Agoracom Blog Home

Posts Tagged ‘Dota 2’

Enthusiast Gaming $EGLX.ca Completes Deferred Payment to “The #Sims Resource” Unlocking 100% of EBITDA and Cashflow #Esports $EPY.ca $FDM.ca $WINR $TCEHF $ATVI $TNA.ca

Posted by AGORACOM-JC at 8:25 AM on Wednesday, September 11th, 2019

Payment made seven months ahead of schedule to acquire 100% economic ownership of largest female online gaming community

  • Completed, ahead of schedule, the deferred payment obligation related to its previously announced acquisition of the assets of The Sims Resource
  • The payment satisfied all obligations of the acquisition of TSR from Generatorhallen AB and IBIBI HB, which closed on April 12, 2019.

Toronto, Ontario–(September 11, 2019) – Enthusiast Gaming Holdings Inc. (TSXV: EGLX) (“Enthusiast Gaming” or the “Company“) is pleased to announce that it has completed, ahead of schedule, the deferred payment obligation related to its previously announced acquisition of the assets of The Sims Resource (“TSR“). The payment satisfied all obligations of the acquisition of TSR from Generatorhallen AB and IBIBI HB, which closed on April 12, 2019.

TSR is the world’s largest female online video gaming content and community destination, offering custom content built around the popular Sims™ video game franchise, which can be downloaded by users to alter and/or expand gameplay. TSR fans generated over 2.5 billion page views last year, while the property earned C$7 million revenue – split between advertising and recurring monthly paid subscribers – and C$5.25 million in Adjusted EBITDA. Since Enthusiast Gaming closed the transaction with TSR in April 2019, the number of monthly subscribers has grown nearly 30%.

Enthusiast Gaming utilized part of the available capital proceeds from its recent merger with Aquilini GameCo. and Luminosity Gaming to pay down the deferred payment obligation ahead of schedule and unlock a number of strategic and economic benefits including:

  1. Increase the number of leading video media and content sites under full ownership. Full ownership and integration allows Enthusiast Gaming to implement an optimized advertising and content strategy to increase revenue and gross margin.
  2. Ability to leverage paid subscription models across the Enthusiast Gaming platform.
  3. Unlocks an additional 70% of the EBITDA that had previously been returned to the Vendors, seven months early.
  4. Highly accretive use of cash proceeds following the completion of merger with Aquilini GameCo.
  5. TSR management and content creators have joined the Enthusiast Gaming team and are excited to manage the next phase of growth.

Menashe Kestenbaum, President of Enthusiast Gaming commented, “Paying down the deferred payment ahead of schedule to TSR was an extremely important first step for the new Enthusiast Gaming. Having 100% economic and strategic control of TSR provides significant upside potential to increase our revenue/user and value/user – two key metrics for Enthusiast Gaming moving forward.” He continued, “Two of our primary growth opportunities include driving revenue through direct sales and adopting monthly, paid subscriber models across our network of video game media sites. Since we announced the acquisition of TSR, we have already seen steady growth of its subscriber base and it will be a key factor in achieving success across both key metrics.”

About Enthusiast Gaming

Enthusiast Gaming is one of the largest vertically integrated video game and esports companies in the world. The Company’s digital platform includes +85 gaming related websites and 900 YouTube channels which collectively reach 150 million visitors monthly. Enthusiast’s esports division, Luminosity Gaming, a leading global esports organization consists of 8 professional esports teams under ownership and management, including the #1 ranked Overwatch team, the Vancouver Titans and over 50 gaming influencers with a total audience of 60 million followers. Collectively, the community reaches over 200 million gaming enthusiasts on a monthly basis. Enthusiast also owns and operates Canada’s largest gaming expo, Enthusiast Gaming Live Expo, EGLX, (eglx.ca) with approximately 55,000 people attending in 2018. For more information on the Company, visit www.enthusiastgaming.com. For more information on Luminosity Gaming, please visit luminosity.gg

CONTACT INFORMATION:

Investor Relations:
Julia Becker
Head of Investor Relations & Marketing
[email protected]
(604) 785.0850

Forward-Looking Information

Certain statements in this release are forward-looking statements. Forward looking statements consist of statements that are not purely historical, including any statements regarding beliefs, plans, expectations or intentions regarding the future. Such statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results, performance or developments to differ materially from those contained in the statements, including risks related to factors beyond the control of Enthusiast Gaming. The risks include risks that are customary to transactions of this nature and customary to companies which have their stock traded on the TSXV. No assurance can be given that any of the events anticipated by the forward-looking statements will occur or, if they do occur, what benefits Enthusiast Gaming will obtain from them.

