twitch, to Sukhinder Singh Cassidy, former Google executive, the team is full of experienced investors.

Blizzard working on new unannounced FPS project Blizzard EntertainmentSeveral job postings on the Blizzard Entertainment careers page paint an interesting picture of what the company is working on next. One of the listings is for a “senior combat developer” to work on an “unannounced project”. “Blizzard Entertainment is seeking a talented and passionate senior/lead combat designer with FPS design experience to architect and lead core combat design for an unannounced multiplayer project,” the listing reads. The company released its first FPS, Overwatch, in 2016. Also to note, the listing asks that the applicant, “have proven experience designing moment-to-moment gameplay, controls, weapons, and abilities for modern AAA multiplayer titles” and they possess a “deep passion for and knowledge of Blizzard franchises”. In 2018, IGN reported that Blizzard appeared to be moving ahead with a first-person game it had been building an engine for back in 2016. It’s unclear if this job is for the same unannounced project. It’s also possible this unannounced project is related to an established Blizzard franchise. A recent Kotaku article revealed that Blizzard cancelled plans for a StarCraft FPS game that used the Overwatch engine to focus on Overwatch 2 and Diablo 4. This is relevant because there are listings, yet again for an unannounced project, that make reference to a shared game engine. One listing is for a technical lead with a deep understanding of automation. The listing asks that the candidate have experience “shipping AAA cross-platform games”. The last Blizzard games to be cross-platform were Overwatch and Diablo. Speaking of which, the final job posting of note is for an executive director for an unannounced Diablo title. “We’re working on a new, unannounced Diablo project. Are you a skilled Executive Producer? Come work with us, and together we will build something extraordinary,” the post reads. It’s possible we could learn more about these projects come early November at Blizzcon.

Immortals raise $26m after departing Call of Duty League Tina Jo/Riot GamesImmortals Gaming Club have raised $26 million in Series B-1 funding following the sale of their Call of Duty League franchise. [jwplayer WGyDcVLl] The company owns and operates Immortals, Brazilian brand MIBR, Overwatch League franchise Los Angeles Valiant, and Counter-Strike platform Gamers Club. The investment was raised to “fuel ongoing growth of the company’s core,” which is mainly their team brands. Meg Whitman, a board member and existing investor, led the funding round. She previously served as the CEO of eBay, Quibi, and Hewlett Packard (HP) Enterprise. Immortals Gaming Club just sold one of their flagship brands, OpTic Gaming Los Angeles. The Call of Duty League franchise slot has been acquired by 100 Thieves and rebranded as the Los Angeles Thieves, while the OpTic brand is expected to now be owned by Hector ‘H3CZ’ Rodriguez. “IGC is focused on investing aggressively in growth in competitive gaming, inclusive of our platform, non-team assets such as Gamers Club, and our core team brands Immortals and MIBR,” said Ari Segal, CEO of Immortals Gaming Club. “We’ve enjoyed strong growth in our non-team asset portfolio and are excited to leverage a strong balance sheet and focus our energy, time, capital, and other resources on these aspects of the business, as well as current and future esports team assets that authentically serve and deliver for gaming communities around the world.” Immortals Gaming Club acquired the OpTic Gaming brand when they purchased Infinite Esports & Entertainment in June 2019. They also obtained Overwatch League brand Houston Outlaws, which was later sold to Beasley Media Group. On selling their Call of Duty League slot to 100 Thieves, IGC board member Steve Cohen said: “IGC’s vertical integration and multi-pronged approach to brand building affords us the ability to repeatedly check our performance and impact in the market in real time.”

How YouTube’s biggest kids channel became $10m company in a year Moonbug EntertainmentMoonbug Entertainment, the company behind the popular children’s YouTube channels Cocomelon and Little Baby Bum, which sold for millions of dollars in 2018, has posted huge financial results. The company’s accounts were filed to Companies House, the UK’s register of firms, days before Christmas, and show an enormous rise in the value of its intellectual property, trademarks and content production arms. Moonbug Entertainment, which employed an average of 80 people in 2019, the year for which the accounts are made — up from 19 in 2018 — runs a number of companies in the UK, USA, Australia, South Africa and the Netherlands. Overall the group of companies saw an increase in the value of its assets, but the single Moonbug company itself saw the largest increase. At the start of 2019, the company owned intellectual property worth £346,258, and its content production arm was valued at just under £50,000. The company had no trademarks of monetary value. Within 12 months, the value of its intellectual property had ballooned to more than £9 million, while its content production arm increased to become a £1.1 million business itself. An increase in trademarking content meant it also increased to £172,032. Overall, the company’s so-called “intangible assets” increased in value 25-fold within a year. How Moonbug grew the Little Baby Bum brand Cocomelon, which boasts over 100m subs, is hugely popular with kids who enjoy its mix of songs, nursery rhymes and children’s stories. Similarly, Little Baby Bum has taken off with content in a similar vein, reaching almost 35m subs at the time of writing and only going up. Moonbug representatives declined repeated requests to comment for this story, but Derek Baird, author of “The Gen Z Frequency,” a book about targeting younger audiences through marketing, who was director of consumer product development at Disney Interactive, believes the financial figures are a sign of Moonbug’s massive success. “For a new kids’ media company, your Achilles Heel will always be content,” he says. “First, you have to create quality content that resonates with kids. Secondly, if you’re successful on the first point, you have to produce enough content to continually feed the content beast. This strategy hinges on a company being willing to make sizeable short-term investments in content development and production for future release, profits, and IP monetisation.” Ian Shepherd, founder and CEO at The Social Store, which manages large child-focused YouTubers in the UK such as Tiana Wilson, agrees that Moonbug’s growth is extraordinary. “With a number of the leadership team coming from Disney, they were one of the first to see the opportunity to create new Disney-like properties out of existing YouTube first content,” he says. “They are now leveraging these hugely popular global shows to create what will quickly become highly profitable consumer products brands.” Moonbug has already licensed out the Little Baby Bum brand to produce toys for Little Tikes, and in August 2020 appointed a company to work on licensing deals for clothing, bedding and traditional and digital publishing — mimicking the rise of Ryan’s World, the YouTube channel of Ryan Kaji, which has become a one-stop merch shop. Acquiring YouTube sensation Cocomelon Moonbug’s July 2020 purchase of Cocomelon, YouTube’s third-largest channel by subscribers, is also a factor in the company’s extraordinary financial results. A range of toys, which varied in cost between $5 and $20, were selling so quickly the company producing them struggled to replenish stock, according to Tubefilter. “Much of Moonbug Studio’s stratospheric growth in the kids streaming space can be traced to their July 2020 acquisition of Cocomelon, which has surpassed 100 million subscribers on YouTube and has garnered nearly 100 billion views on the platform,” says Baird. And that means that come December 2021, when Moonbug’s 2020 financial results are reported, there’ll likely be an even bigger bump in the value of its intellectual property and trademarks. “In the next year you should expect to see the shops full of Cocomelon and Blippi toys and apparel in place of other kids IP that hasn’t made the transition to digital, or has struggled with new content due to covid,” says Shepherd.

How WallStreetBets took GameStop “to the moon” – the $GME stock saga, as it happened ShutterstockThis time last year, GameStop shares — “$GME” on the stock market — were worth $4.13USD a piece. Almost exactly a year later, just one of the dying game store’s shares spiked at an incredible $492.02 each. Here’s how WallStreetBets looked to ‘beat’ their Wall Street counterparts, and in the process, sent their investments “to the moon.” The entire internet has been awash with one thing this week: video game retailer GameStop, or rather “$GME,” and how a group of meme-powered internet investors in the /r/WallStreetBets subreddit guided its shares to an incredible 11,913.3% spike. The “$GME” saga didn’t happen overnight though. Sure, it was helped on through recent twists in the tale (Elon Musk jumping on board, the mainstream media picking it up, and Wall Street finally taking notice), but this has been a story months and months in the making. Here’s how more than two million self-described “morons” on a Reddit trading page largely dedicated to memes sparked GameStop’s wild ride — as it happened. Contents: What is a “short-squeeze”? – Meet the ‘heroes’: /r/WallStreetBets – GameStop stock explodes — how it happened Sep, 2019: Burry’s Scion presser – Apr, 2020: “Biggest short squeeze of your life” – Aug, 2020: Ryan Cohen reveals $5.8m stake – Sep, 2020: 70% of shorts “underwater” – Dec, 2020: $GME climbs to $19.26 – Jan 14, 2021: We have liftoff – Jan 25-27, 2021: The $GME investment goes viral – 8am, Jan 27, 2021: “Gamestonk!!” – 5pm, Jan 27, 2021: /r/WallStreetBets goes dark – Jan 28, 2021: $GME hits $469 high – Jan 29, 2021: Trending down? – – So what happens next? – What is a “short-squeeze”? This won’t take long, but to understand the story, you must have an idea of “shorting” stocks, a “short-squeeze,” and why it played such a big role in the still-unfolding GameStop saga. First, “shorting” a stock basically means betting on them going down. A short-seller will borrow shares from one party, and sell to another. When the price falls, they buy back those shares — at a cheaper price — and return them to the original owner. Then, a “short-squeeze” is when the gamble doesn’t pay off. If the stock begins spiking again, short-sellers have to buy back in to avoid owing more on what they borrowed. That, in turn, causes the price to climb even higher than it may have originally without the push. Read more: TheStockGuy explains $GME in simplest way – Note: GameStop was the most shorted stock on Wall Street this year. Meet the ‘heroes’: WallStreetBets Enter /r/WallStreetBets. At this stage, the popular Reddit forum is just a touch under two million strong, and regularly chasing easy money on penny stocks and punts. The phrase “going to the moon” is a big one in WallStreetBets. There’s also rocket ships, “diamond hands,” and a number of less than publishable slurs that are thrown around on the subreddit that worships the ‘Wolf of Wall Street’. Users will post their long-term punts — and short term losses — for the masses to critique, laugh at, or even join in on. Obsessions like “SPY”, “YY”, and “TSLA” regularly pop up for weeks at a time, with the whole forum pushing the shares. 18 months ago, a new contender emerged: “$GME.” There were plenty of doubters over the stock, and fair enough. The brick-and-mortar video game store was being choked out by online purchases, and struggling to stay afloat. Read more: AOC addresses GameStop stock drama on Twitch – On Sep. 8, 2019, however, the first turn of the wheel happened. ‘DeepF**kingValue,’ a user on the forum, revealed he had invested $53,566 in GME. He was called a few less than savory things, but he stuck to his beliefs. And, he delivered what turned out to be a very prophetic message. “This is just the beginning.” GameStop stock explodes — as it happened September, 2019 ($GME at $4.41) Fast-forward to mid-2020, and /u/DeepF**kingValue has already seen a spike in his $GME stocks. He came back talking (not really boasting) about his “tendies” — WallStreetBet’s word for profits, referencing chicken tenders — and more eager, interested Reddit investors took notice. The reason? Burry’s Scion released a presser urging GameStop to buy back $23m in shares. Equally, Seeking Alpha suggested shorting the shares was a mistake. WallStreetBets wasn’t quite sold yet, even with GME’s first spike. April, 2020 ($GME at $4.74) Half a year later, there had been very little movement for GameStop. It hadn’t dipped, even as the world went into lockdown, but wasn’t growing either. Until another post appeared on /r/WallStreetBets. The self-proclaimed shill from Senior_Hedgehog sold a simple gamble: “The biggest short squeeze of your entire life.” According to the Redditor, 84% of GameStop’s stocks had been held short by Wall Street investors. It was a chance to take the “war” to short-sellers. The April 13 post began a slow roll. The shares lifted 22% that day, and another 26% the next. It was an 18-year record for GME. August, 2020 ($GME at $5.39) And now we come to the turning point. DeepF**kingValue had been around for some time, mainly posting GIFs and warding off doubters. Hedgehog had done his part too, but it was just a rustle. On Aug. 31, however, Chewy Inc co-founder Ryan Cohen disclosed a 5.8m share stake in GameStop through his RC Ventures. A 24% surge followed soon after. September, 2020 ($GME at $8.75) One final push came in the final months of 2020. A post, “Bankrupting Institutional Investors for Dummies, ft GameStop,” laid out the new plan: it wasn’t just about making “tendies” for /r/WallStreetBets anymore. It wasn’t (totally) about going “to the moon.” Redditors had seen a chance to stick to short-sellers and big-time investors. 70% of shorts were already “underwater” (not making a profit anymore). The “biggest short squeeze” was on its way. December, 2020 ($GME at $19.26) By the end of the year, the explosion was in full effect. $GME has rocketed to $19.26. And it wasn’t done; January was right around the corner. January 14, 2021 ($GME at $39.91) The climb really began in mid-January. GameStop shares had already begun rising, with $4 up to $20 a fantastic surge, but /r/WallStreetBets, and DeepF**kingValue were far from done. There was one rallying cry: “HE’S STILL IN, I’M STILL IN.” January 25-27, 2021 ($GME at $76.79, to $351.94) Here, the saga goes viral. The WallStreetBets war had been simmering away for weeks, and hardened “morons” on the subreddit had been following closely for any scraps on when to buy in, when to double-down, and when to sell. On January 25, however, the internet weighed in. The price explosion went truly viral. Mainstream media began reporting on the story, and that in term brought in more and more investors eager to grab a slice of the pie while it was still hot. Stocks began to rocket, and the $76.79 began to climb rapidly. January 25, $GME closed at $76.79 – The next day, $147.68 was the stock’s top spike. – Then, Wednesday toppled that ($351.94). – The $GME was well and truly on its way “to the moon,” and nearly $500. 8am, January 27, 2021 ($GME at $351.94) “Gamestonk!!” It was a simple tweet from Elon Musk amid all the GameStop excitement, but one that helped keep the momentum going. The share had dipped down to $301, before a $44 surge thanks to the Tesla guru. Any threats of an early dip faded away. 7pm, January 27, 2021 ($GME at $335.82) /r/WallStreetBets goes dark. The subreddit moderators took the forum offline for more than an hour, mentioning they were “suffering from success.” The subreddit, which now boasts over 5.38m followers as of publication, did come back online soon after. It was flooded with memes, cries to “HOLD!” and praise for those that had stuck through the dips and their “diamond hands.” Around the same time, the /r/WSB official Discord was banned for “hate speech.” GameStop stock, $GME has just reached over 300, with a total market cap of over $21 billion, as Reddit day traders continue to send the price soaring… pic.twitter.com/ithyG1yrwt — Dexerto (@Dexerto) January 27, 2021 January 28, 2021 ($GME at $469.42) The next day, GameStop would go on to hit its highest peak yet — a $469.42 high that it hasn’t been able to replicate since. This seems to have been “the moon.” Trading app Robinhood has halted trading on GameStop, AMC, Blackberry and Nokia, stating “”This stock is not supported on Robinhood.”” This is as GameStop stock continues to surge. pic.twitter.com/3mQ6zaeUfy — Dexerto (@Dexerto) January 28, 2021 January 29, 2021 ($GME at $197.44) Sellers have begun throwing their weight around on the market. A sharp dip to open the market on January 29 has seen the $GME stock slide as low as $193.60. According to his daily “YOLO” update post, DeepF**kingValue lost over $13m worth of value in 24 hours. And that brings us to the current day, where $GME is a smidge under $200. So what happens next? Unfortunately, for now, it looks like the bubble may have burst. There’s already crack-downs coming from Wall Street — which /r/WallStreetBets is less than pleased about — and popular trading app Robinhood has restricted trading, leading to a huge dip in price. There’s still plenty to come in the GameStop saga, however. WSB has declared the plan far from over, and DeepF**kingValue has more call options up to April 2021 (his last were on January 15, right before the spike). He’s “still in.” High-profile politicians, like Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, are also beginning to wade into the issue. Paul A. Gosar has even gone as far as calling for “an immediate investigation” into Robinhood, and its hedge fund owner, Melvin Capital. For now, it seems like GameStop got it right 40 years ago when they first started their marketing campaigns: it really is “power to the players.”

How Microsoft’s Activision Blizzard deal is hurting Sony already SonyMicrosoft’s nearly $70 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard was a massive shock to both gamers and the stock market since the January 18 deal. Sony’s stock has already taken a massive dip, losing $20 billion market value in one day. On January 19, Sony Group Corp. shares dropped 13% after it was announced competitor Microsoft were acquiring gaming giant Activision Blizzard. The $20 billion drop for Sony was the company’s biggest fall in value since 2008, which stemmed from a recall of 100,000 computer batteries. Sony stock plummets after Microsoft’s Activision Blizzard deal Activision Blizzard now join the legion of other Microsoft acquisitions over the past few years, like ZeniMax Media, Obsidian Entertainment, and Mojang. In Microsoft’s announcement of the deal, they noted there are now over 25 million subscribers to Xbox Game Pass and PC Game Pass. Further, they revealed intentions to “offer as many Activision Blizzard games as we can” on the services. As explained by Bloomberg, Sony rely on roughly 30% of their revenue from network services and gaming, with a reliance on solid exclusive titles and hardware sales. Economic strategist Amir Anvarzadeh told Bloomberg, “with Call of Duty now most likely to be added exclusively to the Game Pass roster, the headwinds for Sony are only going to get tougher.” Since being acquired by Microsoft, Activision Blizzard stock has jumped roughly $20 a share as confidence has risen that the company can get back on its feet after an ugly 2021.

Activision-Blizzard’s sale to Microsoft nearly thwarted by rival company MicrosoftDetails of Microsoft’s groundbreaking acquisition of Activision-Blizzard in January 2022 are coming to light as the two companies file details of the merger to the SEC. In the 100-page filing, Blizzard representatives have shared how quickly the sale came together, as well as other competitors nearly thwarting it. Microsoft’s bombshell acquisition of Activision-Blizzard took the gaming world by storm in January 2022. The sale, valued at nearly $70 billion, is Microsoft’s biggest to date, picking up the iconic developer and bringing them under their gaming wing. “This acquisition will accelerate the growth in Microsoft’s gaming business across mobile, PC, console, and cloud and will provide building blocks for the metaverse,” Microsoft said. The acquisition will make them the third-largest gaming company in the world, behind Tencent (owner of Riot Games and part-owner of Epic Games) and Sony. While the merger isn’t expected to settle until June 2023, details of it are being questioned in a recent Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) filing. It outlines just how quickly the Activision-Blizzard merger with Microsoft came together and the competition Microsoft was facing. Activision-Blizzard acquisition came to fruition within a week Talks between Bobby Kotick and Phil Spencer started on November 19, 2021, with the Microsoft Gaming boss raising interest in “strategic opportunities between Activision-Blizzard and Microsoft.” Over the course of a week, Microsoft discussed the idea of a merger, coming to the table with an offer as quickly as November 26 — just a week after the idea of partnering up was floated. The discussion from there until January 17, 2022 — the day the merger was announced — ironed out specifics of the deal. However, that wasn’t without other companies coming to Activision-Blizzard with their own offers. There were three other companies, referred to in the filing as Companies C, D, and E, that were interested in acquiring Activision-Blizzard. One of them was looking at potentially splitting Activision and Blizzard up, but it wasn’t as tantalizing as Microsoft’s offer. The exact names of these companies haven’t been confirmed, but it’s rumored one of Tencent or Sony could have potentially tried to swoop in. The deal was basically set in stone following the signing of a 30-day exclusivity commitment which blocked competitors from getting access to long-term financial records. Company D was the final party interested up until December 20, when Blizzard signed that agreement with Microsoft and blocked them out. While Microsoft didn’t match Activision-Blizzard’s initial request of $100 per share, the deal was settled at $95. The company’s initial proposal came in at $80 per share, with nearly 780 million shares in circulation. Activision-Blizzard’s sale isn’t confirmed yet though — a vote is expected to be held for stakeholders later in 2022. Blizzard, unsurprisingly, has pushed stakeholders to vote for the proposal. Both companies have put in termination fees upwards of $2 billion if the sale falls through for one reason or another. The merger process will take months, if not years, but both parties are aiming for a June 2023 finalization. If it goes through, executive bosses at Blizzard will be earning upwards of $10 million each, with Bobby Kotick receiving $14.6 million. COO Daniel Alegre will get the biggest share with a more than $29 million bonus. Activision-Blizzard faced controversy in 2021 after a number of lawsuits were filed against the company over sexual harassment and discrimination. Phil Spencer himself stated he was “deeply concerned” over Activision-Blizzard’s handling of the allegations. Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella has promised to “usher in a new era of gaming…[that’s] safe, inclusive, and accessible to all” with the sale.

Hitmarker aim to raise £200,000 from fans to expand into new markets HitmarkerGaming and esports jobs platform Hitmarker are planning to launch their second crowdfunding campaign to expand into new locations. Aiming to raise at least £200,000 in exchange for 4% equity, the UK-based company will use the money raised to set up localized platforms for markets in Asia, Europe, and Latin America. Specifically, they will hire 10 more staff members over the next two years to accommodate jobs in esports hot spots such as Brazil, China, Japan, and Spain. They’re also looking to create the “first truly global professional network for gamers.” This upcoming funding values Hitmarker at £4.8m, well over double the £1.9m figure they were valued at just a year ago. In November 2019 they raised £200,000 in their first crowdfunding initiative, achieving 250% of their £80,000 target. Raising the stakes “Our previous campaign enabled us to almost immediately double our headcount from five full-time staff to 10, which in turn allowed us to transition from just covering esports to covering the entire video game industry as well in March,” Hitmarker’s managing director Rich Huggan told Dexerto. “We’ve since been able to increase the volume of live opportunities on Hitmarker by over 1,000%, from around 1,200 esports jobs last November to over 12,000 esports and video game jobs now.” After drastically increasing the number of jobs they compile — which, usefully, further consolidates the gaming and esports jobs market — they’re seeking additional capital to keep their growth going. There are plenty of localized markets that could be better served and Hitmarker are looking to tap into those going into 2021 and beyond. “This next raise is intended to help us broaden our coverage even further by beginning to create the first truly global professional network for the esports and video game industry,” he said. “In the coming weeks and months, we’re going to hire at least a further five full-time staff so that we can roll out fully localized hiring platforms for Brazil, Spain, Japan, and China. The feature set of our platform is going to increase dramatically in 2021, too.” While their new goal of £200,000 is on par with the amount they raised this time last year, there’s a potential to raise over twice the amount of the baseline figure once again. With more users than ever and a growing valuation, Hitmarker are feeling bullish about their chances with this next round of investment. “Having hit our £200,000 upper limit last November, we felt it was a fair minimum target for this raise,” said Huggan. “In reality, we’ll be disappointed if we don’t raise at least twice that amount this time around. Crowdcube always told us that the first raise is the most difficult, and we don’t think last year could have gone much better than it did. We’ve now got an existing network of 380 engaged investors to lean on, and we learned a lot from last year’s campaign.” Forgoing esports tradition In esports, it’s become the norm to raise investment from venture capitalists with numbers in the millions becoming commonplace. With Hitmarker’s crowdfunding efforts, as well as Fnatic’s current ongoing fan-funded efforts, smaller companies are being shown that there are other paths to go down when seeking funding. Not only that but, as Huggan explained, he’s consciously avoiding venture capital. “I’ve yet to meet a VC that I’d want anywhere near Hitmarker and I’ve heard too many horror stories from companies both inside and outside of esports who’ve gone down that road and regretted it later,” he said. “Maybe I’ve just met the wrong ones, but we’ve never regretted our decision to crowdfund for a minute and we’ve gained some tremendous investors in the process. A number of them have been invaluable to the business this year.” In theory, when esports and gaming grow so do Hitmarker. With more companies spawning as too do career opportunities, especially with more investment flooding into these industries. Hitmarker have a clear path in mind to capitalize on such growth, though they’re cognizant of the fact that they’re not yet serving every geographical market as well as they could be doing. This crowdfunding effort will help them to remedy that. “The future is Brazilian Portuguese, Spanish, Japanese, and Chinese versions of the Hitmarker platform, all complete with dedicated customer service and the same noise-free, hand-curated feed our English-speaking users benefit from,” said Huggan. “The future is the first truly global professional network dedicated to the esports and video game industry. Hopefully, the future is also a very decent return for ourselves and all of our investors.” As with many startups, monetization is on the mind. It’s all fine and dandy being able to continuously raise money when the well starts to dry, but actual revenue streams are needed to be a sustainable company. “We’re on track for 100% annual growth in revenue in 2020,” he said. “We’ve seen a significant uptick in the number of companies hiring directly through Hitmarker and promoting their listings on the platform, while we’ve also added data sales to our income streams this year too. Our partnerships with recruitment specialists RGF Executive Search, New Level Recruiting, and the Executives in Sport Group should start bearing fruit in early 2021.” Hitmarker are the de facto platform when it comes to finding a new job in gaming and esports, and it doesn’t seem like they’re resting on their laurels. While the jury is out as to whether their second round of raising money from gamers and esports fans will once again eclipse their expectations, they’ve helped thousands of people find opportunities and they may just fancy repaying the favor.

Hershey’s partners up with Ninja and DrLupo for the release of brand new candy bar at TwitchCon Hershey’s has enlisted the help of popular Twitch streamers Tyler ‘Ninja’ Blevins and Ben ‘DrLupo’ Lupo for the release of its brand new candy bar. The newest addition to Hershey’s line of legendary confections is the mashup of their iconic milk chocolate bar with Reese’s Pieces peanut butter and chocolate candies. In order to maximize the promotion for their new chocolate bar, the company has partnered with Ninja and DrLupo, who will be live-streaming with Hershey’s on their own Twitch channels starting at 1 PM PT / 4 PM EDT on Tuesday, October 23. The new chocolate bar will be officially unveiled during this year’s TwitchCon, which is set to take place October 26-28 in San Jose, CA. Hershey’s will have its own booth at the event, and the two Twitch superstars will make an appearance on Saturday, October 27 to hand out the new candy from 7-8 PM PT / 10-11 PM ET. It was reported by PR Week that the company used an esport marketing agency called Ader to scout the streaming community, and the results indicated that Ninja and DrLupo were the perfect content creators to approach. It’s not clear whether this partnership is intended to be long-term, or is only for the promotional release of the new candy bar at TwitchCon. Read More: OpTic’s Scump reveals pictures of his new house while it was still in the building process – However, the list of non-gaming related companies and corporations getting involved in gaming continues to grow. Ninja himself has numerous partnerships, including with Uber Eats and Samsung, while DrLupo has a strong affiliation with King Coast Coffee Company, among other entities.

Helix eSports & ggCircuit set for $43m purchase by Esports Ent Group Esports Entertainment GroupEsports tournament organizer and gambling company Esports Entertainment Group are set to acquire Helix eSports and ggCircuit for $43m. [jwplayer R6p1wjEO] Esports Entertainment Group have bolstered their offering in the past few months to include event operations, a mobile games studio, and a casino operator. Helix eSports owns and operates two esports entertainment centers in the United States, offering casual play, professional tournaments, high school leagues, and boot camps. Helix also owns Genji Analytics and LANduel. The former is a provider of analytics that uses “computer vision, natural language process, and machine learning tools” to improve broadcasts and talent-scouting, whereas the latter is a player-vs-player wagering platform that they hope will be introduced to other centers through ggCircuit once it has been proven at Helix’s locations. ggCircuit offers esports services to centers, providing cloud-based management software and a rewards system. They have worked with companies such as GameStop, Dell, Lenovo, and Best Buy. With the proposed acquisition of online tournament provider and broadcaster EGL in August 2020, Esports Entertainment Group now have a suite of companies that can provide a full service to game developers. Most recently, they partnered with sports franchises Los Angeles Kings and Los Angeles Galaxy to host their esports tournaments. The company’s esports betting company VIE.gg serves as the naming sponsor of North American organization’s Dignitas team in Counter-Strike: Global Offensive. “With the acquisition of Helix and ggCircuit, we have created the most diversified, US-listed esports entertainment asset in the entire ecosystem,” said Grant Johnson, CEO of Esports Entertainment Group. “These acquisitions significantly strengthen our Three Pillar Strategy, adding state-of-the-art esports entertainment centers, an esports-focused vertical enterprise software business, a best-in-class esports analytics platform, and a player-vs-player skill-based wagering platform to our diversified asset base.”

Halo Infinite Creative Director leaves 343 Industries after leadership shakeup MicrosoftThe creative director for 2020’s Halo Infinite has left 343 Industries after a leadership shakeup at the company. Veteran Tim Longo, who was also the creative director for Halo 5: Guardians, had been moved to another role as Infinite moved through development. Microsoft confirmed Longo had left the company in a statement to Kotaku. 600 “Roles and responsibilities of various team members regularly evolve to meet the needs of a game, throughout development. We have recently had two changes to the Halo Infinite development team. Our Executive Producer, Mary Olson will now take charge of the Campaign team on Halo Infinite as the Lead Producer, utilizing her many years of experience at 343 to help craft a great campaign for fans,” Microsoft said. The company went on to thank Longo for his work on Halo, “Additionally, Tim Longo has recently departed our team and we are truly thankful for his many contributions to our games, our studio and the Halo universe. We wish Tim nothing but the best in his future endeavors.” The company went on to write that while Longo has left, the release date remains set for holiday 2020 and launch title for the next-gen Xbox known as “Scarlett”. 343 Industries has previously stated that Halo Infinite would be a “spiritual reboot” to the franchise. A “spiritual reboot” “We don’t want to simply build a sequel, we want to build on the story and invention that has gone before and take the gameplay and narrative in bold new directions, while honoring the legacy that fans have fallen in love with for almost twenty years,” they wrote in a blog post. “The universe will continue the continuity of Halo 5 and in that sense contain the adventures that led up to this moment, but in the pursuit of our ‘spiritual reboot’ and the launch of a new console, we also want to make sure that this is a perfect starting point for new players too.” “This story will mark the beginning of a new chapter and challenge for the Chief, but it will also respect and continue threads that led to this point. If you’ve never played a Halo game before, this will be a great place to jump into the story.” More information on Halo Infinite and Project Scarlett is expected in the coming months.

Guild’s executive chairman on David Beckham’s involvement & future plans Guild EsportsGuild Esports exploded onto the scene just a few months ago, making headlines and receiving criticism along the way. The organization’s executive chairman Carleton Curtis speaks on David Beckham’s involvement, the reception they have received so far, and what’s to come. [jwplayer Yi1e25kP] “Our general thesis in esports and sports is when it comes to teams, there’s a finite amount that truly matters. When I mention that I want to be in the same conversation as TSM and Cloud9 in one or two years, that’s my short-term goal. My long-term goal is to be in the same conversation as Manchester United, FC Barcelona, the Dallas Cowboys,” that’s how Dexerto’s conversation with Curtis ended, but how does the organization plan to make it there? Being an organization that is not only based in the United Kingdom but actively representing it hasn’t been fruitful for many brands looking to make a name worldwide. The likes of Fnatic and Excel Esports have transcended their roots, but that’s not the same fate that many others have been subjected to at this point in the industry’s evolution. “There’s a lot of reasons why we think the UK market is important,” Curtis told Dexerto. “To start, it’s a top 10 market for overall gaming revenue so it’s clearly a huge market for video games. On the UK team organization side, despite having some strong legacy orgs like Excel Esports and Fnatic, we fundamentally believe none of them have done a good job or focused on unlocking that tribal loyalty and the hearts and minds of the fan base in the UK. “There are different approaches, but we don’t believe their primary motives have been to win over that market and we believe that the market has been starved. London Spitfire is in that same category. They’ve clearly been successful but they haven’t done a lot in the local market to activate.” The aforementioned Manchester United, for example, have managed to outgrow their roots and establish a truly global fan base, not to mention a commercial appeal to match. This is where Guild Esports sees themselves in the future, based in the United Kingdom but not limited by it. “We don’t want to position ourselves in the way a lot of the franchised leagues have,” he explained. “We’re not a city-based team — one of the comparisons we make is with James Bond, he’s clearly a UK brand but wherever you are in the world you know who he is. That’s the approach we’re taking with our brand.” Earlier today, on October 21st, Guild Esports stepped out of its theoretical geographical boundary by signing the Valorant team formerly known as Bonk that is made up entirely of Swedish players. “Are we only going to hire UK-based pros? That’s certainly the first lens that we filter our decision-making process through but let’s face it, the UK market is strong in some esports — like Call of Duty and FIFA — but League of Legends and Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, for example, not so great so we have to look elsewhere for top pros,” Curtis told us. “We’ve been talking to Bonk for months now and they’ve been a top-ranked team since the game came out,” he continued. “On top of that, they have some of the best personalities in all of esports. We’ve believed in Bonk since day one and every conversation has improved over time, the opportunity with a UK-based team was there but we were already committed and marching to the same vision so we thought this was the right thing to do.” Besides the involvement and ambassador-status of the incredibly-famous David Beckham, Guild Esports stands out as being one of the few esports organizations to go public. After raising £20m ($26.3m) just before their IPO launch, they successfully completed their floatation on the London Stock Exchange at the impressive figure of £41.2m ($54.3m). This was met with mixed reactions by the esports community, many of whom ridiculed the notion that Guild could be valued so highly despite being relatively new and not having the assets of an organization that has been around for years. “It was strange that a lot of people were questioning how we could be valued at such a price while only having two teams; our prospectus that lays out our business plan mentions four games,” Curtis said. Despite it being an irregular occurrence to go public if you’re a team brand, it certainly has its benefits. Not only does the novelty of it generate headlines and community speculation, but it can provide a lot of capital to make growth happen — and quickly. “Going public allows Guild to scale as a company much more quickly than without the IPO process, it enhances our company profile, democratizing the process for fans to participate in our inventory,” he added. “In our case, you can now afford to buy into Guild if you think it’s a good investment — that type of opportunity doesn’t exist elsewhere on a major exchange like in London or New York. “It allows us to recruit, retain, and incentivize our staff, pros, and content creators. Not only can we pay them a base salary, but we can also offer them upside in the company through warrants and that’s a really unique advantage that we have.” The primary reason that people are watching Guild with a close eye, and the fact that mainstream media is giving a rare moment of attention to esports, is the aforementioned inclusion of Beckham. As well as being a minority owner, The Esports Observer read the prospectus and reported that the former professional footballer would be paid almost $20m throughout five years to serve as an ambassador for the organization. This isn’t an everyday occurrence and caught the attention of many, leading to long-lasting conversations, judgement, and further scepticism. “The odds are stacked against us in every possible way. There’s so much for us to prove, it’s difficult for us to really be at the level we want to be at — we want to be in the conversation with tier-one organisations quick, in one to two years, with the likes of Cloud9, TSM, and 100 Thieves,” Curtis explained. “The scepticism is absolutely valid. When I was recruited for this role and I heard we’d have an IPO and would be involving Beckham, it sounded like a hoax to me. I had a very cushy job at Activision Blizzard Esports and we had incredible momentum so when I was approached, I was sceptical myself. It just didn’t make sense.” This soon changed once he met with the co-founders and fully understood what they were looking to achieve with Guild, changing what’s perhaps the normal route of launching an organization and intentionally breaking the mould. “We’re as authentic as it gets and we have really smart people on our team,” he told Dexerto. “This isn’t the David Beckham show, he’s not making all of the decisions — he has a very specific role, he’s an investor and he’s our consumer face of the brand but there are clearly a lot of elements of the company that he can’t fulfil. “One of the knocks against Beckham was how much we paid him in this commercial deal and it just makes me chuckle because, in the industry, it’s a common narrative that it’s very difficult for esports organizations to make money. Whether the narrative is true or not, that’s the narrative. So when I hear business advice from that community about how we’re spending our money, I just laugh; should I follow a plan that’s not working or try something new?” Having celebrity investors is nothing new in esports. From Post Malone’s recent investment in Envy Gaming to Drake’s industry-rattling involvement with 100 Thieves since October 2018, it’s almost becoming standard to see a giant from the entertainment industry backing a team. “We’re not unique in that we have a celebrity attached to our organization, but elsewhere it’s been a one-off press release,” Curtis said. “They invest and then disappear. If you’re going to partner with a celebrity then not leverage their influence then that’s a missed opportunity. He’s an investor but we’re also paying him an influencer fee just like every other organization is doing with their own influencers. “For us to work with Beckham and not use his influence is ridiculous. He is a door-opener for our company that has just been profoundly positive. The amount of press we’ve gotten has been nuts. He’s got promotional obligations but this type of stuff, you can’t even put a price tag on.” While the interest garnered by Beckham’s co-ownership in Guild will carry them forward for the foreseeable future, it’s perhaps not a sustainable method to build infrastructure and legacy upon. The organization is banking on an academy model, which Curtis believes has been “half-assed,” to usher in the future of esports and further separate his organization from the pack. “Academy is not a sexy conversation in esports and we fundamentally believe that’s an opportunity and a huge gaping hole in the industry to fill,” he said. “We don’t expect to fix the academy problems that exist in esports on our own; a lot of teams have academies but no league or team has truly committed themselves to the system in a long-term way. “That ‘path to pro’ idea is something everybody believes in but nobody is really committed to. This is something we’re absolutely committing to over the next five years. We will have a physical environment in the UK for our academies but we’ll also have a digital product that makes us very unique, it’ll allow anybody in the world to enter our system. We live and play in a digital world but no teams have really invested in their digital products other than a Shopify storefront to sell stuff — besides Team Liquid. “There’s a lot of development to do with our system and product and you’ll not see it peak for a number of years but that’s how long it takes to really develop and build an academy,” Curtis concluded. “It’s a long-term investment.”

Guild signs “multi-million-pound” Subway sponsorship Guild Esports/SubwayBritish esports organization Guild have announced a two-year sponsorship from fast food franchise Subway that’s said to be worth millions of pounds. Co-owned by David Beckham, this is the third brand deal that the organization have announced since they went public on the London Stock Exchange in October 2020. While the exact financial details of the sponsorship have not been disclosed, it’s said that Guild will receive four cash instalments over the course of the two years. As part of the deal, Subway will be named the org’s official quick-service restaurant partner across 55 markets in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa (EMEA). Subway have obtained marketing rights and a spot on the organization’s jersey, and will produce content surrounding their players and creators for social media. Read More: Faker stars in collab with McDonald’s – A press release also confirms that Guild will open their headquarters in London later in 2021, in which their new sponsor will also have a presence. Additionally, the fast food chain will be heavily involved in the org’s upcoming academy system. “We are incredibly proud to partner with Subway, an iconic global brand,” said Guild’s executive chairman, Carleton Curtis. “This partnership is particularly exciting as we are completely aligned with Subway’s commitment to helping people make better choices. These shared values also provide a strong foundation for a unique relationship and participation in our Academy. We have received strong support from Subway and look forward to deepening our partnership for the long term.” https://twitter.com/guildesports/status/1374730798323089416 “The deal keeps Guild Esports on track to generate significant sponsorship revenues in its first full year since the IPO,” he continued. “As we build a young, dynamic community and fanbase that is much sought-after but hard to reach, our new business momentum continues to grow, and we look forward to announcing new sponsors in due course.” As well as their deal with gaming peripherals company HyperX, Guild announced a £3.6m sponsorship from a mystery financial technology company in October 2020. The company has still not been revealed as of March 2021.

Google reports YouTube made an eye-popping $15 billion in 2019 AlphabetFor the first time since acquiring the video-sharing platform, Google has lifted the lid on YouTube’s advertising revenue, and it turns out it’s a lot – according to reports, the site made a whopping $15.5 billion across all of 2019. It’s been 14 years since Google, now Alphabet Inc., first scooped up the video-sharing website in a huge $1.65 billion acquisition, bringing YouTube under its umbrella and changing the face of online entertainment forever. Now, nearly a decade and a half later, YouTube continues to change and adapt to the times, most recently moving into streaming in a major way to rival other platforms like current field frontrunner Twitch, and Microsoft’s Mixer. According to the newly released figures, it looks like the video platform is still very much on the rise, with US$15.5 billion revenue from last year accounting for nearly 10% of Google’s parent company’s overall US$162 billion income. In the earnings report, Alphabet chief financial officer Ruth Porat revealed the company had finally decided to lift the lid on YouTube, Google Cloud, and Google Search’s revenue numbers “to provide further insight and the opportunities ahead.” Much of this revenue has come from ads, which have begun appearing in sets of two or three across trending videos. In 2019, the report details, the site’s ad revenue increased by more than 35%, compared to Google’s 16% rise. YouTube taking the gaming world by storm It’s been no secret YouTube has been muscling into gaming and streaming territories over the past year, and their success in that department against other contenders is already being reflected with their huge revenue shares. To compare, YouTube’s reported $15 billion revenue overshadows Twitch’s earnings, initially projected to land around $500 million but eventually landing closer to $300m, by as much as 5000%, and that’s just a single year. It’s also been a bumper year for YouTube in the ongoing streaming wars too, with Google’s platform luring former Twitch-based 100 Thieves duo Jack ‘CouRage’ Dunlop and Rachell ‘Valkyrae’ Hofstetter, and Australian stars Elliot ‘Muselk’ Watkins and Lannon ‘Lazarbeam’ Eacott into exclusive deals. The platform also recently clinched key signatures in esports too, with Activision Blizzard and Google teaming up in a multi-year partnership to see the Call of Duty League and Overwatch League stream exclusively on YouTube Gaming. Onwards and upwards for YouTube Gaming While YouTube Gaming seems to have exploded financially, and has helped YouTube on its way to a huge year of revenue, many have complained that the experience while watching streamers has been less than stellar. All that seems to be on YouTube’s radar too, with platform-convert Valkyrae confirming she had been regularly meeting with the streaming team to “address issues” and make sure everything was running better into the future. “I have a meeting with YouTube Streaming… things that can be better, things that should be added, I already have a solid list,” Valkyrae said on February 1, then revealed after her meeting that she had “told them everything.” “Many things take time,” she added. “Many things they already know about, but I’m so happy with how the meeting went. Thank you all for your feedback!” I TOLD THEM E V E R Y T H I N G. Many things take time, many things they already know about but I’m so happy with how the meeting went!! ☺️🎉🎉🎉 thank you for the feedback!!! — RAE (@Valkyrae) January 31, 2020 Can YouTube retain its place at the top? The question now is: can YouTube hold onto its spot as the top dog in video sharing, and online content creation? Short-video platform Vine appeared as a challenger for a time, but eventually disappeared. Now TikTok, Byte, and streaming services like Netflix and Hulu have all emerged with more staying power to potentially rival the king. But, at the end of the day, YouTube’s figures land it at around 20% of all of the United State’s television ad spending for 2019 — it’s pretty clear the website isn’t going anywhere, and with the moves it’s making, it can only get bigger.