This press release does not constitute an offer to sell or solicitation of an offer to buy any of the securities in the United States. The securities have not been and will not be registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “U.S. Securities Act”) or any state securities laws and may not be offered or sold within the United States or to a U.S. Person unless registered under the U.S. Securities Act and applicable state securities laws or an exemption from such registration is available.

Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/47684

Enthusiast Gaming $EGLX.ca and #Luminosity Gaming Announce Acquisition of Interest in #Overwatch League #Esports Team $EPY.ca $FDM.ca $WINR $TCEHF $ATVI $TNA.ca

Posted by AGORACOM-JC at 7:43 AM on Tuesday, September 10th, 2019
  • Acquired a non-controlling interest in the Vancouver Titans, an esports team which was founded in 2018 and is competing in its first season in the Overwatch League
  • Overwatch League is an esports competition with 20 teams across six countries and three continents, all centered on the popular first-person shooter game Overwatch

Toronto, Ontario–(September 10, 2019) – Enthusiast Gaming Holdings Inc. (TSXV: EGLX) (“Enthusiast Gaming“), the parent of Luminosity Gaming Inc., announced today that it has acquired a non-controlling interest in the Vancouver Titans, an esports team which was founded in 2018 and is competing in its first season in the Overwatch League. Overwatch League is an esports competition with 20 teams across six countries and three continents, all centered on the popular first-person shooter game Overwatch. Enthusiast Gaming acquired its interest in the Vancouver Titans from the team’s majority owner, the Aquilini Investment Group.

Enthusiast Gaming, through its wholly-owned subsidiary, Luminosity Gaming Inc., manages the Vancouver Titans through a long-term management services agreement with the majority owner.

About Enthusiast Gaming

Enthusiast Gaming is one of the largest vertically integrated video game and esports companies in the world. The Company’s digital platform includes +85 gaming related websites and 900 YouTube channels which collectively reach 150 million visitors monthly. Enthusiast’s esports division, Luminosity Gaming, a leading global esports organization consists of 8 professional esports teams under management, including the #1 ranked Overwatch team, the Vancouver Titans and over 50 gaming influencers with a total audience of 60 million followers. Collectively, the community reaches over 200 million gaming enthusiasts on a monthly basis. Enthusiast also owns and operates Canada’s largest gaming expo, Enthusiast Gaming Live Expo, EGLX, (eglx.ca) with approximately 55,000 people attending in 2018. For more information on the Company, visit www.enthusiastgaming.com. For more information on Luminosity Gaming, please visit luminosity.gg

CONTACT INFORMATION

Investor Relations:
Julia Becker
Head of Investor Relations & Marketing
Telephone: 604-785-0850
Email: [email protected]

Forward-Looking Information

Certain statements in this release are forward-looking statements. Forward looking statements consist of statements that are not purely historical, including any statements regarding beliefs, plans, expectations or intentions regarding the future. Such statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results, performance or developments to differ materially from those contained in the statements, including risks related to factors beyond the control of Enthusiast Gaming. The risks include risks that are customary to transactions of this nature and customary to companies which have their stock traded on the TSXV. No assurance can be given that any of the events anticipated by the forward-looking statements will occur or, if they do occur, what benefits Enthusiast Gaming will obtain from them.

This press release does not constitute an offer to sell or solicitation of an offer to buy any of the securities in the United States. The securities have not been and will not be registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “U.S. Securities Act”) or any state securities laws and may not be offered or sold within the United States or to a U.S. Person unless registered under the U.S. Securities Act and applicable state securities laws or an exemption from such registration is available.

Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/47691

Esports #Betting is Expected to Become a Multibillion-Dollar Industry, #Esports Entertainment $GMBL is at The Forefront $TECHF $ATVI $TTWO $GAME $EPY.ca $FDM.ca $TNA.ca

Posted by AGORACOM-JC at 3:53 PM on Monday, September 9th, 2019
GMBL: OTCQB

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

  • S-1 Filed for NASDAQ Listing
  • Partnered with 190 esports teams
  • Partnered with 250+ esports streamers
  • Launched VIE.gg P2P esports betting platform
  • P2P means an esports fan always wins
  • Superior to “House” model where fans VS. casino
  • Traditional sports teams owners are investing
  • Athletes and celebrities are investing
  • Wall Street is starting to invest
  • Biggest paradigm shift ever seen on the internet

Hub On AGORACOM

————————————–

What Is Esports Betting?

  • The esports industry is growing at a rapid rate, and along with it is also a new form of gambling called “esports betting.”
  • The esports betting industry is expected to continue to grow even more over the next couple of years, becoming a multibillion-dollar industry.

Bear in mind that unlike physical sports, which have a very large fanbase and following, the esports betting industry has a very limited audience. As a result, not too many people have an idea of what esports betting is. Only those who follow the esports industry may have heard of it.

So, What is Esports Betting?