Gfinity Partners with Domino’s Pizza to Deliver Investment to Challenger and Elite Series Leading UK esports tournament organizer and solutions provider, Gfinity, has penned a multi-year deal with Domino’s, becoming commercial partners for Gfinity’s Challenger and Elite Series competitions. In a deal running until 2020, Domino’s will deliver ‘significant investment’ and in return will be featured throughout Gfinity broadcasts, including “bespoke content, broadcast and digital assets, player shirt sleeve branding, social media activations” and more. Gfinity’s Challenger and Elite Series feature tournaments in FIFA, Rocket League and Street Fighter V, and Domino’s involvement signals their desire to tap into a booming sector of entertainment. As Gfinity states, the global esports audience is estimated to reach 500 million by 2020, signalling “a fundamental shift in the way younger people spend their leisure time”, the perfect fit for a brand like Domino’s. It is the second non-endemic partner which Gfinity has secured, the first being shower gel and deodorant brand Lynx in March 2018. Garry Cook, Executive Chairman of Gfinity, explained that the deal with Domino’s proves the esports industry is becoming a main attraction for brands aiming to ‘connect’ with young consumers. “We are delighted to have entered into a multi-year strategic partnership with Domino’s. It is a testament to the continued growth of esports and the quality of the Gfinity Elite Series. Esports has become the entertainment of choice for brands looking to connect with young adult consumers. It is exciting, it is growing and it is full of opportunity. We look forward to working with Domino’s to create new and innovative ways to bring even more excitement and interest in the Elite Series.” We are delighted to announce that @Gfinity and @Dominos_UK are teaming up. As of today the Challenger Series and Elite Series UK will be Delivered by Domino’s Read more: https://t.co/FP1LIyM9VP#esports #news pic.twitter.com/0EZMJ97QZw — Gfinity Esports (@Gfinity) July 25, 2018 In return, Domino’s will use it’s own reach as the leading Pizza restaurant chain, to bring in new fans to the esports world and Gfinity, specifically the Elite and Challenger series. Domino’s will also use its extensive channels to promote both the Gfinity Challenger and Elite Series UK plus the player stories that emerge and share them with its loyal consumer base. Since its launch in 2017, the Gfinity Elite Series has become a go-to tournament for competitive gamers and brands based on the quality of the events and the huge fanbase that follows them. Esports is one of the fastest-growing entertainment sectors, with a global audience expected to reach almost 500 million by 2020. This forms part of a global c.2.2 billion community who play video games and a fundamental shift in the way younger people spend their leisure time. Other partners of the Gfinity Elite and Challenger series include Lynx, Turtle Beach and HP Omen. Source: Gfinity

Gen.G to reward CSGO fans in new crypto partnership Gen.G/RallyMultinational organization Gen.G Esports are set to reward their Counter-Strike: Global Offensive fans through a partnership with crypto startup Rally. [jwplayer K5N2MnxV] Having recently launched a cryptocurrency named Creator Coin, Rally will enable Gen.G Esports to launch their own coin for avid fans. Named GG Strike Coin, the org will issue their own cryptocurrency that will be used to identify and then reward supporters of their CS:GO roster. Earlier on October 22, it was reported that former 100 Thieves player Liazz was set to sign for the team after the org announced their exit from Counter-Strike. Gen.G will give fans access to private chats with coaches, players, and staff on Discord, and allow them to vote on key team decisions like jersey designs, team cheers, and emotes. Coin holders will also be able to buy exclusive merchandise through the system. Gen.G isn’t the first esports team to launch a reward system based on cryptocurrencies, however. Spanish organization Team Heretics launched their own in August, following two-time TI victors OG, who did the same in March. It’s a strange time for Gen.G in CS:GO as they only have three players officially signed following the departure of daps on September 17 and s0m on October 7 — they both now play for NRG, but in Riot Games’ Valorant. “This means the fans are a part of it,” said Rally CEO’s Kevin Chou. “They own part of the brand. That’s a really important concept. I can pay to get merchandise. But I want to feel like I am a loyal fan and I get to participate in decisions.” With this partnership, Gen.G will be hoping to increase their fan engagement by making them feel closer to the brand by aiding in the choices they make.

Garmin claims new esports smartwatch will improve performance of pros GarminFitness technology company Garmin have designed a smartwatch that they believe will elevate the performance of esports professionals. [jwplayer 0OG9FTxx] The Garmin Instinct Esports Edition has been manufactured to help players optimize their habits for improved performance by giving feedback on things such as heart rate, stress level, and sleep. The watch is said to have a “dedicated esports activity profile” and allows users to share their biometrics to gaming live streams through new tech called “STR3AMUP!”. Players can broadcast their heart rate and stress level while gaming to show how intense moments affect them, and perhaps how they handle increasing pressure. While Garmin’s latest move into esports may shock some, the company actually partnered with an organization in February 2020. x-kom AGO — a Polish team who competes in CS:GO, League of Legends, and Fortnite — wears the Fenix 6 line of watches through their sponsorship deal. It’s unknown whether the partnership helped to inform how Garmin designed their first watch tailored to gaming. However, the collaboration does include the collection of data from the org’s players so it would not be surprising if it did indeed inform the tech company on what features gamers need the most. “Elite athletes around the world depend on Garmin products to monitor and improve their performance,” said Garmin’s vice president of sales, Dan Bartel. “With the Instinct Esports Edition, esports athletes can tap into that same technology to track and examine how their body responds to intense competition. “Players can also use Instinct’s data to make adjustments in their daily lives, whether it be altering sleep patterns or activity levels, which can result in increased cognitive and physical performance during play.” Though the Instinct Esports Edition has been officially announced, there is no word on the availability or price of the watch at the time of writing.

Complexity parent company GameSquare acquires gaming agency for $7.85m GameSquare/Cut+SewGameSquare Esports, the new parent company of North American organization Complexity Gaming, has acquired Cut+Sew and Zoned for $7.85m. Just two weeks after purchasing Complexity for $27m, GameSquare Esports have bolstered their portfolio with the addition of both Cut+Sew and Zoned, co-founded by Matt Hilman, Devon Woodruff, and Sean Maher. The companies operate in gaming and esports, serving as a marketing agency, talent management firm, and investment vehicle. They’ve invested in companies such as FaZe Clan and high school esports venture PlayVS. The deal is valued at a total of $7.85m, with GameSquare paying in both cash and shares, and has been closed in an effort to better monetize Complexity. See what we’ve done to achieve 📈 9.2x increase in valuation in less than 9 months. #esportsbusiness #financialnews #CSE pic.twitter.com/Qdtf4cmBeg — GameSquare Holdings Inc. (@GSQHoldings) July 13, 2021 The founders of Cut+Sew and Zoned are also partners in gaming chair brand Mavix Chairs and women-led gaming company Queens Gaming Collective. Read More: Every public esports company & organization – GameSquare also own esports organization Team Reciprocity and agency Code Red Esports, and count Tony Hawk and the Wolf of Wall Street, Jordan Belfort, as advisors. “Cut+Sew/Zoned operates at the intersection of gaming, sports, new media, and understands how to bring the cool factor to brands and client engagements,” said Justin Kenna, CEO of GameSquare. “I expect that Cut+Sew/Zoned will be instrumental in helping to monetize Complexity Gaming’s incredible media assets, and their work in sports will be an incredible addition to the agency of record agreement that was recently signed with the Dallas Cowboys.”

G2 Esports suing NFT company Bondly for $5m damages over “botched” deal Pexels / G2 Esports / BondlyEsport and entertainment organization G2 Esports have filed a lawsuit against tech company Bondly, alleging that a failed NFT deal cost up to $5.25 million in damages. As reported by the Washington Post’s Mikhail Klimentov, G2 Esports have filed a lawsuit against Bondly with the Los Angeles County Superior Court. The esports organization is seeking up to $5,250,000 in damages, caused by a failed two-year partnership that was agreed upon in June 2021. The companies announced their partnership on Twitter at that time, revealing Bondly as G2’s “NFT partner” and promoting their first NFT’s release date: June 30. Soon after, Bondly allegedly told G2 that they were “past the point of being able to successfully deliver an NFT program.” The companies were unable to reach a compromise to alter or cancel their original partnership, leading to this March 2022 lawsuit. G2 Esports sue NFT partner Bondly over “botched” deal NEW: G2 Esports is suing the blockchain tech company Bondly, alleging that it botched a deal for the development and sale of G2 branded NFTs. It filed the suit on March 16 in the Los Angeles County Superior Court.https://t.co/gjdYchABUB — ℳikhail Klimentov (@LeaderGrev) March 22, 2022 The lawsuit alleges that Bondly failed to meet deadlines for deliverables and fees owed to G2. Further, it notes that the tech company was “misleading” during the original negotiations. These fees, which include a $2 million annual rights fee and a $1.25 million advance guarantee fee, were intended to be offset by Bondly’s ability to profit from G2 NFT sales. While G2’s original blog about the partnership is no longer available online, they did share two contracts in the lawsuit – describing the preceding circumstances. TO THE MOON 🚀 We welcome Bondly as our NFT partner. First NFT – 30.06: https://t.co/c45Dfz8jEI pic.twitter.com/HgfRSZirvL — G2 Esports (@G2esports) June 3, 2021 While G2 quickly promoted the partnership on social media, Bondly allegedly “sought to pause the agreement” soon after receiving their first rights fee invoice. G2 then explained in the lawsuit that they rejected this proposal, leading Bondly to request a termination of the partnership over “G2′s unwillingness to work toward a mutually agreed upon solution.” It seems that “mutually agreed upon solution” remains unattainable, as G2’s lawsuit seeks the aforementioned $5.25 in potential damages. At present, neither G2 nor Bondly have spoken publicly about the situation.

G2 Esports plans to launch streetwear and a range of collectable items G2 EsportsPopular European organization G2 Esports have signed three merchandise licensees for streetwear, collectables, and clothing for Amazon. [jwplayer gAvLE8Ha] The three licensing deals came as a result of their partnership with Brandgenuity, which was established in May 2020, in an attempt to boost the org’s merchandise offering. The organization is looking to produce new gear to “excite fans with a breadth of badge wear and consumer products on a global scale” beyond the typical jerseys and standard apparel pieces. Difuzed has joined as the team’s lifestyle apparel licensee and will produce periodic streetwear drops — a similar approach to what 100 Thieves have done. The Koyo Store is another G2 licensee and will produce a range of collectable products. This includes logo and player cards, pins, keychains, and coins; available across Europe, North America, and Australia. The third and final licensee is Merch Management, who will produce print-on-demand apparel for Merch by Amazon. It’s said that G2 will “leverage Amazon’s Kindle direct publishing platform” by offering notepads, coloring books, journals, and sketchbooks. This range will be available across North America, the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, and Spain. Look BOLD. Be BOLD. Dress BOLD. The BOLD collection has dropped! Pre-Order NOW: https://t.co/McwQdnvwKS pic.twitter.com/C7ijJ96Saz — G2 Esports (@G2esports) October 29, 2020 “No other esports organization is currently set up to take advantage of the power of their brands like G2 is right now,” said Carlos Rodrigues, G2 Esports’ founder and CEO. “With the addition of these three licensing partners, G2 will be in prime position to create some amazing collaborations for our fans to enjoy.” The new products will also be housed on their dedicated European and North American stores alongside the products they’ve already been offering to fans. G2 Esports are in a great spot recently, coming off of a top-four placing at the League of Legends World Championship in Shanghai and the signing of Counter-Strike: Global Offensive star Nikola ‘NiKo’ Kovac.

G2 Esports launch record label with first “epic power metal” single G2 EsportsBerlin-based esports organization G2 Esports have launched their own record label, releasing their first “epic power metal” song featuring their CEO Carlos ‘ocelote’ Rodriguez. As esports grows as an industry, organizations are trying to find ways to make themselves stand out from the crowd. Whether it’s through competitive success, unique content, or entering new industries entirely, nothing is off the table. G2, an organization known for doing things a little differently, have kickstarted their 2022 season by releasing their first-ever song through their own record label. With the genre described as “epic power metal”, the org’s first single ‘Our Way’ features Tina Guo, Luke Holland, Jason Richardson, Taylor Davis, Noora Louhim, and their very own CEO. The music video for ‘Our Way’ also marks the official unveiling of G2’s new jersey for 2022, which spawns out of their two-year partnership with sportswear giants adidas. Familiar faces to G2 and esports fans also appear in the music video, with players from their teams in League of Legends, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, and Valorant making appearances. The likes of Rasmus ‘Caps’ Winther, Sergen ‘Broken Blade’ Çelik, Marcin ‘Jankos’ Jankowski, Nikola ‘NiKo’ Kovač and Zainab ‘zAAz’ Turkie all show their faces in the video for their org’s debut musical effort. “Epic Power Metal is my favourite genre,” said G2 CEO Rodriguez. “I don’t care about its marketability. It’s coming from the heart like everything else we do. 20G2 is our year. This song is its anthem.”

G FUEL and Enthusiast Gaming announce multi-year partnership Enthusiast GamingG FUEL and Ethusiast Gaming Holdings Inc. have formed a new partnership that will feature involvement from their esports organization, Luminosity Gaming, and all of their popular influencers. This new partnership allows Enthusiast Gaming to use the massive platform of Luminosity to further drive up the market share and awareness for G FUEL, which is already the leading gaming energy drink brand. With a reach of over 200 million gamers, Enthusiast Gaming will provide a fully customized marketing campaign for G FUEL, allowing the brand’s message to be better communicated to its target market. G FUEL will be one of the prominent sponsors of Luminosity; their logo will be displayed on the LG jerseys, and the organization’s lineup of top content creators will help promote the energy drink to combined social following of over 60 million fans. LG’s list of influencers includes several top Fortnite pros, Twitch streamers, even a professional baseball player, and a host of other big names. “We’re excited to partner with Enthusiast to reach previously untapped corners of the gaming community and increase awareness of G FUEL,” said Cliff Morgan, Founder and CEO of G FUEL. “Luminosity Gaming is an elite, world-class esports organization, and as The Official Energy Drink of Esports®, our partnership makes perfect sense. We’ve built a passionate community within the gaming and esports sector and can’t wait to work with Enthusiast to drive authentic engagement with their incredible platform of gamers.” Adrian Montgomery, CEO of Enthusiast Gaming, expressed similar enthusiasm and optimism about the deal. “Partnering with a brand so deeply rooted in the gaming sector like G FUEL is exciting for a number of reasons. G FUEL is a leader in the gamer energy drink sector and using our platform to communicate and engage with gamers continues to validate our strategy and is a significant milestone for our direct sales team,” he said. “Execution is also very important, and over the last number of months, we’ve been able to demonstrate the success of our integrated advertising offerings and prove that using our platform has more touchpoints and engages with more gamers than any other gaming company. We are thrilled to partner with G FUEL and look forward to building a long-term partnership over our shared passion of gaming.”

FTX files for bankruptcy, leaving TSM’s expansion plans in doubt TSMCryptocurrency exchange FTX, which penned a naming rights deal with TSM in 2021, has filed for bankruptcy protection in the United States. In a statement on Twitter, FTX said that the company’s founder, Sam Bankman-Fried, had resigned as CEO, though he will remain “to assist in an orderly transition”. John J. Ray III has been named the new CEO. The announcement came after a week of turmoil for FTX, widely regarded as one of the safest companies in the volatile crypto industry. At the time of writing, it has fallen from being the second-largest crypto exchange to 96th, according to CoinMarketCap. “I’m really sorry, again, that we ended up here,” Mr. Bankman-Fried wrote on Twitter. “Hopefully things can find a way to recover. Hopefully, this can bring some amount of transparency, trust, and governance to them.” On November 8, Binance, the world’s largest crypto exchange, signed a non-binding letter of intent to acquire FTX and help cover the company’s liquidity crunch. But just a day later, it announced that it was walking away from the deal after reviewing FTX’s financial documents. “In the beginning, our hope was to be able to support FTX’s customers to provide liquidity, but the issues are beyond our control or ability to help,” Binance said. FTX’s collapse could have a significant impact on a number of esports companies, especially TSM, with which it signed in 2021 a ten-year naming rights deal worth $210 million. The agreement was described as the “largest in esports history” by TSM, which became known as “TSM FTX”. When announcing the partnership with FTX in June 2021, TSM said that it would invest resources “into esports and gaming over the next five years”. One of the organization’s targets was to “accelerate existing global reach” by opening several offices across the planet, including in Asia, Europe and South America. In October 2022, Dominic Kallas, Vice President of Esports at TSM, announced that the organization was returning to CS:GO in 2023, more than five years after leaving the esport. In a subsequent interview with Dexerto, Kallas said that the move was part of TSM’s expansion plans as it looks to build “a strong footprint within Europe”. It remains unclear whether those plans are still viable following FTX’s downfall. Marty Conway, an adjunct professor of sports management at Georgetown University, told The New York Times that if FTX misses payments, teams and organizations that are partnered with the crypto exchange might resort to litigation. TSM did not immediately respond to requests for comment. In August 2021, FTX also became the official cryptocurrency exchange of the League of Legends Championship Series (LCS) in a seven-year deal. Earlier this year, it signed a one-year sponsorship agreement worth $3.2 million with Brazilian organization FURIA.

Former PlayVS employee sues for wrongful termination and pregnancy discrimination in LA court High school esports platform, PlayVS, is being sued for wrongful termination by a former employee who also outlined a pattern of harassment and a hostile workplace environment. Rachel Waynick, a former quality assurance analyst at PlayVS, has filed a suit against the company for wrongful termination among other complaints. The lawsuit was filed in Los Angeles County Superior Court on March 9, first reported by Jacob Wolf. In full, the suit alleges that PlayVS put Waynick on a performance improvement plan after she told her manager that she was pregnant on June 10, 2021. Waynick then complained to the company’s Human Resources department and claims she was ignored. She also claims during that time that she was “bullied and treated with hostility in the workplace” with led her to experience “extreme stress.” She also had other pregnancy complications which led her to taking a leave per her doctor’s orders, according to the filing. BREAKING: A female former employee is suing @PlayVS in LA County Court, alleging the company discriminated against her and eventually fired her after she disclosed her pregnancy. Story: https://t.co/tT1AZLVLZO — Jacob Wolf 🐝 (@JacobWolf) April 12, 2022 Waynick returned to the office from leave to find she was locked out of her computer and was terminated later that same day. Waynick started working at PlayVS in January of 2021 and was fired on August 16, 2021. In total, Waynick claims PlayVS has violated five counts of California labor which includes discrimination, retaliation, failure to prevent discrimination, pregnancy leave violation and wrongful termination. Waynick has filed complaints with the Department of Fair Housing and Employment. PlayVS has yet to comment on the lawsuit. PlayVS high school esports & its tumultuous past This law suit is another piece of bad press for the Los Angeles-based company after allegedly misleading Epic Games in its previous partnership with Fortnite, according to The Jacob Wolf Report. https://twitter.com/delane/status/1513589894895001608?s=20&t=yxrV2kQdbNV1gOz3fPHS_w The company has also reportedly sent cease and desist emails to high school esports organizations claiming to have exclusive rights to games made by Activision Blizzard and Nintendo, according to The Washington Post. PlayVS’ contentious relationship with non-profit high school esports organizations was also recently profiled by Upcomer. PlayVS founder Delane Parnell has accused both The Washington Post and Jacob Wolf of pushing false stories for clicks and created his own YouTube channel to dispel those supposed inaccuracies.

Real Madrid footballer Casemiro launches esports team CaseEsports Casemiro/CaseEsportsReal Madrid and Brazil football star Casemiro has announced the launch of his own esports team, CaseEsports. [jwplayer mfcRpjb4] The defensive midfielder’s team will initially compete in Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, debuting in the qualifier for DreamHack Masters Winter on November 3. The decision to start a team, according to the org’s official website, was birthed from Casemiro’s “enthusiasm, desire to enjoy and passion for this game” – speaking specifically of Counter-Strike. The organisation will provide a team of sports professionals to enhance the performance of their players. They plan to “lead the European esports scene” through “effort, perseverance and teamwork.” The all-Brazilian roster that has been assembled includes former paiN Gaming and Tempo Storm players Denis “dzt” Fischer and Paulo “land1n” Felipe, former FURIA Academy duo Yan “yepz” Pedretti and Vinicius “n1ssim” Pereira, and former Imperial player Felipe “delboNi” Delboni. CaseEsports has already secured the support of multiple sponsors, including peripherals brand HyperX, glasses retailer Hawkers, gaming chair brand Drift, and “fashion soccer” line BŮH. “This team was created out of a hobby of mine that I really enjoy,” said Casemiro, according to HLTV. “I wanted to take it to a professional level, and just like in my career, I want them to be the best. I know that creating a new team and winning titles will take time and require a lot of work, but I hope that the players and the fans will really enjoy this project.” Hoy ya somos más grandes, hoy nace @CaseEsports mi propio equipo de CSGO formado por @yanyepz, @dztfps, @delbonifps, @land1ncs y @n1ssimV. #WelcomeCaseEsports pic.twitter.com/JgMFNGGzD7 — Casemiro (@Casemiro) October 29, 2020 Athletes starting their own esports teams is not a new trend by any means. In the last few months alone, David Beckham launched Guild Esports, Manchester City star Sergio Aguero founded KRU Esports, and Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster started Team Diverge.

Fnatic raise $10m and welcome fans to invest in crowdfunding campaign FnaticLondon-based esports giants Fnatic have raised $10m and announced a campaign that will allow fans to invest in the organization. [jwplayer WGyDcVLl] Having raised almost $35m to date through closed investment, Fnatic are opening things up with an initiative on crowdfunding platform Crowdcube. The campaign has been devised to represent “Fnatic’s ambition to innovate and continuously enhance gaming performance while making it accessible to all.” The organization is looking to raise $1m from the public when things kick off on November 19. The latest round of investment for Fnatic includes participation from firms Beringea, Unbound, LVL 1 Group, JHD, and internal management. Fnatic proved that they’re looking to do new things in esports earlier in November 2020, bringing Italian coffee brand Lavazza into the industry for the first time. The partnership centers around Fortnite player and streamer Giorgio ‘POW3R’ Calandrelli, who’s from Italy himself. They have made a few other impressive moves in the past year too, including deals with BMW, Gucci, and Hello Kitty. The #UnitedinRivalry @BMW i8. 😍#BerlinELECTRIFIED #BMWiConvoyEsports pic.twitter.com/jWuJFMsspY — FNATIC (@FNATIC) August 5, 2020 “We’ve been looking to conduct a crowdfund campaign for a while,” said Sam Mathews, Fnatic’s founder and CEO. “This investment provides the perfect opportunity for our community, friends and enthusiasts to join our established investors and own a piece of Fnatic. “Crowdfunding is a dynamic and increasingly popular way to fundraise as it provides an opportunity to transform our active and engaged community into investors by giving them the chance to get closer to our journey than ever before. We’re very excited to be working directly with our audience, partnering with them to shape the future of Fnatic, and of entertainment, sports and gaming performance.” Crowdcube has hosted crowdfunding campaigns for other UK-based esports companies, with GINX Esports TV raising £569,090 and jobs website Hitmarker hitting 250% of their target with a total of £200,000.

First “Esports Gym” opens in Japan with personal trainers for Valorant, LoL & more via IGN JapanThe world’s first esports-focused “gym” has opened in Japan, offering competitive players of games like Valorant, League of Legends, Rainbow Six: Siege, and more to hone their skills and get some high-level practice. Simply called Esports Gym, the new venture looks similar to your typical PC café but with partnerships with local teams that will give people the option of getting 1-on-1 coaching sessions. This isn’t going to be a mega-structure that can house teams of different players. Instead, the collaboration between Tokyo Metro and Geshipi is going to focus on smaller-scale instruction for people to sign up. Esports Gym is located near the heart of Japan’s bustling train system and with Tokyo Metro as a partner, they’re hoping it’ll be a great place for teams, players, and coaches to link up with the facility. What’s inside Japan’s new Esports Gym? Details & prices There are only 12 PCs set up in the shop for now, with the business putting more emphasis on small-scale teaching environments to focus on the players. The gym has five different titles they’re currently focusing on: League of Legends, Valorant, Rainbow Six: Siege, Identity V, and Puyo Puyo. They’re looking to expand their offering, according to IGN Japan. A membership of 5,500 yen per month (about $50 USD) gets you up to three hours of use every day. The single-day, session-to-session program will set aspiring pros back 1,430 yen (about $13 USD). There’s also an option to get specific training for every title they offer for an additional 2750 yen ($25 USD). Esports Gym will have members from organizations like Crest Gaming, Glory be esports, and JeSU to guide members. A direct path to becoming a pro can also be in the cards for players who pass a specific online course with Crest Gaming, which can lead to a tryout held every three months. Japan has a rich history in many esports, mainly FGC titles, but this could be a good way to build up local talent in other games. If all goes well, Esport Gym expects to open its doors to the general public on May 19, to start building Japan’s next wave of great esports professionals.

FIFA YouTuber MattHDGamer signs with Turopium Talent Agency TuropiumYouTuber Matt ‘MattHDGamer’ Craig has signed with talent agency Turopium Sports and Entertainment, teasing “big” things coming soon as a result of the partnership. [jwplayer q2PHNyT5] The content creator is best known for his FIFA videos on YouTube, where he boasts an impressive 2.42 million subscribers. He joins a talent roster that already comprises the likes of B0aty, James Buckley, and Onscreen – making the move official on December 2. During the course of 2020, Matt has racked up millions of views creating Ultimate Team and Football Manager content for his channel — over 800 million since he started out — making it an exciting coup for Turopium. By the same token, he’s also delighted that the deal has been finalized. MattHDGamer signs for new talent agency Talking about the new partnership, he told Dexerto: “I’m very excited to be working with Liam and the team at Turopium. After what has been a very turbulent year for everyone. “I am very happy to be working with a team that is so committed to my growth as a creator but also ensuring that I am able to get as much from the experience as I put in. Since signing, I have experienced unmatched professionalism which leaves me incredibly confident that I have made the best decision for my future in the industry.” Nothing in the way of specific plans have been revealed for this deal, though fans should expect future collaborations with other creators as a result. Liam Parkinson, Managing Director of Turopium Sports and Entertainment, is delighted that the deal is finally over the line. “Signing Matt is a reflection of the hard work of the team here at Turopium. Our fast growth is a testament to our commitment to ensuring creators receive a higher quality of management than what is typically seen within our industry,” an official statement reads. “Since day one we have been committed to ensuring that talent not only gets a better level of service, but they feel a part of their own growth and success. I couldn’t be happier to have Matt on-board and I look forward to providing him with a level of service our creators have come to expect from us, whilst also supporting him in becoming even more successful in the gaming space.” This will be an exciting move for Matt and the agency, of course, but also for his growing fan base as well. With such an established name like Turopium now very much behind the Liverpool supporter, fans will be interested to see where he takes his content next. Playing his cards close to his chest, he told us: “Keep your eyes peeled, something big is coming soon…”

FaZe Swagg & Nuke Squad drop Olympic-themed Vol. 3 merch collection FaZe ClanFaZe Clan’s Call of Duty: Warzone quartet, Nuke Squad, are dropping their third collection. And, this time, it’s Olympic-themed gear for Swagg, Booya, Santana, and JSmooth. While many in the gaming world daydream about esports making an Olympic debut, FaZe Clan seem to have already started conceptualizing the uniforms. The Nuke Squad Vol. 3 collection blends sportswear, streetwear, and, of course, Call of Duty. The collection’s lookbook blends those themes as well, as the Nuke Squad members are joined by NBA star and FaZe member Ben Simmons. Named after CoD’s Tactical Nuke kill streak, the group’s logo is implemented in a variety of manners befitting classic Olympic designs. The nuke circle is turned into the Olympic rings on a hoodie and replaces the American flag’s stars on a basketball jersey. The FaZe logo also gets to fit into the patriotic vibe as well, as it forms two prongs of a star on a couple pieces. In essence, there’s a lot of cross-pollination with Olympic vibes. More specifically, there’s cross-pollination with the 1992 USA basketball team. FaZe’s aforementioned star fits into the “A” of “NUKE SQUAD” in one design. And, as any hoops connoisseur will know, America’s 1992 jersey also had a star, which fit into the “A” in “USA.” https://twitter.com/NukeSquad/status/1420443587301441539 The ’92 inspo could be a coincidence or FaZe may be suggesting that NUK3S are their own Dream Team. It’s not nice to play favorites, but Swagg and Booya did just win a $75K Twitch Rivals event — so who knows. As for when the collection will be made available, the organization has pinned 12 PM PT on July 29 as the release time and date. Fans will be able to secure their preferred merch through FaZe’s online store.

FaZe Rain launches cannabis company with exclusive strain YouTube/MoreNordanFaZe Clan co-founder Nordan ‘FaZe Rain’ Shat is launching his own cannabis company after saying weed helped him through mental health struggles. ‘RCVRY,’ a new marijuana venture from The Parent Company and FaZe Rain has launched with a very own strain named after the FaZe member. Shat, who has had a history of substance abuse issues that kept him tied to a wheelchair, credited cannabis with helping him overcome those challenges. “When I started my journey with cannabis back in 2015, I had very little knowledge on the different strains and experiences available to consumers. As I learned more about the space, I saw a need to further the potential of the industry by helping to advance the mainstream acceptance of cannabis,” Rain explained. “RCVRY was created to further that goal and change opinions on cannabis while providing a consistent source of top-tier flower to all RCVRY community members. We are focused on delivering the cleanest cannabis possible to our consumers.” The name ‘RCVRY,’ is a reference to his own recovery and well-being. “FaZe Rain brings an immense audience, and our collaboration represents a prime opportunity to unlock the synergy between gaming and cannabis communities,” Troy Datcher, Chief Executive Officer of The Parent Company said. “My priority continues to be optimizing our portfolio of high-quality, authentic brands, and our partnership with RCVRY is another strong addition to our roster.” On September 12, RCVRY began with an early access event giving fans access to the new Rainz Runtz strain. The strain was hand-selected by the RCVRY team and is part of the same lineage as the Zkittles and Gelato phenotypes. Rain isn’t the first esports name to enter the weed business. Back in 2021, OpTic CEO H3CZ launched his own cannabis brand ‘Pine Park.’

FaZe Clan x OpTic Gaming crossover merch possibly leaked in Mike Majlak vlog FaZe Clan/OpTic/Mike MajlakImages of a new line of FaZe Clan and OpTic Gaming crossover merch definitely seems to have been leaked in a new vlog from Mike Majlak. It doesn’t get much bigger than FaZe and OpTic when you’re talking about the the esports scene, especially when you’re discussing Call of Duty. Not only can they boast some of the most loyal fan bases out there, they’re also a couple of the most storied NA orgs in esports. Now, it seems the two could be joining forces, as some mockups you can catch a glimpse of in Mike Majlak’s June 18 vlog seem pretty far along in the design process. The shot above was filmed at the FaZe compound, and appears around the four-minute mark in Mike’s vlog. We can see a board with various brand-appropriate mockups, including the recent Takashi Murakami “flower” collection. In addition to that though, we can also see what definitely looks like FaZe and OpTic collaboration shirts on the right side. The top one has the FaZe and OpTic logos squaring up to box, which is very appropriate considering the current boxing meta on YouTube. On the bottom is a play on the classic scene in “The Matrix” where Morpheus tells Neo to “choose wisely” between the red and blue pills. Except here, they’re red and green pills, representing — you guessed it — FaZe and OpTic. FaZe Clan x OpTic Gaming? Mike Majlak’s FaZe vlog had some interesting merch designs in the background… 👀 pic.twitter.com/GIPaIP5uvZ — Dexerto Esports (@DexertoEsports) June 27, 2021 A crossover between the two brands would technically require permission from OpTic to use their logo on the merch, however. given the video was filmed on location in the heart of FaZe country, they’re probably fine with it. But while Banks and the boys seem on-board, there’s no telling if the Green Wall has given its approval yet, or exactly how far along in the process the shirts actually are.

FaZe Clan x OpTic Gaming collaboration release date revealed: merch, more FaZe ClanFaZe Clan and OpTic Gaming, two of the most widely recognized brands in gaming, are officially launching a merchandise collaboration. This confirms numerous leaks and sets the stage for a collection fans have been eagerly anticipating for months. It would be hard to argue that any two gaming or esport brands are as well known as OpTic and FaZe in North America. And, after years of the two organizations dominating gaming discourse, they’re officially partnering on merch. In a press release, FaZe confirmed the formerly leaked collection is a reality and let fans know what items to expect and when to expect them. While more footage of what’s coming is on the way, FaZe have shown off the collection’s hybrid logo in their press release and detailed some of the drop’s offerings. FaZe Clan x OpTic Gaming As you can see, the new collaboration’s logo blends the stylized core components of FaZe and OpTic’s signature brands. That blend is emphasized in the org’s statements, with Temperrr not holding back in his praise for OpTic: “To say we owe a lot to Hector and OpTic is an understatement.” And that feeling is mutual, as H3CZ let it be known how pivotal FaZe has been to OpTic’s path: “The beauty of competition is that it drives innovation, and although OpTic was the first of its kind, OpTic didn’t define itself until the FaZe Snipers came to play.” FaZe x OpTic: release date confirmed, collection teased Another preview of the OpTic x FaZe merch collab via @hitchariide on @H3CZ’ story. Clean. pic.twitter.com/voaIl57fqi — Dexerto (@Dexerto) August 31, 2021 After numerous hints, the collection’s launch date has finally been revealed, thanks to none other than streaming legend Dr Disrepsect. The YouTube superstar shared an image of several merch pieces sent to him ahead of the official drop, along with its full release date. In a handwritten note sent to the Two-Time with his package, the highly anticipated launch was confirmed for September 17, 2021 at 12 P.M. PST / 3 P.M. EST. The image also confirmed that fans will get access to the drop through FaZe Clan’s official website. This #GreenWall x #FaZeUp drop is silky smooth. Firm handshakes. pic.twitter.com/PNaSxnvPLL — Dr Disrespect (@DrDisrespect) September 5, 2021 As for what products will be included, FaZe have specified collaborative items like a jersey, hoodies, t-shirts, shorts, and… a lava lamp. Some of the gear was even shown off in the Doc’s tweet, like a baseball hat, t-shirt, and sweat shorts. After years of healthy competition, the two OG brands are coming together and fans most certainly appear ready for the surprising partnership. If you want to pick up this exclusive merch, make sure to pull up FaZe’s website on September 17, as this drop will likely sell out almost instantly.

FaZe Clan goes public on Nasdaq exchange FaZe ClanFaZe Clan have officially become a publicly traded company after completing their SPAC merger with B. Riley Principal 150 Merger Corp. FaZe Clan announced plans to go public in October 2021 at a $1 billion valuation through a merger with B. Riley Principal 150 Merger Corp. The deal was initially expected to be completed in the first quarter of 2022, but after that deadline was missed, there were doubts about whether the agreement would come to fruition. The merger was approved by shareholders on July 15, possibly boosted by the fact that the minimum amount of money FaZe needed to have on hand to cement the deal was waived, according to a report by Esports Insider. FaZe Clan goes public In a tweet posted on July 20, FaZe Clan confirmed that they were now listed on the NASDAQ exchange. “This is what pioneers look like,” FaZe Chief Executive Officer Lee Trink said. “This is what the future of entertainment and culture, and the intersection of technology and culture, look like. “We are going to continue to do things that people have never seen. You’ve never seen a group like this in front of this camera, and that is emblematic of the type of future we’re building.” The new entity, called FaZe Holdings Inc., is now traded on the NASDAQ exchange under the ticker $FAZE. According to the initial announcement, existing shareholders in FaZe Clan will own 68% of the company. The SEC approved the merger on June 22. Since the company began trading, FaZe shares have already dropped over 25%. At the time of writing, they are being traded at $9.44, down from the initial listing price of almost $13. FaZe Clan will join the likes of Enthusiast Gaming, OverActive Media, and Astralis on the list of companies with esports components that have moved onto the public market.

FaZe Clan renews McDonald’s partnership to make new original content FaZe Clan x McDonald’sFaZe Clan has announced that they have renewed their partnership with global fast food brand McDonald’s USA, following a successful year which saw millions of views across different partnered content series. To kick off the renewed partnership, FaZe Clan and McDonald’s will be hosting an activation at PAX West in Seattle, WA, from Friday, September 2 to Monday, September 5. McDonald’s will be hosting activities for fans at their booth, including a meet-and-greet with FaZe stars, and sponsoring a showcase that gives FaZe Clan talent the opportunity to preview and play both new and upcoming games at the convention. “McDonald’s has been an exceptional partner for FaZe Clan, as they understand the creativity and authenticity needed to engage with a younger, diverse audience,” said FaZe Clan CEO Lee Trink. “I’m thrilled to renew our partnership with McDonald’s USA, as we bring together FaZe Clan’s community with McDonald’s brand power.” The partnership will include new and original content and IP, building on campaigns from the past year. These include the ‘Spotlight’ series, which drew almost 2.5 million total views, as well as the ‘Friendsgiving’ livestream that garnered almost 300k live viewers. “Collaborating with a gaming platform of FaZe Clan’s influence and credibility provides a unique opportunity for us to collaborate on original programs that honor the diverse interests of our fans,” said Veronica Thompson, Director of Cultural Engagement and Activations at McDonald’s USA. “We’re excited to continue our partnership with FaZe Clan this year as we deepen the engagement between McDonald’s brand and gaming fans.” So far, McDonald’s and FaZe Clan haven’t announced the types of new content that fans can expect to see from this partnership. The renewal comes shortly after FaZe Clan officially went public in July, listed on the NASDAQ.

FaZe Clan miss financial target by over $100 million in first results since going public FaZe ClanFaZe Clan has released its latest SEC filing and it showcases a quarter of losses from the company along with its projections and missed financial targets on August 31. FaZe went public in July through a SPAC deal and thus has made most of its financial dealings public through SEC filings. In its most recent quarterly report, the company lost $9.3 in the second quarter of the year. Other notable inclusions from the recent filing include FaZe’s own projects for itself and how far the mark was missed. The company expected to make $218 million from its merger with B. Riley Principal 150 Merger Corp. but it only got $100.2 million. FaZe chalks up the lower-than-expected return to redemptions from public shareholders and “higher than expected expenses in connection” with the merger. FaZe and executive pay The recent filing also laid out how much executives at the top of the company are compensated. Such information is usually not available for private companies and for startup companies like Faze was technically before going public, executive payment is usually on the lower end to help fund other parts of the fledgling business. Now public, those at the head of FaZe are receiving a decent payout with the company’s CEO Lee Trink receiving $600,000 in salary and the same in bonuses. The company’s former CFO Amit Bajaj will take in $350,000 in salary with bonuses of around $175,000 and the CSO Kainoa Henry has $275,000 in base salary. Another highlight of the filing is the company’s reliance on sponsorships with other brands and advertisers for income. For the first half of the year, sponsorship accounted for about 60% of the company’s revenue according to the filing. FaZe also stated that one single content creator generated “approximately 17% of our total revenue.” The company is set to have another filing for interested parties to look over at the end of the third quarter on September 30.

How to buy the FaZe Clan & Takashi Murakami “flower” collection FaZe ClanFaZe Clan have officially collaborated with Japanese artist Takashi Murakami on a new flower jersey and mouse pad collection. Here’s how, where, and when you can buy the collection, which Murakami has likened to the partnership between Warhol and Basquiat. If you don’t know Murakami by name, you most likely know him by art. His 2007 cover art for Kanye West’s “Graduation” album is considered by many to be a key moment in the evolution of hip hop culture. And further along, his colorful flowers have felt omnipresent in pop culture — gracing walls as neon signs and galleries at France’s Palace of Versailles. While FaZe Clan’s earlier collaborations have spanned sculptures with Bearbrick and clothing with Xbox, the Murakami partnership is a step in an intriguing direction. Fans appear to be ecstatic about it, but even Murakami has expressed some uncertainty. In a statement shared by FaZe, the 59-year-old artist mentioned discomfort about the age gap between him and FaZe’s ownership and audience. Drawing parallels to Andy Warhol and Jean-Michel Basquiat, he also expressed serious excitement. If you want to buy anything from the unique new collection, you’ll need to do so in a unique way. The collab is only being sold via NTWRK, a live-selling platform that can only be accessed via mobile app. Here’s how. FaZe Clan by Takashi Murakami A collaboration that can stand the test of time. Available Monday, June 28 at 12pm PT pic.twitter.com/hkXhHO5MJk — FaZe Clan (@FaZeClan) June 22, 2021 How to buy the FaZe Clan x Takashi Murakami collection The collaboration will be made available on Monday, June 28 at 12 PM PT (3 PM ET, 8 PM BST). To get onto NTWRK and try to buy items from the collection, follow these steps: Go to this link to get an invite to NTWRK – Fill in your mobile number to receive a link to the app – Open the link on your phone to download the app – Once you’ve downloaded and opened the app, you should be directed straight to the FaZe collab – Click “Notify Me” to ensure you don’t miss the drop on June 28 – And there you go. Once the collection goes live, users will only be able to access the launch via the NTWRK app (…unless you want to wait on StockX resellers). Adding to the hype of fans, Murakami has already seemed very excited about this new partnership — which includes two jerseys and four mouse pads. FaZe Clan by Takashi Murakami: coming soon. pic.twitter.com/Q0XfkLZw9W — FaZe Clan (@FaZeClan) June 21, 2021 Announcing the partnership, Murakami cautioned that he was initially skeptical. When he saw an older Warhol work with Basquiat in the ‘80s, he was worried Warhol was “sucking up to the youth.” As such, he was uncertain about working with FaZe, noting that he “felt a bit shy about doing a collaboration with such young people.” But considering the longevity of Warhol and Basquiat’s partnership, the Japanese artist is excited by the prospect of this collaboration. While it may feel “incongruous” at present, he believes it may take on a different level of appreciation in 30 years’ time. Murakami is best known for walking the lines between fine art and pop culture. FaZe are best known for walking the lines between gaming and pop culture. It’s a wide venn diagram, to say the least, but fans already seem very hype about how the collaboration has turned out.

FaZe Banks reveals massive ambitions after esports org goes public Instagram: banksFaZe Clan founding member and co-owner Richard ‘Banks’ Bengston has revealed his life mission with the newly publicly traded gaming organization. Founding in 2010, FaZe Clan started as a group of teenagers making YouTube videos on Call of Duty. Now, 12 years later the organization has blossomed into a publicly traded company valued currently at over $210M on the NASDAQ exchange. It certainly hasn’t been an easy road for FaZe to get to where they are today. From controversies and scandals to missing deadlines that almost stopped the organization from going public entirely. However, on July 20, FaZe officially went public and co-owner FaZe Banks talked about what it meant to him and what’s in store for the future of the organization. FaZe Banks reacts to FaZe going public TheDailyStardust caught up with the FaZe Clan co-owner just a few days after the company went public on July 20. “It’s really cool, a decade-plus in the making. Four kids randomly met on Xbox Live 12 years ago,” the co-owner said. “Everybody, and I really do mean everybody, family, friends, f**king people off the street, people on the internet told us we were f**king crazy,” he admitted. “We were dumb, we were insane, this was before social media, TikTok, and YouTube was a thing. Like you told somebody you were going to make a career on YouTube videos and f**king Twitter, they’d tell you, you were f**king crazy. They were crazy, we weren’t crazy we did it.” When asked about what’s in store for the future of the now publicly traded FaZe Clan, Banks opened up about the ultimate goal for the organization. “Honestly, chapter two, now’s where the real work starts. We have access to a ton more resources than we had,” the FaZe star said. “To be honest with you, we’ve kind of fell off like the traditional staple social media content sh*t over the couple few years. “But, we’ve really like worked ourselves hard into the mainstream fold. We’ve collaborated with some of the biggest brands on earth, we’re a mainstream staple brand now. A lot of people on the planet know what FaZe is, they look at the logo, they hear the name and they know.” He continued: “And that’s the ultimate goal. You see the Nike logo you think sports, f**king basketball, LeBron James, and f**king Michael Jordan. You see the FaZe logo, we want you to think video games. Nike sports, FaZe video games, that’s the goal, that’s my life’s mission.” Joining a small list of gaming organizations listed publicly, $FAZE shares dropped over 25% on its first day. As of writing, the company is trading at $9.58, down from $13 at its launch. The company certainly has a long way to go until they reach their goal of being valued at $1B.

FaZe Banks “over the moon” after selling CryptoPunk NFT for $500K FaZe BanksFaZe Banks took to social media to celebrate making more than $500,000 on a single NFT, and had plenty to say to all the haters and doubters out there at the same time. NFTs (non-fungible tokens) might not be the front-page news they were earlier in the summer of 2021, but there are still folks out there — like Banks — who are all-in on the trend. In the FaZe Clan founder’s case at least, it seems to be working out. On August 1, 2021, he announced on his Instagram story that he had sold a single “CryptoPunk” NFT for more than $500K profit. “I have made my first CryptoPunk sale. Sold him for over half a million dollars I can’t f**king believe it. Feeling blessed,” Banks wrote, before explaining how he managed the profit. “Let’s f**king go baby, half a million dollars, selling a f**king ‘picture,’ right click and save this d**k.” So, what are CryptoPunks? To make it simple, they’re 10,000 uniquely generated characters — no more, no less — with no two exactly alike. Each one of them can be officially owned by a single person on the Ethereum blockchain, which provides official proof of ownership. Some of these innocent-looking pixel characters have already gone for more than $1 million, and Banks went on to explain that his roughly $500K payday had already recouped his initial investment. “That sale just paid for my entire investment into the project, I’m now holding eight, essentially free CryptoPunks,” the FaZe owner said in his Insta story. “It’s just validation, it feels good, lets me know I’m doing the right thing. CryptoPunks baby, NFTs.” So, what’s a man who just made a cool half a million do with his NFT earnings? Invest in more NFTs, of course. Just after making the announcement he picked up two more works (a Meebit and a Bored Ape) for a total of just over $100,000. If it wasn’t clear before this, it should be pretty obvious now that Banks is all-in on NFTs, and can you really blame him? Even though the space has its fair share of haters, a $500K payday would probably change almost anyone’s mind.

FaZe Banks confirms FaZe x OpTic merch collab coming FaZe/OpTic GamingFaZe Banks has confirmed that a FaZe x OpTic collab is on its way after leaks appeared on Mike Majlak’s vlog. From a long-lasting rivalry going back 10 years ago to now coming together for a merch drop, FaZe Banks has officially revealed that the two of the most popular North American esports organizations, FaZe Clan and OpTic Gaming are joining forces. FaZe Clan and OpTic Gaming are known by many as the ones that kicked the Call of Duty community off on the right start, and now 10 years later, putting their former rivalry aside, they’ll be releasing some merch together. This isn’t the first time we’re hearing about the collab. In June, Mike Majlak accidentally leaked some of the early mock-up designs while vlogging in the FaZe office, leaving fans eager for the official announcement. The announcement finally came via episode 49 of his podcast Mom’s Basement with Keemstar. “We’re doing an official collab with OpTic, FaZe is and it’s pretty f**king legendary,” said Banks. According to Banks, the collab will also include some one-of-one collective items for each of the founders of the organizations. These one-of-one items will apparently all stem back to the beginning, specifically MW2 where both organizations began. Timestamp of 10:00 We’re still yet to hear anything from OpTic’s side and no official release date for the collab has been revealed. Nonetheless, whenever the collab is released, we can expect it to be in the history books, as these two organizations have been considered to be rivals for over 10 years.

How do you join FaZe Clan? Head of talent explains new academy system FaZe ClanNothing can prepare you for joining FaZe Clan, the esports and entertainment brand has unparalleled pull in gaming and any new member of the team becomes a star overnight. That’s why their new initiative, FaZe Academy, was birthed. The program will see prospective FaZe Clan members thrust into an intensive, but necessary, system that gives a crash course on what joining the team is really like and prepares them for the next step. From media training to a history lesson in the brand itself, content creators that are scouted will first participate in a five-day bootcamp before taking on a three-month apprenticeship that allows the org to fully assess whether they’re really FaZe Clan material. With input from current FaZe Clan talent and staff members alike, FaZe Academy is effectively a proving grounds for up-and-coming creators that also allows the organization to ensure they’re signing the right people. There are plenty of questions that come to mind when one of the de facto names in gaming entertainment decides this is necessary. Why is now the perfect moment for a new system to be implemented? Will the academy system be strictly for creators or will it extend to their esports athletes? Dexerto spoke with Darren Yan, FaZe Clan’s Head of Talent Management, to delve into the finer details. A new frontier for FaZe “The reason why we have an Academy for creators and streamers is that, at its core, FaZe was founded by content creators as opposed to competitors,” Yan told Dexerto. “At the very beginning of our company, it was just kids doing trick shots. Back then, the prerequisite of recruitment was whether or not you can hit the craziest trick shots and that was pretty much it. “As our organization evolved, the standards for talent evolved and so too did the standards of how we recruit. That hasn’t really caught up at the speed of which the company was growing so this was long overdue in order to really identify who the long-term creators and streamers will be for FaZe.” FaZe Clan is not a standard esports organization, which is somewhat proven by a recent report from Forbes that states that they only generated 20% of their revenue from esports in 2020. The brand is predominantly made up of content creators and personalities, and thus their recruitment process needs to be predicated on much more than in-game performance. “When we actually seek individuals to join FaZe Clan, it’s not just about being the best at the game and winning trophies,” he affirmed. “It’s about how we work together so that we’re helping build their career, as well as how they fit inside the organization and help us grow it together. We saw that it’s very hard to really get to know one person just from a simple private message or even watching their content at times, so this Academy allows us to test the waters with each other to say ‘Is there a long-term relationship here?’” As well as thinking about cultural compatibility, this has to be seen as a means of safeguarding the organization from potential problems down the line. A lot of big content creators don’t have a history in entertainment, they simply love gaming, so they may not know how to deal with the pressure of suddenly finding themselves under the spotlight. Pressure, as well as a lack of purposeful thinking in regards to how they conduct themselves, could lead to some unfortunate happenings. FaZe Academy also aims to ensure that new members know what they’re getting themselves into and how to deal with their new-found internet fame. “The program is formed by taking the learnings and experiences of all the current and past members of FaZe Clan — which are a lot — because some people are really not prepared,” he said. “The glitz and the glamour of being a FaZe Clan member often overshadow what the reality is. We now have standards and responsibilities to make sure that we have talent within our organizations that are right for our fans and are growing with the business as well. “A lot of young kids grow up watching FaZe Clan so it’s not uncommon to see them be involved in the community. We work very closely with minors and their parents hand-in-hand. Mostly, we take the lead of the family and what their status quo is. The way that we also look at it is that there are entertainers of all ages. In traditional sports, you have little leagues before they make it to the big show.” Creating the perfect system Despite being so entertainment-led, FaZe Clan still firmly have a presence across numerous esports titles — this includes major titles like Counter-Strike, Call of Duty, Fortnite, and Rainbow Six Siege. The Academy wasn’t built for this side of the business, but it will indeed inform it. “Fortunately for us, our esports department is run by Eric Anderson,” Yan said. “He works with the teams individually, but for the Atlanta FaZe, the Call of Duty League provides a lot of [training] to the players as well. For all the other non-franchise leagues, we use the code of conduct by the publishers themselves as well as similar training as we do with our creators.” Creating a fully-formed program can’t be easy, there is a myriad of aspects of a content creator’s job that may not immediately come to mind such as mental health awareness. You’d also benefit from thinking about potential prominent elements of the profession that may come in the future, too. It was important for FaZe Clan to build upon their collective experience in the industry, as well as calling upon experts from outside of gaming and esports, to devise the programming. “It was a team of about 10, half of which was comprised of the talent management team, which spearheaded the program,” he told Dexerto. “We have some of our founders involved too, like FaZe Apex who does FaZe Clan History 101. We have NICKMERCS who comes in and does the opening remarks to the Academy. We even have third-party consultants do things like cultural and sensitivity training. “There are a lot of resources going into this behind the scenes, and our production team is on-site 24/7 capturing everything so there’s a lot of BTS content. When the content is ready to be shown, it will pull back the curtain of what goes into developing FaZe Clan talent. We also have great brand partners to help make the experience a little bit better as well.” When you think of FaZe Clan, you think of content — and rightly so. With that in mind, it may not be a huge surprise to learn that FaZe Academy will be documented from start to finish. The organization will also take their findings from the program and utilize them to best market, and strategize for, their new recruits. “The Academy is also meant to prepare FaZe Clan to announce a new signing,” he said. “During the program, while they’re learning, we start strategizing what the announcement looks like, what marketing looks like for the next year, and so on. I’ve really not seen any other organizations put significant resources into marketing individual talent. “We want to deploy enough resources to set them up for success and every creator is unique. They each require different levels of resources so I think that evaluation in the Academy also sets it apart.” For now, it’s a case of waiting to see how the new class of FaZe Clan are different from their predecessors but if done correctly then FaZe Academy could well breed a new wave of fully-formed entertainment stars from the get-go. Gaming is not just gaming anymore, it can be as serious as any other entertainment sector.

Facebook to merge Messenger, Instagram and WhatsApp Facebook plan to integrate its popular messaging services Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp and the message feature within Instagram. It will mean messages can be sent between them! Facebook Messenger Merge The merge won’t result in there being one all encompassing Facebook Messenger app. Instead, all three of Messenger, Instagram and WhatsApp will remain stand-alone messaging services. However, their background infrastructure will be modified. This is reportedly a complicated, time consuming process but work on it has already begun. Messages between the three services would see a less fragmented messaging market. It would also result in more active users within the Facebook ecosystem. Elsewhere, some users on Social Media took time to make a joke of the news. Messaging Encryption Furthermore, a big part of the plan is to include end-to-end encryption. The addition of this would theoretically mean that only the communicating users can read the messages. It should prevent anyone else from having the ability to read the messages, including Facebook themselves. Consequently, a Facebook Messenger user would be able to send a fully encrypted message to someone on Instagram (or WhatsApp), and vice-versa. Facebook Disagreements The surprise plan is a backtrack on Mark Zuckerberg’s previous stance in regards to the messaging apps. Originally, he said Instagram and WhatsApp operate separately from Facebook. Since buying Instagram and Whatsapp in 2012 and 2014 respectively, the original founders of those apps have parted ways with Facebook. Moreover, it has been reported that current WhatsApp employees were upset with this latest project. Regardless, the plan will go ahead. Data Privacy The integration between the messaging will raise questions about data privacy. Interestingly, Facebook and Instagram require users to provide real identities to user their services. Conversely, you can sign up to WhatsApp with just a phone number. This could result in more security conscious users leaving the service. With that said, this would likely pail in comparison to the new users Facebook would gain. The online messaging market somewhat fragmented at the moment. With different continents favoring particular messaging apps, this project is clearly part of a more long-term plan for Facebook to become the leading messaging service in the world. Read More: YouTubers impersonated in private messages – The likes of Apple’s iMessage and Tencent’s WeChat will no doubt be taking notice. The news was first reported by the NY Times.

Facebook owner Meta reportedly testing livestream platform “similar to Twitch” Unsplash: Dima SolominFacebook’s parent company, Meta, is reportedly testing a new livestreaming platform called Super, with “similar functionality to Twitch” and only a small handful of influencers and creators so far being able to test it out. Facebook itself already has its own livestreaming platform in Facebook Gaming, which has sought to rival the likes of Twitch and YouTube but struggled to make up much ground outside of signing reasonably big names such as Disguised Toast (who has since left after his contract ended) and Warzone star Zack ‘ZLaner’ Lane. Regardless of this, Meta are working on something entirely new to help creators go live for their fans, and they’re apparently calling it ‘Super’ with tests now getting underway according to Business Insider. Bloomberg first reported on Super back in 2020, calling it a “cameo-inspired tool” similar to FaceTime. According to Insider’s latest report on August 2, though, they say that it ”has become an interactive livestreaming product, with similar functionality to Twitch.” A Meta spokesperson said that fewer than 100 creators, including tech influencer Andru Edwards and TikTok star Vienna Skye, have tested the product so far, with a deck being sent to multiple influencers to get feedback on the product. It’s unclear what exactly the production of Super would mean for the Facebook Gaming livestreaming platform. As explained, Super would be a separate entity from other Meta products, including (presumably) Facebook Gaming. It also reads like it would act more similar to a TikTok Live type of product, positioned more to allow influencers to engage with their audiences and “create a platform that enables a digital version of in-person meet and greet experiences.” As a new product, they’re always looking for ways to maximize monetization opportunities for creators, something that potential competitor TikTok has come under fire for in the past. At the time of writing, it’s unclear when Meta plan to launch Super, or how exactly it will look when it does finally arrive.

Facebook just got renamed with a big gaming reference pixabayFacebook has officially changed its name to a word gamers will know all too well – Meta. The biggest social platform in the world has a number of major brands under its umbrella, including Instagram, Whatsapp, and more. Moving forward, however, the company will operate under a new name with a big vision. On October 28, Facebook revealed that the new name is Meta. Facebook renamed to Meta BREAKING: Facebook’s new name is Meta https://t.co/9oFyRT3EIr https://t.co/FfrFVQFpOy pic.twitter.com/9OUREvCyqX — Tom Warren (@tomwarren) October 28, 2021 Of course, this is a massively popular reference in the world of gaming. Each game has its own meta, which is ultimately the best or most effective way to play. After months of massive investment in their own Facebook Gaming brand, acquiring many Twitch streamers on exclusive streaming deals, this is potentially another move by Mark Zuckerberg to appeal to gamers worldwide. Alternatively, it could be a coincidence. Mark Zuckerberg on ‘future vision’ “We live for what we’re building,” Zuckerberg added. “And while we make mistakes, we keep learning and building and moving forward.” It’s understood that the social media platform, Facebook, will keep its original name and the change – much like Google and Alphabet in the past – affects the owning company at large.

Facebook accused of encouraging children to unknowingly spend tons of money on games New findings suggest Facebook put together an organized effort over multiple years to deceive children and parents out of money while playing online, according to newly unsealed court documents. The files, which span from 2010-2014, were unsealed after legal action was taken by revealnews.org and are now part of a class action lawsuit aimed at Facebook for targeting children. The effort saw a growth of revenue for online games like Angry Birds, PetVille, Ninja Saga and others, that in some cases racked well over hundreds to thousands of dollars from a single source. According to the documents, Facebook encouraged game developers to let kids spend money without a parent’s permission, which the company referred to as “friendly fraud.” Sometimes, kids were unaware they were even spending real money, according to an internal report by Facebook itself. A team of Facebook employees even went so far as to develop a system that could have prevented children from unknowingly spending their parent’s money, but the company chose never to implement it. The files point to Facebook making a clear and calculated decision to continue targeting children and their parents money in an effort to increase revenue. While some might liken the practice to Epic Games and their popular battle royale Fortnite, there are examples of the game developer working with buyers to possibly get a refund. But the money Facebook earned off children had such a large chargeback rate that it went beyond what the Federal Trade Commission said was a big warning sign for deceptive business practices. Facebook hasn’t gotten much in the way of good press these days, and this latest development certainly isn’t a good look for the social media giant that now finds itself under the microscope, again.

Excel Esports raise reported £17m ahead of expansion plans ExcelTop British esports organization Excel Esports has raised a reported £17m (~$23m) ahead of the org’s huge expansion plans. At the time of writing, Excel competes in the League of Legends European Championship franchised league, as well as housing Fortnite pro Jaden ‘Wolfiez’ Ashman and a Valorant team, though that list could grow further soon. Excel also boasts Tottenham Hotspur and England footballer Dele Alli as an ambassador, having made no secret of his love for gaming with Fortnite Twitch streams in the past. The fundraising is being led by JRJ Group, which acquired a majority stake in EXCEL in 2018 alongside TOMS Capital, the family office of former hedge fund manager Noam Gottesman. As reported by Sky News, Excel’s existing investors will be joined by IPGL, the private investment office of Lord Spencer, the ICAP founder, and former Conservative Party treasurer. They also report that the family office of Alan Howard, the co-founder of Brevan Howard, a wildly successful hedge fund, is also investing in the company, placing a pre-money valuation on Excel of around £100m. Wouter Sleijffers, Excel’s chief executive, said: “Together with our investors, I’m truly excited to be entering the next chapter, building on EXCEL’s legacy and realizing our shared vision for the future of esports and gaming. “We now have all the elements in place to aim for more, to go from a household name in UK esports to an internationally recognized, diverse British gaming brand with the ability to derive maximum value from ongoing sector expansion and the growing digitization of consumer behavior.” Information supplied to Sky News by the company said its fans had an average age of 32 and a household income of £55,000, which is no doubt a huge reason for investors’ interest in the organization. On July 1, it was revealed that Excel would be one of several UK-based esports organizations set to form the UK Esports Team Committee, a not-for-profit committee with the goal of “progressing and growing the UK esports industry.” With this investment round, there’s no doubt Excel are looking to further enhance their grasp on the esports space, and it will be interesting to see how the investment helps evolve the brand.

Excel Esports CEO Wouter Sleijffers reveals need for new logo and focus Excel EsportsExcel Esports are a leading British esports organization and they’ve just changed their logo for the second time in as many years, returning to an instantly-recognizable “XL” marking. [jwplayer WGyDcVLl] In January 2019 they were accepted as one of 10 long-term teams in the LEC — the premier European League of Legends competition — and they unveiled a new logo to signal a new era. November 12’s brand refresh is another indication that Excel Esports are entering their next iteration, though this is to be expected for eagle-eyed fans considering the org have overhauled their leadership team over the past year. From narrowly missing out on making the playoffs in the LEC 2020 Summer Split to signing 16-year-old Fortnite star Jaden ‘Wolfiez’ Ashman, they have grown from strength to strength since the updated brand was introduced but they’re not slowing down just yet. Now, Excel Esports are looking to become more than the “over-used ‘lifestyle’ esports brand” by “carving a new unique path” that prioritizes performance and purpose. Steering by a new slogan of ‘The Power of Better,’ the organization have a clear vision for the next few years. Dexerto spoke with Wouter Sleijffers, who leads the org having previously served as the CEO of their domestic rival Fnatic, to get direct insight into their new logo and ethos, why the change was necessary, and what fans can expect moving forward. A fresh lick of paint Branding is a huge component of any company, providing a recognizable face for fans, and setting a precedent with potential clients as to what they can expect. Changing a visual identity isn’t a light decision for this reason, especially as a misstep could severely damage the future perception of your brand. With this being Excel’s second logo change in under two years, they must have deemed it necessary for the future of the organization. “I’m not worried to the point where it gives me sleepless nights but I’m very conscious that it’s a second update,” Sleijffers told Dexerto. “Esports and gaming are moving fast, it’s inherent that we need to adapt and evolve. I don’t like the word ‘esports’ because people make too many references to sports, with Liverpool having a 120-year-old logo and such. That’s not us. “We care what our fans think about it but we also need to believe in what we’re doing and our future. The worst thing that can happen is people don’t give a sh*t and no doubt people will have varying opinions about this — I don’t expect everyone to immediately love it, but it’s our job to show what it’s all about.” It’s imperative for the team to show that they’re not changing entirely, instead just upgrading to give fans, potential supporters, and sponsors a better experience moving forward. The former Fnatic CEO is aware of this, but they drilled down to the very essence of what Excel as a brand is, what it stands for, and where he wants it to go. “We’re still Excel, though we did even get to the point where we discussed whether we should still call ourselves Excel because of the spreadsheet program,” he explained. “We concluded that we are Excel, this is our world, and we’re confident about who we are. Excel has had an amazing journey in such a short time but we can’t be complacent, we still have a long way to go to reach the top. This is the first step in the next part of our journey.” Why is now the perfect time for Excel to change their logo again? Since changing things up in January 2019, they’ve shown growth in League of Legends, made a landmark signing with Wolfiez, expanded their team, and secured an impressive partner in British telecommunications company BT. The operation behind Excel has changed dramatically in a short space of time and there’s further growth on the horizon. “We started talking about the next evolution of the Excel brand at the time of [myself and CCO Robin McCammon joining in January 2020],” he said. “We dug in deep, I didn’t want to be just like Fnatic or FaZe Clan for example, we built it from the ground up and continued to build upon what drove Kieran and Joel [Holmes-Darby] to start Excel in the first place.” The power of better Driven by a clear mantra, Excel now have a clear purpose driving them — if they didn’t before. Nailing down exactly what drives those that are behind the company, as well are the players that represent them on the big stages, will theoretically help them fulfill their “commitment to improve” and use their “platform to have a positive impact on the wider gaming and esports community,” as per a press release. So, what exactly does the CEO believe will change from here on out? “We want to do really well in the games we compete in, that’s not a change in ambition but there’s a lot of work going into that,” he said. “They are great ideas but this is about execution, it’s about how well we’re going to do what we want to do for ourselves, our fans, and our talent. We’re letting go of what we see in sports — maybe at one stage esports took too many people from other industries — because this is gaming, there’s a lot of things I’ve questioned. “This is also about coming up with a more interesting commercial proposition for brand partners like BT. Identity isn’t about updating the logo, it’s about building our DNA and that’s what we’re doing here.” British brand with international ambitions Co-founder and current chief gaming officer Kieran Holmes-Darby said around the time of their last rebrand that they have always been considered, and embraced, as the “plucky British underdog.” Is this still the case? With esports being a digital-first industry, that’s an irrefutable opportunity to access every major region on a global scale and keeping ambitions local could also be interpreted as intentionally limiting your potential fan base. “We’ve gone from a UK esports organization to a British competitive gaming culture brand, there’s a ton of difference here,” explained Sleijffers. “The United Kingdom is a country with geographical borders, I see Britain from a cultural perspective. “It’s amazing that Excel is based in Britain because it’s Britain is one of those few countries that has a big export industry from a cultural perspective. We don’t know what that is for gaming because nobody has done it yet. We want to define that culture, I can’t tell you what it’ll look like but it’s going to happen. Hopefully, we can be the voice of the British gaming and esports community across borders.” Considering this refresh is considered the first step in a whole bevy of advancements for Excel, fans can expect plenty more announcements to come from the organization in the coming weeks and months. For now, the jury is out as to whether existing fans will embrace the new identity of their favorite team.

Former Cloud9 VP Eunice Chen aims to make esports more accessible TechChill/EnlightEunice Chen made a name for herself in esports as an event manager for Riot Games in 2013, planning and managing events as part of the coveted World Championship. [jwplayer WGyDcVLl] What she’s perhaps best known for now in the industry, however, is serving as a founding employee of North American giants Cloud9 across partnerships and marketing. What Chen is looking to do next will be an amalgamation of her variety of esports experience and her love for building and community. She announced Enlight — a venture that aims to equip people to start a career in esports — on October 30, and spoke with Dexerto about her admirable plans not long after. Having worked with major brands like Riot Games and Cloud9 in the past, it’s perhaps unexpected to see Chen enter the startup world. When you consider her past roles and adoration for community-building, Enlight makes a lot of sense. Enlightening the next wave of esports personnel “I had to really think about what I wanted to invest my time into moving forward and really be honest with myself on what’s important to me,” she told Dexerto. “I know that I like building things, and even more, I know that I like building things that help other people. I had to think through a lot of my previous jobs and the conclusion I came to was that the best part was that I was building something and helping people at the same time. “There are people who are trying to learn these things and people who are trying to teach these things, but there’s no scalable space or easy way for them to do so. Twitter direct messages are not scalable. Conferences are great but it’s just overwhelming and very impersonal. Taking both of those together, it seemed natural for me to think about how I could build a community around learning and the sharing of knowledge.” Making money without products With any startup comes questioning around monetization, especially when they’re not inherently selling products. A common theme around early-stage companies is that they initially prioritize building a community and that they’ll then focus on how to make money from the community at a later date. As Chen explained, she falls in line with this approach. “I launched with a free class because I really wanted to learn and build alongside the community,” she said. “I didn’t want to do spend a year building courses, trying to sell them, and then realising I wasn’t even heading in the right direction. I work best when I keep communication open and really work with the people I’m trying to help. From this free class, I’ll learn so much about what people want and what they find valuable and therefore what they’re willing to pay for. “If we’re providing something of value for students that enable them to go and get jobs that pay them a salary, that’s something that is valuable and worth actual money. I think there’s also room for things like diversity scholarships and things like that. I’ll probably have a better idea in a few weeks.” Enlight will be bootstrapped — entirely self-funded — foregoing the ever-common trend of esports companies raising millions from venture capital firms. “I haven’t really looked for funding just because I want to be authentic to what I’m building and to the mission of that, instead of to what the investors want,” Chen said. “If I do get investment down the line, I want to reduce the cost for customers but I also want to make sure the vision is pretty set.” Week 1 is here! We’re so excited to officially start our Alpha program! Everyone should’ve received an email so check your Gmail promotions, socials & spam folders! We will continue to accept applications on a rolling basis so don’t hesitate to apply at https://t.co/W0NFKVicmM! pic.twitter.com/yt7iWJw543 — Enlight (@Enlightgg) November 8, 2020 Ability to adapt There are plenty of applications for a service such as Enlight, it even has the ability to tap into pre-existing communities and establishments and then provide a service from there. As esports grows, so too does the amount of paid opportunities and career options, and that’s something that Chen is cognizant of; her experience in a large entity in Riot Games paying off in spades. “There are so many ways to think about education, and both professionally and personally,” she said. “With professional skills, there’s a group of people that are very early in their careers and need help with things like their resumes or interviews. There’s also a group of people who already have jobs and want to get better. “With the beginning part of their careers, working with companies to help with the recruiting pipeline is really interesting. People that go through the Enlight programme, so I hope, will have better skill sets and be more readily prepared. For people that are already working in companies, that could be a really interesting opportunity. If they need to level up around certain skill sets, if they’re hiring a bunch of new photographers or social media coordinators and don’t have time to onboard them, and so on — there’s certainly work around that that can be done.” Esports experts Enlight has an impressive roster of “experts” on their website that will serve as mentors to users. This includes lawyer Bryce Blum, Cloud9 senior producer Emily Gonzalez-Holland, Ateyo CEO Rachel Feinberg, Twitter head of gaming content partnerships Rishi Chadha, and Riot Games senior develop relations Gene Chorba. These mentors are experienced in their own areas and have been picked for that exact reason, as Chen understands that esports is made up of many categories — just like any other industry. While they shouldn’t expect any sort of monetary reimbursement for their time initially, working with Enlight enables them to pass on knowledge and experience to the next generation of esports personnel without spending hours of their time each week doing so. “The experts that I partnered with, they’re more than happy to speak on panels to speak with younger people to help others,” she told Dexerto. “A common thing that I hear from them and other veterans is they just don’t have time to respond to every single direct message from young people asking them how they can work in esports. “So for me to set up this kind of structure, where they can easily transfer their knowledge and I handle all the heavy lifting, makes it so easy for the experts who are super busy with their jobs to just come in for an hour, speak on a topic that I’ve laid out for them, and I do the rest. They don’t have to have individual conversations if they don’t want to, they don’t have to deal with scheduling. It’s super turnkey for them.” Collegiate esports on the rise It seems as if a new collegiate esports program pops up every week, and this emphasis on teaching people before they’re ready to start their careers is ideal for Enlight. The current means of education is also fitting for the startup, with online and remote learning almost becoming the standard method of deliverance in 2020. “I think it’s perfect for Enlight to emerge right now,” exclaimed Chen. “With what’s happened in 2020, virtual learning and remote learning has been a really big thing that we’ve all gotten used to. Gaming and esports have just exploded and so colleges are really feeling the pressure to offer something around gaming and esports and engage students. “Colleges are super swamped and just don’t have the resources to build out very detailed courses and so I hope to be a supplement to that. I’m literally working on this full-time and it’s hard to distill down into how everything actually works and deep dive into each one of those tracks — I can’t imagine a college being able to do that with limited resources and staff.” Auditing the audience In terms of who’s able to enroll in Enlight and what the format will look like, Chen is encouraging interested parties to reach out to her for a discussion. She’s “targeting all types of people who are looking to get into esports or learn more about it” and taking a “three-category approach.” “People who are trying to learn about how esports works, people who are excited to learn about additional soft skills that can help them in their professional careers, and people looking to add to their personal skill set; building confidence, handling imposter syndrome, dealing with rejection, things like that,” she explained. “Every week, we’ll have discussion topics, I hope to have exercises and we’ll see if people participate in them, we’ll have experts come in to talk about different topics. I’m going to be experimenting with a lot of different formats. I think presentations makes sense but maybe it could be a fireside chat. Maybe it could be an interview format. There’s also room for fun ways to do those discussion topics that we could experiment with and see how people respond.” While the shape and form of enlightenment that Chen offers may evolve over the coming weeks, it’s clear that she’s looking to equip the next generation with the personal and professional tools necessary to make it in this emerging industry.

Esports provides staggering boost to UK economy CDL/EAA report commissioned by UK video game trade body Ukie reveals surprising statistics about the nation’s esports performance, both domestically and globally. [jwplayer 5XmbOUA5] The report from Olsberg•SPI with Nordicity, named “The Value of Esports in the UK,” looks at the economic impact of esports in the United Kingdom, offering an overview of the ever-growing industry and how it affects trade regionally. One of the most promising takeaways from the research is that esports has grown in the UK at an average annual rate of 8.5% between 2016 and 2019. This will be some attributed to the rise of esports on a global basis, with UK organizations such as Fnatic and Excel witnessing dramatic growth over the time period. It’s also that the sector supported over 1,200 jobs in 2019, even though it’s estimated that the UK represents under 8% of the entire global esports market. North America and Asian countries such as China and Korea are undoubtedly the largest players in the market. Nonetheless, findings suggest that esports contributed £111.5 million ($144.4 million) in gross value to the UK economy throughout the last year. Based on the results of the study, Ukie believes that governmental inclusion will be a catalyst — and necessary component — of growth in UK esports. The trade body recommends that regular engagement should be established by industry players and the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport; this has already been an increasing reality in 2019 and 2020. It’s worth noting that the United Kingdom found itself represented regularly in major leagues through long-term partnerships and franchising. This includes Fnatic and Excel Esports’ inclusion in Riot Games’ LEC, Cloud9’s London Spitfire franchise in the Overwatch League, and Rogue’s parent company’s London Royal Ravens in the Call of Duty League. These cemented positions serve as constant promotion for UK esports. “Esports is a global sector at the intersection of technology, creativity, broadcast and entertainment – all areas of real national strength for the UK,” said Ukie’s CEO, Dr Jo Twist. “This report shows us that the UK has a strong and growing esports industry, but that there is more to do to capture the full potential of this exciting, high-growth sector.” Another major suggestion based on the report is that the immigration system needs to be clearer as far as esports players and talent are concerned. While countries such as Germany have made huge advancements on this front, things are still foggy in the UK. The main takeaway should perhaps be that while the nation is still not quite the force many would love for it to be, it’s on a promising trajectory.

Recently-launched esports network VENN raises $26m VENNVENN, a gaming and esports television that launched on August 5, has raised $26 million in investment. [jwplayer R6p1wjEO] The Series A funding round was led by BITKRAFT Ventures, a venture capital firm founded by ESL and G2 Esports co-founder Jens Hilgers. Television and media company Nexstar Media Group has also invested in the network. Nexstar Media Group is said to be the largest owner of television stations in the entire United States, which perhaps signals that VENN is prioritizing mainstream adoption instead of building up a major viewership base on platforms such as Twitch and YouTube. Interestingly, WISE Ventures — the parent company of Call of Duty League franchise Minnesota ROKKR and Rocket League brand Version1 — also participated in the funding. With live studios in New York and Los Angeles, the gaming and esports network is looking to become the home of “streamers, casters, content creators, esports athletes” through “engaging and innovative formats.” In the first month of trying to become the premier destination of content for gamers and esports fans, VENN achieved a peak viewership of 14.2K on Twitch, according to Esports Charts. It dropped in the last week of August — reaching an average viewership of 216 people. It’s worth noting that the network also uploads VODs of its content, which includes topical talk shows and a daily news offering. Another big move for VENN is the appointment of Jeff Jacobs, a former NBC Sports veteran that joins as executive vice president and general manager. He will oversee an expansion for the network in terms of their content and business operations in hopes of making it more prominent among the bustling gaming fan base. For now, it’s clear that there’s a long road ahead of VENN for it to reach the lofty ambitions of the founders, but raising $26m is certainly a good pot of cash to work with.

Esports job website Hitmarker launch crowdfunding campaign Esports jobs website Hitmarker have announced a crowdfunding campaign offering people shares in their company, as they turn their eyes towards expanding into the wider video game industry. Those interested in working in esports might already know of Hitmarker, which posts hundreds of paid jobs from the industry each month. on Friday, November 1, the company announced the launch of a crowdfunding campaign to help them expand as they target a larger portion of the gaming industry. The British company are looking to raise at least £80,000 (~$100,000) in return for 4% of the business, and state in their press release that the focus of the round is to double the number of full-time staff they have and significantly increase their marketing budget with a view of dominating the video game hiring market. They had more than £32,000 pledged during their exclusive early access phase, reaching over 40% of their target, and now have 30 days of public campaigning to hit the £80,000 mark. If they fail to do so any funds pledged will be returned to investors and Hitmarker will receive nothing. The launch video outlining the investment opportunity was officially released today and suggests the number of jobs on the platform could increase five-fold with the addition of gaming jobs. Given the current count of just over 1,200 jobs on their site, this would come out to over 6,000 active jobs across both the esports and gaming industries. Our @Crowdcube pitch page is LIVE! We want to improve and expand our platform to serve both #esports and the wider #videogame industry, but we need your help. Become a shareholder in Hitmarker today and support us on our mission! (Please RT too!) pic.twitter.com/M9eR527Kgb — Hitmarker | Equity Crowdfunding Now (@HitmarkerJobs) November 1, 2019 Esports is no stranger to investment, but companies opting to conduct public raises like this rather than going through the more traditional venture capital route is relatively uncommon. The process works by inviting potential investors to pledge £10 and upwards to the campaign in return for a number of shares that scales with how much they invest. In a statement, Managing Director Richard Huggan explained the company’s decision to crowdfund, saying: “Hitmarker was built to serve the esports industry. Our mission is to improve the job hunting process for people who want to work in our industry, and we’ve worked very hard to build a reputation as a positive presence in the scene.” “We believe we now have an impassioned community of brand advocates that have been instrumental in our growth over the past two years and already feel a huge responsibility to all of these people. Giving them the chance to become shareholders in our company will only enhance this and will motivate our whole team to work even harder than they already do to provide them with the best service possible.” Hitmarker’s presence in esports provides fans hoping to work in the industry with a centralized place to go and browse jobs from teams, tournament organizers and other companies around the scene. Their aim is to do the same in the video game industry, believing that it, just like esports before their company formed, suffers from not having a single reliable source for people to find work. Their full pitch can be viewed on the official Hitmarker Crowdcube page. Investments of this nature carry risks to your capital. Please Invest Aware.

Esports giants Astralis to delist from Nasdaq exchange Michal Konkol/BLASTDanish esports organization Astralis has announced that it is to delist from the Nasdaq First North Growth Market Denmark. In a company statement, Astralis said that shareholders voted to delist from the exchange in an August 8 Extraordinary General Meeting, adding that a further announcement will be made when the delisting application has been submitted. The Danish company announced on July 11 its intention to put a delisting up for a vote, with the proposal requiring two-thirds of the votes and capital present at the meeting. Astralis’ executive management, the board of directors, and major shareholder Jakob Lund Kristensen all expressed their intention to vote in favor of the proposal at the general meeting. Astralis became a publicly listed company in December 2019 following an Initial Public Offering (IPO) at a price of 8.95 DKK per share ($1.31 USD). The company’s stock has since tumbled, with shares being traded at just 0.81 DKK ($0.12 USD) at the time of writing. Astralis estimates that the delisting will allow the company to save approximately 3 million DKK ($440,000 USD) a year in direct and indirect costs. Through the company’s delisting and these savings, Astralis aims “to create a more profitable business for its shareholders and free up resources and funds for new investments.” In the company’s 2022 financial results, Astralis reported a net revenue increase from 75 million DKK ($11.01 million USD) in 2021 to 87.5 million DKK ($12.85 million USD) in 2022, and an EBITDA (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization) of 2.6 million DKK ($380,000 USD), up from -7.9 million DKK (-$1.16 million USD) in 2021. Founded in 2016, Astralis is mostly known for its men’s CS:GO team, which is currently ranked 6th in the world. The organization is a partner of both ESL and BLAST in the CS:GO scene, and holds a spot in the League of Legends EMEA Championship (LEC).

First ‘Esports Fashion Week’ announced for brands to show off esports apparel Esports Fashion GroupThe Esports Fashion Group has been announced, led by a team of industry professionals aiming to spearhead the convergence of competitive gaming and fashion. The group’s first step will be launching Esports Fashion Week, a platform that hopes to “showcase the stunning diversity of styles and aesthetics” across the industry. The pilot of the event is earmarked for the third quarter of 2021 and is planned as being the “first-of-its-kind hub” for esports apparel brands to debut their latest collections. Not only will Esports Fashion Week serve as a platform for upcoming clothing collections, they want it to be a means of attracting endemic and non-endemic companies alike. The group has been put together by chairman Alex Bienert, president Ali Rezvan, vice president of strategy and operations Owen Fish, and co-founder Warren Fish. Read More: Olympics finally embrace esports – The team behind the initiative has worked with brands such as Microsoft, Movember, Nintendo, and Verizon. Warren, for example, was a founding employee of Gfinity and headed up league operations, followed by publisher and developer relations, during his nine-year stint at the company. Monetization is often hard to come by in esports, but Esports Fashion Group claim to be structuring their offering around “delivering value and a return of investment” with “unique consumer and partner offerings.” H4X celebrates @NICKMERCS cyber athlete, Faze Clan member, and twitch streamer. The Blackout 2.0 Collection includes a hoodie, t-shirt and hat crafted with the utmost quality standards to suitably honor Nick’s storied heritage. https://t.co/16oU8XDKyy pic.twitter.com/h7oqZ4dfAe — H4X⌝💫Corporation. (@H4Xgg) April 10, 2021 “When I was first approached about this amazing opportunity, I couldn’t say no,” said Warren. “The group’s vision was so clear, and there was no doubt in my mind that this would be a success. “Since then, we have been working together to build the Esports Fashion Group to where it is today, and we’re all very proud of what we have achieved. I believe that this concept is the future of esports fashion, and I am looking forward to going on that journey with the ever-growing team. Today marks a new chapter to push creativity and broaden our industry.” Look out for the first iteration of the project coming in the third quarter of 2021.

Esports Awards announce Industry finalists for 2021 Twitter, @esportsawardsThe 2021 Esports Awards will be taking place on November 20, 2021 and the finalists for the Industry Awards — like Journalist and Coverage Platform of the Year — have now been formally announced. Each year, the Esports Awards crown the most deserving winners in a variety of areas within the industry. From community content creators to hardware providers, the award show applauds dozens of parties that contribute to the scene’s growth. Now, the Esports Awards have officially named this year’s “Industry” finalists, a nod to those who are often behind the scenes and helping the field grow. With these finalists locked in, fans can now go to the Esports Awards website to vote on their winners. With eight different Industry categories to vote on and a number of qualified options in each, voters should have a tough time this year. Check out the full list of categories and finalists for each: Esports Awards 2021: Industry finalists All the Esports Awards Industry finalists have been revealed, now it is your turn to support them and help them win. ✅ Go to https://t.co/vikY9wqyDZ and vote for those who have been the best ones in the esports industry in the last year pic.twitter.com/pVibTlZ5fv — Esports Awards (@esportsawards) June 24, 2021 Esports Publisher of the Year Riot Games – Tencent – Garena – Ubisoft – Psyonix – EA – Epic Games – Activision Blizzard – Valve – Esports Journalist of the Year Jacob Wolf – Richard Lewis – Adam Fitch – Ashley Kang – FionnOnFire – Kevin Hitt – Liz Richardson – Wasif Ahmed – Bloop – H.B. Duran – Esports Game of the Year CS:GO – League of Legends – DOTA 2 – Valorant – Call of Duty – Rocket League – PUBG Mobile – Rainbow Six Siege – Overwatch – Free Fire – Esports Coverage Platform of the Year Dexerto – Esports Observer – SiegeGG – HLTV – Esports Insider – Liquipedia – Inven Global – EsportsManiacos – Dot Esports – Upcomer – Esports Supporting Service of the Year ESG Law – Paper Crowns – Hitmarker – Discord – The Story Mob – ESEA – CAA – Aftershock Media Group – CSA – Mobalytics – Prodigy Agency – Esports Hardware Provider of the Year Logitech G – Razer – ElGato – HyperX – Nvidia – Intel – AMD – Alienware – SecretLab – Corsair – SteelSeries – ASUS ROG – Esports Commercial Partner of the Year Intel – Redbull – BMW – State Farm – Logitech G – Mountain Dew – HyperX – Alienware – Verizon – FTX – Cash App – KitKat – Esports Broadcast & Production Team of the Year Riot Games – Beyond the Summit – Psyonix – FACEIT – Nerd Street Gamers – Garena – BLAST Premier – Esports Engine – ESL Gaming – Activision Blizzard – Those are all the finalists for this year’s Industry awards. The Esports Awards are returning to in-person theatrics for this year’s event, locking in a date and location in Arlington, Texas. You can check here for more details about this year’s schedule and overall format.

ESL Pro Tour partners with Shopify for StarCraft II esports Blizzard Entertainment / Shopify / ESLThe ESL Pro Tour is officially partnering with Canadian ecommerce giant Shopify to amplify Starcraft II esports. As announced, the collaboration will bring doubled prize pools and the return of SC2’s “Signature Series.” With ESL Pro Tour action underway in the StarCraft circuit, the organization has revealed that Shopify is getting involved as a new partner and what that partnership should entail. For fans, the return of in-depth player portraits in the “Signature Series” should be exciting. For players, a simpler cause for excitement: all Open Cup prize pools are getting doubled. ESL’s director of product management, Shaun Clark, broke down what this new partnership brings to the table, shared values between the brands, and details on upcoming enhancements. Aside from the Shopify-centric upgrades, he also touched on upcoming map pool efforts in collaboration with Blizzard Entertainment and Team Liquid. We are beyond thrilled to announce that the ESL Pro Tour is levelling up! ✨ With the help of @Shopify , the circuit will continue to evolve during 2021Take it away, @ApolloSC2 🤩 pic.twitter.com/wWf1218MzL — ESL StarCraft 2 (@ESLSC2) May 21, 2021 As Clark notes, “Shopify shares our values, our vision, and has the same level of passion as we do.” This should be unsurprising to SC2 fans, as the ecommerce company already launched a StarCraft II esports team when they announced their esports organization, “The Rebellion,” in February 2021. Now, Shopify is working to help the scene grow with content and prize pools — rather than just adding to the competitive field with their own roster. This new partnership will allow the ESL Pro Tour to bring back the “Signature Series,” a number of miniature documentaries about individual players, diving into their life stories and road to the pros. Additionally, it will allow the Pro Tour to double all prize pools for Open Cup events, meaning the top eight teams weekly will all receive some compensation. These changes are expected to both help the groundwork for SC2 with the Open Cup, while also generating hype for the IEM Katowice 2022 championship with original, player-driven content. As a last note, Clark also expands upon another collaboration coming — with Liquid and Blizzard — that focuses entirely on map pools. As he elaborates, this new effort is poised to ensure that “the map rotations are refreshed on a regular basis.”

ESL partners with RENNSPORT for $500,000 R1 Esport Series circuit RENNSPORT & ESLESL has announced that it has partnered with RENNSPORT, a new virtual racing platform, for a tournament circuit with over half a million dollars on the line in 2023. The ESL R1 virtual racing circuit promises to “set a whole new standard for virtual racing” by bringing together car manufacturers and players. RENNSPORT is an upcoming ultra-realistic sim-racing game that is being developed by Munich-based publisher Competition Company. The team behind the game includes “professional drivers, racing strategists, programmers and esports experts,” according to the German company. The ESL R1 circuit will feature four esports teams from ESL’s other esports competitions – MOUZ, FURIA, Heroic and FaZe – and eight manufacturer partners, with each team being represented by four drivers. Below you can find the 12 teams that will compete in the 2023 R1 sim-racing circuit: Apex Racing Team – BMW M Team BS+COMPETITION – FaZe Clan – FURIA – G2 Esports – Heroic – Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS Esports Team – Mercedes-AMG Team Williams Esports – MOUZ – Porsche Coanda Esports Racing Team – R8G eSports – Team Redline – R1 Esports Series set to start ESL’s upcoming IEM Katowice event in February will mark the launch of the ESL R1 Spring Season with the first two rounds of play. The season will then transition to online with six more rounds between March 13 and May 8, on Fridays and Mondays. The top 24 players of the Spring Season will then race at the ESL R1 Spring Major at the RENNSPORT Summit. The event will take place on May 27-28 in Munich. The second season, ESL R1 Fall Season, will kick off in August online and will culminate in the Fall Major at DreamHack Winter, in Jönköping, Sweden, from November 23-25. “Esports is the world’s fastest-growing media and entertainment segment with a young and digital oriented fan base,” says Competition Company CEO Morris Hebecker. “That’s why EFG is an important partner for us, in order to jointly anchor the fascination of racing in the virtual world as well as to position ourselves in the existing world of esports in the long run.” The R1 Esport Series circuit will have €500,000 ($520,000) on the line in 2023, though it’s unclear how much the winner of each season will earn. Sim-racing fans will be able to watch the competition on ESL R1’s Twitch and YouTube channels. RENNSPORT is not yet available to the public, with the game expected to enter a closed beta phase in the coming weeks. Only four cars (Audi R8 LMS GT3 Evo, Porsche Mission R, Porsche 911 GT3R, and BMW M4 GT3) and two tracks (Goodwood Hill Climb and Hockenheimring) have been confirmed so far.

ESL and DreamHack get dedicated TV coverage in SPORT1 deal Bart Oerbekke/ESLESL Gaming have expanded their partnership with German television channel SPORT1 to broadcast Dota 2, StarCraft II, and other titles. [jwplayer qtClEeZt] Starting on November 3rd, both ESL and DreamHack will have some of their tournaments broadcast on eSportsONE, a new esports-focused linear TV channel, through the renewed deal. SPORT1 will serve as the exclusive TV partner of ESL’s Dota 2 tournaments, effectively making the channel one of the main broadcasters for some of the organizer’s flagship events like ESL One Birmingham, ESL One Hamburg, and ESL One Los Angeles. eSportsONE will also broadcast the ESL Pro Tour for both StarCraft II and WarCraft III in Germany, as well as events for NBA 2K and Rocket League. An emphasis is also to be placed on “exclusive, original produced analysis” that will account for over 1,000 hours of TV per year alongside events. Media rights deals are common in traditional sports, with the highest percentage of revenue for many sports actually coming through transactions with television channels. Esports are not on that same level yet but this type of partnership has become more prominent and expected in the past couple of years. “Having seen the success of eSPORTS1 in German-speaking countries, we are excited to join forces with long-term partner SPORT1 for the rollout of the linear channel eSportsONE across Europe,” said Frank Uddo, ESL’s SVP of global media. “ESL aims to serve the esports community all across Europe, and eSportsONE’s comprehensive and versatile portfolio makes it a great option to view premium esports content.” With events moving online in the first quarter of 2020, and there being no end in sight at the time of writing, eSportsONE will have a lot of content to choose from. ESL One Dota 2 tournaments have typically been split up into regions, with China, Europe & CIS, North America, South America, and Southeast Asia all having their own competitions and winners. ESL One Germany is currently ongoing but will end before this new deal comes into effect.

EPIC League shifts gears with Haval car sponsorship for Season 2 EPIC League/HavalEpic Esports Events have named Chinese car brand Haval as the exclusive automotive partner of their EPIC League. [jwplayer OhiXHYBA] The Dota 2 league kicked off on October 29, with teams in the first division from Europe and the CIS region competing for $500,000. Haval will sponsor the broadcast of the competition, displaying their logo on-stream to advertise their cars to Dota 2 fans. The organizations that make up the first division are Alliance, Natus Vincere, Nigma, OG, Team Liquid, Team Secret, Vikin.gg, and Virtus.pro. Haval entered esports in July 2020 when they partnered with Russian organization Virtus.pro, specifically focusing on their Dota 2 team. EPIC League organizers Epic Esports Events are owned by ESforce Holding, the same company that owns and operates Virtus.pro. Production studio RuHub and news publication Cybersport.ru are also under the same ownership. “We are delighted to see Haval among our partners at the new Epic Esports Events tournament again,” Sergey Barkhudarian, the commercial director of ESforce Holding. “The brand burst onto the esports scene brightly and already managed to win many esports fans’ hearts in different disciplines. Advanced esports audience is interested in the technological automotive innovations of Haval. “EPIC League will be the largest and the most interesting tournament to conclude the esports year in Dota 2. We are confident that Haval activations will make it even brighter, more technological and stronger for our audience.” HISTORY BEGINS TOMORROW 🤠🔥#EPICLeague pic.twitter.com/q9ON9YzeK9 — EPICENTER (@epicentergg) November 2, 2020 Automotive brands have been looking to esports to advertise to a young, technology-savvy demographic for years now — though activity has increased dramatically over the last couple of years. In October 2020, Mazda entered the industry through a deal with HellRaisers. Other car brands in esports include Audi with Astralis Group, Honda with Riot Games’ LCS and Team Liquid, McLaren with DragonX, and Kia with the LEC and Rogue.

Envy bet on ThriveFantasy as official fantasy platform in long-term deal Envy/ThriveFantasyNorth American legacy esports organization Team Envy have found their first official fantasy esports platform in ThriveFantasy. The strategic partnership is the first exploration for ThriveFantasy into esports and aims to deepen the connection between Envy and their fan base. When it comes to competitive gaming, the fantasy platform will allow users to bet over/under figures on kills, deaths, assists, headshots, and more. They currently accommodate Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, League of Legends, and Dota 2, though more titles are poised to be added soon. The partnership will span for multiple years, though the exact length has not been disclosed, and includes cross-branding opportunities for both parties. Envy’s teams in CS:GO, Halo, Rocket League, and Valorant — as well as their Call of Duty franchise Dallas Empire and Overwatch franchise Dallas Fuel — will all be part of the promotional efforts from ThriveFantasy. Read More: OG bring Asian bookmakers Fun88 into esports – “We know gaming fans crave interactive experiences that can bring them closer to their favorite players and teams – and that is exactly what ThriveFantasy is powering with their focus on a fantasy esports ecosystem and prop betting,” said Adam Rymer, Envy’s CEO. The fantasy specialists will also serve as a secondary engagement platform for Envy’s fans, streaming the team’s matches across multiple titles. The organization announced their own membership program, EnvyUS, in November 2020 in an attempt to create a stronger connection with supporters who are willing to pay $29 annually. https://twitter.com/ThriveFantasyGG/status/1336377293963472899 An additional element of the long-term alliance will see ThriveFantasy’s Discord bot be integrated into Envy’s own server, educating members on esports proposition bets and providing live statistics from games every 30 seconds. “Team Envy is the perfect partner for ThriveFantasy,” said Adam Weinstein, ThriveFantasy’s founder. “Not only has Envy proven themselves as winners with several championships across major gaming titles, but they have one of the most loyal and passionate fanbases in North America. We look forward to pushing further into esports and becoming the go-to fantasy platform for the esports community with great team partners like Envy.”

Envy Gaming raises $40 million investment led by TV company Gray Television Envy GamingEsports organization Envy Gaming, parent to teams including Dallas Empire, Dallas Fuel and Team Envy, has raised $40 million in a new round of investment, with the bulk from TV company Gray Television. Alongside their leading $28.5 million investment, Gray Television will name two directors to Envy Gaming’s board of directors. Envy Gaming not only fields esports teams in Call of Duty, Overwatch, Rocket League, Valorant, Halo and more, but also has a roster of streamers and content creators. This new funding comes after a year of expansion for Envy, signing numerous new content creators, including the Botez twins, and Warzone personalities BobbyPoff and Sebas Beron. Dallas-based rapper Post Malone joined as a co-owner in August 2020. Gray Television is described as “one of the largest owners of television stations in the U.S., reaching approximately 24% of U.S. television households.” “We’re excited to lead this investment in Envy Gaming, an organization known for breaking ground and pushing the limits of what the future holds for gaming and entertainment,” said Hilton H. Howell, Jr., Gray’s Executive Chairman and CEO. Envy‘s CEO Adam Rymer said, “Esports and gaming is the fastest-growing area across all of media and entertainment. “Building global communities through content and engagement, similar to what the world has seen in the music, film and TV industries, is an endeavor we’re incredibly excited to work on with Gray as our partner.” Mike ‘Hastr0’ Rufial, founder and Chief Gaming Officer at Envy, said: “From the first time we talked to Gray, it became evident to me that our leadership team and winning culture at Envy had found a perfect partner to help continue our great success.” The ownership group of Envy also includes Ken Hersh, minority owner of the Texas Rangers, and additional partners include “prominent Texas families and select national investors.” Envy also launched a membership program for their most dedicated fans in November, with perks including exclusive merchandise, team news, giveaways.

Envy Gaming enters competitive tag by sponsoring World Chase Tag team GNF Envy, World Chase TagTexas-based esports organization Envy Gaming have entered the world of competitive tag by sponsoring GNF, a professional team that competes in the World Chase Tag competition. Envy Gaming operate several esports franchises and have now ventured out into the world of alternative sports through World Chase Tag, an international competition for parkour that involves tag — a game that was popular in most people’s childhood. GNF (Going Nowhere Fast), a team that will now go by ENVY GNF as part of the sponsorship deal, will compete in the upcoming WCT USA championship. Held on August 6, 2021, the event will take place in Ohio, USA and is set to be broadcast on ESPN as part of a multi-year agreement announced in July 2021. Envy expanded their footprint beyond esports when they signed chess players and content creators Andrea and Alexandra Botez in December 2020. They also own and operate Dallas Fuel and Dallas Empire in the Overwatch League and Call of Duty League, respectively. GNF, a relatively new team in the world of tag, made a series of upsets at the World Chase Tag 4 event in late 2020 when they made it all the way to the finals. They lost by one point in the finals against United, a hybrid team from France and Switzerland. Now, with the support of a legacy esports organization, the team will be looking to go all the way at the WCT USA’21 tournament.

Elon Musk confirms Twitter buyout and responds to backlash Wikipedia Commons, Debbie RoweTesla and SpaceX CEO, Elon Musk, has finally announced he has bought Twitter and was responded to backlash associated with his takeover. The business magnate decided to move forward with the reported $44 billion dollar deal to take control of the social media platform on October 4, closing the deal on October 27. In April, he joined the Twitter board and announced it would soon lead to “significant improvements” for the platform. Confirmation of the acquisition puts an end to months of back-and-forth between the billionaire and the company. At one point, the deal appeared to be on thin ice as he voiced concerns over the platform having an alleged bot problem. Elon Musk confirms Twitter buyout Musk was pictured walking into the Twitter HQ with a sink on October 26, but it was unclear as to whether the move had been finalized. He said: “Meeting a lot of cool people at Twitter today!” This followed reports that Musk was considering a cut to 75% of the tech company’s workforce. Bloomberg later claimed he rubbished the rumors personally when speaking to staff. The following day, he sent a message addressed to “Twitter advertisers” on his Twitter account. The statement said: “The reason I acquired Twitter is because it is important to the future of civilization to have a common digital town square, where a wide range of beliefs can be debated in a healthy manner, without resorting to violence.” Elon Musk responds to Twitter takeover backlash His previous comments about making social media more pro-free speech, as reported by The Guardian, have led to many users questioning his motives. So, he decided to address the concerns head-on. “There is currently great danger that social media will splinter into far right wing and far left wing echo chambers that generate more hate and divide our society,” he added. “Twitter obviously cannot become a free-for-all hellscape, where anything can be said with no consequences! In addition to adhering to the laws of the land, our platform must be warm and welcoming to all.” Elon Musk’s takeover of the company is one of the biggest business acquisitions in 2022 so far and users around the world will be on the edge of their seats waiting for the changes he has in store. Some, however, remain skeptical.

Elgato release long-awaited products for streamers and content creators ElgatoConsumer technology company Elgato announced three new products on March 4 that will no doubt be of much use to content creators of all sizes. Known for making products that help people create content in a variety of ways, the three products Elgato have unveiled are of varying functions and necessity. Wave panels for better sound quality, a green screen mouse mat, and light strips are all now available for purchase. After acquiring design platform Visuals by Impulse in February 2021, Elgato’s parent company CORSAIR are obviously looking to keep up momentum in the battle against Logitech to kit out streamers and content creators. Perhaps the most timely of the new products is the green screen mouse mat. With the ongoing trend of Pokemon box openings — in which Logan Paul is largely responsible — this mat allows creators to decide exactly what viewers see as they open up packs. It’ll also work well for gamers who want to show off how they execute impressive in-game plays. RGB lighting is a staple in many gaming setups, allowing creators and streamers to illuminate their desks and rooms in colors of their choosing. Elgato’s take on the lighting is said to provide over 16 million color options and have “camera-friendly” flicker-free LEDs. They work with Elgato’s stream deck, too. The wave panels aren’t anything new in the grand scheme of things but they do claim to be better than others on the market for a few reasons. Because the panels are as “light as feathers,” the set-up time is minimal and the hexagonal design means they can be configured in many different ways. These additions to Elgato’s product offering complement the existing items well. Among their most popular pieces of gear are their Stream Deck control pad, Wave microphones, video-capture products such as the Cam Link, and their key lights. As well as Elgato and Visuals by Impulse, CORSAIR own custom gaming controller company SCUF Gaming and custom computer-building company ORIGIN PC. They are heavily aiming at the ever-growing economy of online creators through their company portfolio.

Gaming social platform eFuse secures $6m investment from NBA and NFL stars eFuseGaming and esports social media platform eFuse have raised $6m in post-seed investment from major athletes across basketball and American football. The company dub themselves as the “LinkedIn for gamers” and have raised new capital in an effort to accelerate their growth. They’re said to have welcomed 500,000 users to their platform so far. eFuse are banking on discoverability being a major player in their eventual success, allowing gamers to show off their in-game credentials, gameplay highlights, and resume. Those who contributed in the investment round include Philadelphia 76ers’ Seth Curry, Cleveland Browns’ Denzel Ward, Dallas Cowboys’ Ezekiel Elliott, and New England Patriots’ Chase Winovich. Utilizing the newly-raised funds, eFuse will delve into product development and user acquisition in an attempt to accelerate their growth. They also plan to make more key hires on their mission to becoming profitable — much like their recent hires of Herb May and Neil Duffy. Read More: Visuals by Impulse join Elgato under CORSAIR – The platform goes beyond what LinkedIn offers to users. They host ‘eRena’ esports events, which includes a tournament series built exclusively for female gamers, and aggregates scholarship and job opportunities specifically tailored towards gaming and esports. “eFuse is tackling esports’ discovery and diversity problem head-on,” said Bill Baumel, managing director at the Ohio Innovation Fund, who served as the lead investor in the round. “We see only growth opportunities as eFuse applies its funding to meet the opportunity and define the ‘networking for gamers’ segment.” eFuse are based in Columbus Ohio and have over 20 employees. They are led by CEO Matthew Benson, who was named to Forbes’ 30 Under 30 list in the gaming category for 2021.

DUX Gaming reportedly buy NBA 2K League Mexico slot for $25m NBA 2K League / PexelsSpanish gaming organization DUX Gaming have reportedly purchased a slot in the NBA 2K League for a whopping $25 million, surprising many esports fans who drew parallels to price points in other leagues. The NBA 2K League’s inaugural season was in 2018, when 17 teams competed for a title, all representing actual NBA organizations. Now, for the 2022 season, the 2KL is up to 24 teams — with DUX’s Mexico squad being the second international org enlisted. While the news of Madrid-based DUX’s acquisition of a league slot has been officially confirmed, it was unclear how much they spent to buy-in. Now, based on a report by Sports Business Journal’s Trent Murray, it appears that the organization spent a whopping $25 million to secure its spot. DUX Gaming buy into NBA 2K League for $25m That’s a big number for 2K league https://t.co/geewvzkVFY pic.twitter.com/cNZOPcsdIF — Ben Fischer (@BenFischerSBJ) September 29, 2021 The immediate response to the news has mainly been surprising, as SBJ’s Ben Fischer seemed surprised by the figure: “that’s a big number for 2K league.” Read more: Best badges to use in NBA 2K22 MyCareer – In the replies, quote tweets, and other posts on social media — people seem similarly confused by the price point needed for the 2K League. One user laughed at the fact that “League of Legends slots are as costly as NBA 2K.” Amidst other jokes about DUX getting “finessed” and the like, some have gotten more serious in their response, discussing the league’s metrics. If accurate, a $25M franchise fee for a 2K League slot is absolutely nonsensical. This valuation could only be substantiated by fomo and nothing else. The league does very little by all metrics https://t.co/VG6PoAFcvB — Roger Quiles (@RogerQuiles) September 29, 2021 As mentioned by one critic, the NBA 2K League “does very little by all metrics.” With the Call of Duty and Overwatch Leagues both exclusively streamed on YouTube, those numbers can be a little hard to compare. On Twitch, the 2KL has almost 167k followers (per TwitchMetrics) and on YouTube, it has 79.9k subscribers. Conversely, the OWL and CDL YouTube channels have 812k and 1.48m subscribers, respectively. With the relatively low 2KL data and Matthew ‘Nadeshot’ Haag’s recent claim that he paid $27 million for a CDL slot, there’s context for the confused reactions. At the moment, the price reports are unconfirmed and it remains unclear how much a 2K League slot normally costs. Regardless, many will be excited to find out if the investment pays off.

DreamHack VP explains refreshed branding and community approach DreamHackFounded 26 years ago, DreamHack is a major tournament organizer that has also provided dozens of gaming festivals on a global scale. For the first time, they’ve decided to refresh their visual identity. Announcing the changes on DreamHack Day — an annual celebration of the company where they usually share what’s up their sleeve — the next evolution of the company includes a “reinvigorated logo, dynamic color palette, bold typeface, and energized graphics.” The new branding hopes to celebrate the first 25 years of DreamHack and sets them up for their next quarter of a century. This move follows a merger of the company with ESL under the banner of DreamHack, which took place in September 2020. Dexerto spoke with Shahin Zarrabi, vice president of brand and corporate marketing at ESL Gaming, to better understand the need for change, what this means for the future of DreamHack, and why now was the perfect time to roll it out. Defining what DreamHack stands for In his role at ESL Gaming, Zarrabi is in charge of overseeing the long-term strategy of DreamHack’s communications, marketing, and merchandise — effectively, he takes care of how they’re represented in multiple mediums. With that in mind, he explained that seeing ESL’s rebrand a couple of years his team at DreamHack felt inspired. “DreamHack has been around for 25 years now and, throughout that time, there’s never been deliberate attempts to define what DreamHack is,” he said. “How do DreamHack see themselves? After ESL went through their rebrand a couple of years back, we got inspired at DreamHack and we felt like ‘We have this logo and that’s basically all we’ve had in terms of branding.’ “Although, branding is so much more than that so we set out to complement what we knew in our heads with an actual identity and positioning, with design elements but also internal championing of what DreamHack is supposed to be. It’s long overdue but, thanks to some inspiration from a lot of other organizations within esports, we felt like now is the time.” Having now clearly defined their position as a company in the ever-crowded esports market, DreamHack will be able to move forward with a set ethos and mission that helps them to further carve their own space. While ESL is strictly a competitive brand, DreamHack are well-known for having cosplay competitions and grassroots competitions that house a larger community. “Our new brand positioning is where the gaming community comes to life,” explained Zarrabi. “That in itself is fluffy, it doesn’t necessarily reflect the amount of interviews, internally and with customers or consumers, that we did. Given DreamHack’s history starting in school cafeterias, then being commercialized and growing exponentially, and then ultimately joining the bigger MTG family with ESL, those three perimeters guided what we wanted to be. “We asked ourselves ‘Are we an esports organization or are we a gaming lifestyle organization? Are we a festival or are we a tournament organizer?” Those questions went into the pot and we decided to not confine ourselves to saying we’re an esports competition organizer. Instead, we are a platform for everything gaming, where cosplay, esports, indies, and big games come together.” Standing the test of time Rebranding and changing visual identities is something we’ve seen a lot in esports over the past few years; you’d be remiss to not recall Evil Geniuses’ botched attempt around a year ago. If you’re going to change the emblem that fans have associated with your company for years, even decades in some instances, then you have to be confident that your new look will serve you better than what it’s replacing. DreamHack’s VP of brand is aware of that and despite not having a clear verdict on how their community would react to the changes, he and his team decided to pull the trigger anyway. “You can never really know if this is going to be timeproof, you can only look back after 10 or 20 years or 10 years to see if it was successful,” he told Dexerto. “Internally, we wanted to have a good gut feeling but we didn’t have a quantitative method of seeing whether it be timeproof.” “Instead of focusing too much on the visual identity itself, we focused on why we got where we are and how we’ll define the positioning of what DreamHack is. We hope that will guide any visual changes we make, whether it’s in one month when everyone is angry about the new identity or in 10 years when there’s a natural need for change.” 2020 has been strange for the esports industry, either canceling events or at least moving them online. When you’re in the business of hosting events then that can be worrisome, or it can provide you with a much-needed period to reflect and refine your operations and your overall strategy. While DreamHack were already looking to change their branding prior to travel and event restrictions, this year appears to have been a much-needed respite for them to finally sit down and get the wheels in motion. “In mid 2019 we said, ‘Hey, we want to do this,’” he explained. “There have always been talks of it, ESL did it and it went great, so let’s look at it ourselves. The plan was to launch it at DreamHack Summer this year, that wasn’t possible but we still wanted to do it. The brand refresh is a moment of celebration of DreamHack and so it fits very well into this year’s timeline where we haven’t been able to host any of our festivals. Now we get a chance, on December 9, to celebrate DreamHack — even in a year like this.” All part of a larger plan? In September 2020, DreamHack and ESL were brought together under one banner — namely, ESL Gaming — to “further accelerate their mission to shape the future of esports and gaming.” What this means in simple terms is that fans can expect more collaboration between the two brands, which now have a more streamlined and integrated workforce behind them. “The changes we make now won’t come overnight, but we will be able to have a framework that we can filter everything we want to do through,” he said. “The events will become much more focused and more like a tour rather than 10 separate events throughout the year. They will each still have their unique flares but we now have a framework to actually work from. “With the merger, we’re in a position where we can do that because our operations together, with the operations of the different ESL brands, is in a much better position to find synergy where, two years from now, you might see a big ESL One event inside a DreamHack festival. Regular visitors will still come to a DreamHack festival and recognize all of the components, it may just be that they are called different things than they are today.” While bringing the brands under one roof may help the teams who are pulling the strings, it’s imperative that they stand alone as to not compete against each other. Dexerto asked Zarrabi whether the top-tier competitive aspect of ESL would be the differentiator, and we weren’t far off. “It’s not the competitive element that is differentiating the brands, I would say the style and the level of play are the differences,” he said. “They are serving different levels of esports.” As he mentioned in our conversation, the jury is out on whether DreamHack’s new identity and positioning will indeed be a hit with the fans and be a successful milestone in the company’s history. One thing’s for sure though, they are ready to get back on the road and deliver some much-needed fun to the gaming and esports communities.

Exclusive: Dota 2 legends OG bring Asian bookmakers Fun88 into esports NUFC/ValveFun88, the Asian bookmakers who sponsor football club Newcastle United, have entered esports through a deal with OG. [jwplayer 6XbfP9ah] The two-time champions of The International, the best-paying tournament series in esports, have signed a multi-year partnership with the betting company. The partnership will see Fun88 work with the organization to “bring fans closer to the Dota 2 action” through community interactions and “pre-play, real-time, and post-match insights.” The bookmakers will also have their logo shown on the shoulder of jerseys worn by the legendary Dota 2 players. OG’s well-known roster includes Johan ‘N0tail’ Sundsteni, Martin ‘Saksa’ Sazdov, Sébastien ‘Ceb’ Debs, Topias ‘Topson’ Taavitsainen, and Yeik ‘MidOne’ Nai Zheng. They are the current defending world champions having won The International in both 2018 and 2019, with this year’s iteration of the tournament being delayed due to the global health situation. “OG Esports’ legacy and story in Dota is one of the most legendary stories in esports and, because of this, we have been able to break into the mainstream and our story has been documented in many mediums — articles, magazines, and several documentaries,” JMR Luna, CEO of OG, told Dexerto. “Following this trajectory, OG has become the breach for new non-endemic companies that want to break into this space.” “Fun88 have a great track record and have really invested in traditional sports, this is the next step for them as they recognize that some of the biggest competitions in the world right now are happening behind screens,” he continued. “This is a great moment for esports because we’re welcoming a new massive brand into our ecosystem which ultimately benefits everyone. We’ve worked really hard to make this happen and we’re happy we can finally announce it.” Outside of esports, Fun88 have worked with late basketball icon Kobe Bryant and football club Tottenham Hotspur. In July 2020, they extended their sponsorship deal with Newcastle United for an undisclosed period of time. Betting sponsors may not be new in esports, but this is the first rodeo for Fun88.

Microsoft reportedly eyeing rich $10 billion Discord acquisition DiscordMicrosoft is in talks to acquire popular game chat app Discord, according to insider reports, in what many are tipping to be a rich deal worth over $10 billion. Discord has been fielding offerings from potential suitors for the better half of March, Bloomberg reports. Leading these talks is Microsoft Corp. who has expressed growing interest in adding the server-based chat program — mainly popular with gamers and multiple esports teams and leagues — to their massive app and program stable. Insiders suggest “no deal is imminent” just yet. Those close to the deal have told Bloomberg that they are “more likely to go public” than accept any sale offer, but are testing the waters for a potential handover. Microsoft Xbox chief Phil Spencer is allegedly heavily involved in the ongoing Discord discussions. The brand vice-president recently brokered a monster deal that saw Microsoft acquire Skyrim and Fallout creators Bethesda for $7.5 billion. While the $10bn valuation seems lofty for a free chatting service, Venture Beat previously reported buyers were already inquiring about the program at a sum around that mark, with many others quietly licking their lips. Only last December, Discord raised $140 million at an inked-in $7bn valuation, according to data found on the Prime Unicorn Index. It also raised $100m in July. Discord is considered by many suitors as a “strategic asset” due to its ever-growing popularity among gamers who use the program for audio and text chats. The San Francisco-based program also experienced a super-sized spike across 2020, as non-gamers took to its channels to host parties, classes, gatherings, and more. “I know they are in discussions with a select few parties,” one insider said. “The market is in a state where they could command strong double-digit billions.” Ultimately, reports suggest, the decision to sell Discord — for a hefty $10 billion, or another sum entirely — will fall on the shoulders of chief executive Jason Citron. Microsoft lead talks, but two people close to the situation have also tipped Fortnite developers Epic Games and technology company Amazon as two more tech giants that have waded into early sale discussions with the chatting app. Discord has yet to publicly comment on the sale rumors. Dexerto will update you on any further developments surrounding the reported $10 billion takeover.

David Dobrik’s Dispo camera app could already be worth $100m David DobrikDispo, a photography application co-founded by YouTube sensation David Dobrik, is said to be valued at — at least — $100m. [jwplayer h3XPfMqQ] The mobile app takes inspiration from disposable cameras, adding a grainy filter to photos and only allowing access to them at 9am on the following day. It also recently launched photo-sharing capabilities in closed beta. It’s been reported that major venture capital firms Sequoia Capital, Andreessen Horowitz, and Benchmark have all expressed interest in investing in the company’s Series A funding round. The Information reports that, separate from the above interest, investors have offered to value the company at $100m or more — citing a source close to the situation. The functionality of Dispo is said to mimic the delayed gratification of disposable photos. Dobrik and his co-founders hope to allow users to live in the moment due to the removal of being able to instantaneously view photos they’ve taken. The status of the expanded version of the app means users can only gain access by receiving a digital code. Read More: David Dobrik returns to YouTube – The closed beta of the photo-sharing element of Dispo only launched earlier in February 2020 but it’s proving to be a hit, so much so that some of the biggest investment firms in the world are hoping to get a piece of the pie. The seed funding round for the app totaled $4m and was led by Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian’s Seven Seven Six, as well as other funds like Unshackled, Shrug Capital, and Weekend Fund. The new round of funding is expected to be completed in the “next couple of weeks,” according to the report. https://twitter.com/DispoHQ/status/1361004802403041280 “It’s nostalgic for millennials, but for Gen Z it feels like a totally different experience from Instagram and Snapchat,” said Maria Salamanca, a principal at Unshackled, in relation to Dispo. “Gen Z is craving being present, and this kind of allows that.” Sequoia, one of the reported interested parties, has invested in companies like 100 Thieves, Airbnb, Apple, Google, Instagram, LinkedIn, PayPal, Streamlabs, YouTube, and Zoom.

David Beckham’s Guild Esports receives £3.6m mystery sponsorship Guild EsportsGuild Esports, the esports organization that counts David Beckham as a co-owner, has entered a £3.6 million sponsorship deal — though the company they will be sponsored by has yet to be revealed. [jwplayer o9fRcL4b] Despite being incorporated in September 2019, this is the first sponsorship deal that the organization has entered into. Having listed on the London Stock Exchange on October 2, Guild Esports had to declare this deal despite not being ready to announce who it’s with. The declaration explains that the deal is with a “new European fintech company serving esports fans” and will be officially unveiled at a “global event” on November 22. The sponsorship guarantees Guild Esports an annual fee of £1.1m ($1.43m) in the first year, £1.2m ($1.56m) in the second year, and £1.3m ($1.69m) in the third and final year of the agreement — totalling a sizeable sum of £3.6m ($4.68m). The unknown company will advertise themselves through their new partner through brand and logo placements on team jerseys, live streams, and “other marketing initiatives” which will presumably be unveiled during the aforementioned event. “We are delighted to announce our first major sponsorship deal which will generate significant revenues for the Company,” said Guild’s executive chairman, Carleton Curtis. “The rapidly growing mass popularity of esports is attracting considerable interest from advertisers and consumer brands, which has generated a strong pipeline of potential business for Guild. We look forward to working closely with our maiden sponsor to introduce their brand to our fans.” The organization tapped a major player in the world of partnerships to take care of their commercial deals in August. MediaCom Sports and Entertainment is in charge of their partnerships strategy and also works with the likes of Toyota, Coca-Cola, American Airlines, and Subway. While it’s unclear what the sponsorship money will be used for, it’s been stated that Guild Esports will expand into Counter-Strike: Global Offensive and Fortnite. The former is notoriously expensive and receiving £3.6m across three years could help to make it a viable option. Earlier this month, Guild Esports completed their floatation on the London Stock Exchange with a total figure of £41.2m despite only competing in Rocket League and FIFA – two titles that don’t provide the security of a closed, franchise league.

Rainbow Six champs DarkZero deny conflict of interest with Raven investment DarkZeroDarkZero Esports respond to conflict of interest concerns after Dexerto found documents revealing they’ve invested in merchandise company Raven. [jwplayer RTGFN5k4] Despite declaring themselves as partners in the public domain, it has not been announced publicly that DarkZero had acquired an ownership stake in the merchandise company until now. DarkZero compete in Rainbow Six Siege, recently placing first in the North American Six August Major and Season 1, Stage 2 of the North American League — results that arguably position the team as the best in their region. Raven produces and sells merchandise for partner teams Excel Esports, Rogue, Spacestation Gaming, and Tribe Gaming. DarkZero are also listed as a partner on their website. On April 27, Raven published on their site that they had raised $1.4m in a seed funding round with a “US-based private equity fund.” The fund’s identity was not revealed in the blog post, nor had there been any public declaration of ownership beyond company records on Companies House — the United Kingdom’s official registrar. You had to have purposefully gone seeking these documents to find DarkZero’s involvement in Raven. In a confirmation statement published to Companies House dated July 22, it’s revealed that DarkZero Esports LLC owns 6666 ordinary shares in the company. Raven’s managing director Samuel Wells owns 8500 ordinary shares, making the North American team the second-largest shareholder. Other shareholders include Adam Cooper and Robert Loveday, Raven personnel who both hold 750 ordinary shares each. DarkZero’s CEO Zach Matula and director of operations Robert Stamey were both appointed as directors of Raven on April 24, according to documents. Conflict of interest? Dexerto contacted Wells to ask why DarkZero’s position in Raven had not been declared in the initial announcement, nor on social media or their website. He replied: “As long-term partners, DZ took a minority share in Raven to grow their ecosystem as an esports organisation which in turn allows Raven to grow and expand as an endemic esports apparel brand. All information is readily available in the company registrar.” There is nothing inherently wrong with DarkZero not declaring their ownership interest in Raven, but it raises conflict of interest concerns such as them gaining access to information about Raven’s partner orgs that they otherwise wouldn’t be privy to. DarkZero and Raven partner Spacestation Gaming both compete in North American Rainbow Six Siege, for example. Check out the incredible @DarkZeroGG facility featuring a very special Raven branded streaming pod 🔥 https://t.co/e55ddWQKB0 — Raven (@RavenGG) September 11, 2020 DarkZero’s Matula responded to Dexerto’s request for comment on the investment, why it had not been announced to their fans, and conflict of interest concerns. “DarkZero has a minority financial interest in Raven and this has never been something that we have attempted to conceal and is even a matter of public record,” he said. “If the investment is of interest to the public we would be thrilled to have Dexerto readers be aware that DarkZero is proud to have invested in the most innovative esports apparel brand in the world!” People having ownership stakes in multiple companies is nothing new and there have been plenty of concerns voiced surrounding conflicts of interest — even in esports. Examples include OpTic Gaming founder Hector Rodriguez used to be a shareholder in Dexerto and was declared as such in relevant articles, ESPN covers esports and their owners, Disney, are also investors in Team Liquid’s parent company aXiomatic, and Valve has had to issue multiple orders to resolve such conflicts in Counter-Strike. Earlier this October, it was unearthed that the CEO of Better Collective, the parent company of CS:GO news site HLTV, is also a co-owner of Astralis.

DarkZero Esports partners with luxury Las Vegas resort for their players to use DarkZero/Resorts World Las VegasNorth American esports organization DarkZero have entered a partnership with Las Vegas-based resort and casino, Resorts World Las Vegas. DarkZero are behind some organizations in the number of partnerships and sponsorships they’ve secured so far, but their new partner is a big one for their players. Resorts World Las Vegas will host the org’s players, partners, and guests at the resort on an exclusive basis as a result of the deal. A jersey sponsorship is also involved, namely for their teams in Rainbow Six Siege and Valorant. The aim of the deal is to prioritize the “physical and mental wellbeing” of the team’s players, according to a release, by providing them with a space to relax and unwind. Last person to reply to this tweet gets flown out to Vegas for a VIP tour of DZHQ. — DarkZero (@DarkZeroGG) August 5, 2021 DarkZero will provide opportunities for fans to engage with “some of the world’s best gamers” as part of “VIP experiences” at the Resorts World Las Vegas resort. FaZe Clan are set to host an event that combines gaming, music, and sports at the very same resort on August 13. Headlined by rapper Jack Harlow, FaZe are furthering their emergence into pop culture by coming together with investors and members who are big in other industries — including Migos’ Offset, Lil Yachty, and Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray. “This partnership with Resorts World Las Vegas will unlock access to world-class amenities for everyone under our brand, as well as current and future partners,” said DarkZero CEO Zach Matula. “DarkZero will remain committed to becoming an impactful and influential organization within the Las Vegas community. This partnership will ensure that we work alongside Resorts World Las Vegas as they grow in the gaming industry.”

Visuals by Impulse join Elgato under CORSAIR ownership to help content creators VBI/CORSAIRGaming hardware company CORSAIR have purchased Visuals by Impulse, a design platform used by content creators and streamers. The cost of the acquisition has not been disclosed but it’s said that the platform will “join CORSAIR under its existing Elgato brand” to create a better package for creators. Founded in 2015, Visuals by Impulse create digital assets, such as stream overlays and widgets, to help creators of all financial means and abilities improve their broadcasts. CORSAIR already serve the creator economy through several means. This includes manufacturing and selling gaming equipment through their main brand, as well as creating streamer-specific products through Elgato. It’s stated that Visuals by Impulse already serve over 200,000 creators in some way, acting as one of the industry’s go-to platforms for graphics, animations, and streaming tools. This acquisition bolsters Elgato’s ability to enable creators to get going and improve the experience for their viewers. Dexerto spoke with Caleb Leigh, the founder of Visuals by Impulse, about the reasoning behind the decision to sell the company — including the timing of the sale and how it will change what they offer to customers. “In order to create seamless product experiences, we wanted to closely work with a company who valued innovation as much as we did,” he told Dexerto. “We’ve spent a lot of time as a team thinking about how we can create a digital unboxing experience with our products, much like Apple does with their physical products. When you purchase a product through VBI, you shouldn’t be met with a bunch of demands to ‘download this’ or ‘do XYZ to customize.’ It should just work. We’re excited to reduce the friction in the setup process more than ever. “We just came off our biggest year yet in terms of revenue, so we had a number of options available. For us, this was about better serving creators in a way we never have before. VBI will stand on the shoulders of hardware giants within the Corsair family. Most importantly, Elgato has a number of new products on the horizon that we’re excited to integrate into. I’m talking about creator tools that will forever change how content is created. The timing couldn’t be more right to join forces.” Absolute 🔥@LachlanYT’s Interactive Facecam is just 🤯 pic.twitter.com/RXUBEWPEB8 — Visuals by Impulse (@VBI) February 13, 2021 Adjusting from being an independent outfit to operating within a corporate environment isn’t always plain sailing, but Leigh and his team are confident in the partner they’ve chosen to move ahead with. While there may be some internal changes, the team behind VBI and their offering will remain. “With new opportunities come big changes,” he said. “Here are a few you can expect from VBI: heavy focus on Elgato integrations, increased R&D around interactive widgets and online tools, and bringing more opportunities to creatives across the globe than ever before. However, not everything is changing. “We’re keeping our entire team intact, our focus on quality over quantity remains unwavering, and our mission stays the same. We’re committed as ever to providing professional design to all streamers — no matter the size of their audience. Beautiful, customizable live-stream design shouldn’t be exclusive to the pros, nor should it break your wallet.” The design platform has worked directly with the likes of 100 Thieves’ Nadeshot and CouRage, NRG’s LuluLovely, and Jessica Blevins, the manager and wife of Ninja, to create branding and stream assets in the past. As well as Elgato and now Visuals by Impulse, CORSAIR owns custom gaming controller company SCUF Gaming and custom computer-building company ORIGIN PC.

Sources: Activision Blizzard collegiate partner Tespa closing down NACENorth American collegiate esports organization Tespa is coming to a close and will make way for new university programs from game developer Activision Blizzard, according to sources. Headquartered in Blizzard’s offices in Irvine, California, the company confirmed to members that the “Tespa name and brand will not continue to exist come 2021” according to documents obtained by Dexerto. Since their national expansion in 2013, the organization has existed as an “event support network” for colleges who have gaming and esports initiatives. In 2014, they partnered with Blizzard to host collegiate events for Hearthstone, League of Legends, StarCraft II, Heroes of the Storm, and Overwatch. Following the closure of Tespa, the developer will continue to host competitive programs for students across North America. At the time of writing, there are programs for Overwatch, Hearthstone, and Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War. The decision was at least partially made due to the restrictions surrounding hosting events in 2020 due to the global health situation. Tespa will “indefinitely” cancel their Chapter Program, a network of officially-recognized gaming clubs for students across Canada and the United States. “With the rapid amount of change that has been in effect this year, we’ve taken time to reflect and plan for how we want our collegiate programs to grow in the future,” a document reads. “The Tespa name and brand has been with us since the beginning, and although we are moving on from this brand, we’re excited for the opportunity to integrate more with our game franchises.” Grand Finals is slowly approaching! The finale of our Overwatch Varsity Playoff matches is now LIVE 🔴 Who will make it to the top? Come join us for the decisive matches on the Overwatch Contenders Twitch and YouTube channels now! ➡️ https://t.co/Y0bi7NmOJC pic.twitter.com/eWTBfoHJr0 — Tespa (@TeamTespa) December 6, 2020 Further solidifying the end for the company, there are plans to close the Tespa Community Discord — a hub for those who take part in the program. To commemorate the closure, the company will share highlights and milestones from the community on their Twitter from December 9 to the end of the month.

Coffee brand Lavazza enter esports with interactive Fnatic partnership FnaticItalian coffee brand Lavazza have brewed up a partnership with Fnatic, marking their entry into esports. The alliance will launch with the “Icons of Italy” campaign, which includes a custom map in popular Battle Royale game Fortnite. Giorgio ‘POW3R’ Calandrelli, an Italian streamer and player for Fnatic, is featured in the collaboration — the map is a time trial and the course starts at his in-game mansion. The map is described as a “true experiential journey through Italian culture” that features Lavazza’s headquarters in Turin and “symbols of Italian cultural heritage such as the Colosseum.” Players are encouraged to submit their best runs on the map and post the video on Twitter or Instagram, providing plenty of potential advertisement for the coffee brand. The player who achieves the fastest time on the map will be rewarded with co-branded products from Fnatic and Lavazza and a Zoom meet-and-greet with POW3R. Those who finish in second and third place will also receive products. The partnership will wrap up with a two-part documentary following POW3R’s path to becoming a professional gamer that will debut on December 16. Proud to announce the Icons of Italy campaign alongside @lavazzagroup 🇮🇹☕️ Continua a guardare @POW3R_GC ☕️👀 — FNATIC (@FNATIC) November 10, 2020 “Fnatic and Lavazza share the same values including a strong sense of heritage, a passion for work ethic and an unrelenting drive to be the best,” said Craig Santicchia, Fnatic’s partner development director. “This partnership is a taste of what’s to come from our two brands as we continue pushing boundaries and activating inside the most relevant platforms for Gen Z. Helping Lavazza enter the industry in a fun, disruptive way via these digital experiences shows that the only limitation is our imagination.” This may be the first instance of Lavazza advertising through esports, but the industry has previously welcomed coffee brands such as Madrinas, Dare Iced Coffee, and Chek Hup Coffee.