For those who don’t know, esports is the shortened term for electronic sports, which usually refer to competitive video gaming. Playing competitive video games is not an entirely new concept. In fact, a lot of gamers have been competing with one another ever since the first gaming consoles have been released. What’s new is what we now call esports betting, which is starting to attract the attention of many gamblers from around the world.

Simply put, esports betting is a form of online gambling wherein you put your money on a team or player that plays competitive video games.

As mentioned earlier, esports betting is a very huge business and it is expected to become a multibillion-dollar industry soon as esports as a whole continues to grow. As the world of video gaming can be very competitive, there are now thousands of professional gamers from different video games who compete with one another because of the prize. And, when there is money, there is always gambling. With the rise of this industry, you can now go to online esports betting sites such as Vulkanbet Esports to place your bets and gamble on-the-go.

How Esports Betting Works

Esports betting is completely different from physical sports gambling. In esports betting, you are allowed to place a bet on a team of professional gamers or on individual players who you think will win the match or tournament.

However, since there are plenty of esports games, the betting system and options are usually different from one another. Esports betting also welcomes beginners who are not familiar with esports and offer them with numerous betting opportunities.

Currently, the simplest betting option is to bet on an overall winner. You simply place a bet on a team or player who you think will win the match after you have carefully studied the odds. This is what makes esports betting really interesting: you are given some betting odds that will let you have a good idea of the match’s outcome or who will win. You’ll need to learn how to study these odds before you bet if you want to earn a lot of money from esports betting.

Types of Esports Betting

It’s challenging to identify the different types of bets on esports since they usually depend on the video game. For example, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO), which is a fast-paced first-person shooter game, provides exciting betting opportunities that allow you to place a bet on which team wins the first round of the game.

On the other hand, DoTA 2, a real-time strategy multiplayer online battle arena, allows you to place a bet on which player or team kills Roshan (the most powerful Neutral Creep in the map who’s considered to be a miniboss) first. These bets are not dependent on which team wins the entire match, but on the objectives achieved throughout the match.

Here are the three most common types of esports betting that you are usually offered by many betting sites:

  • Outrights Betting – These are bets that you are allowed to place before the tournament or match starts. You bet on which team will become the overall winner of the tournament, or which players progress to the next stage of the event. You are also allowed to place bets on teams or players who you think will be eliminated once the tournament starts.
  • Match Winner – This is the most common type of bet in esports. You place a bet on a team or player who you think will win a single match.
  • Totals – This is the type of bet that is dependent on stats. Here, you can place your bet on which team or player has the most number of kills, maps or rounds played, total points, etc.

Conclusion

The future of esports betting looks very promising as more and more people are getting into the exciting betting action of video games. Whether you are new to esports or are an avid esports fan, this is the perfect time for you to join the fun and excitement that esports betting brings. Aside from that, you can potentially earn a lot of money from it while enjoying some competitive video games at the same time.

Source: https://powerup-gaming.com/2019/09/07/%EF%BB%BFwhat-is-esports-betting/

Esports Entertainment Group $GMBL – How the #Esports Industry Fares Against Traditional Sports $TECHF $ATVI $TTWO $GAME $EPY.ca $FDM.ca $TNA.ca

Posted by AGORACOM-JC at 10:29 AM on Thursday, September 5th, 2019
SPONSOR: Esports Entertainment $GMBL Esports audience is 350M, growing to 590M, Esports wagering is projected at $23 BILLION by 2020. The company has launched VIE.gg esports betting platform and has accelerated affiliate marketing agreements with 190 Esports teams. Click here for more information
GMBL: OTCQB

———————–
  • In just a decade, electronic sports (eSports) has evolved from an underground culture into a mainstream industry worth billions of dollars today
  • The industry is growing at an explosive rate, and with major tech giants like Amazon and Google vying for a piece of the pie, the future of this industry is an exciting one.

How the eSports Industry Fares Against Traditional Sports

In just a decade, electronic sports (eSports) has evolved from an underground culture into a mainstream industry worth billions of dollars today.

The industry is growing at an explosive rate, and with major tech giants like Amazon and Google vying for a piece of the pie, the future of this industry is an exciting one.

It’s no surprise that eSports is often compared to its predecessor, traditional sports. However, eSports certainly has none of the typical confines of a traditional sport—so how does it compare in terms of audience size, market potential, and revenue?

An Equal Playing Field?

eSports is an umbrella term for competitions played on electronic systems, typically by professional video gamers—with the first competition dating back to 1972.

The 16 to 24-year-old audience has increased by 60% since 2017, fueling the rapid growth of this emerging industry. The global audience is expected to grow to 276 million by 2022, with League of Legends tournaments often boasting a higher viewership than some of the biggest U.S. leagues:

Cumulative Viewership (2017 finals)

  • NFL Super Bowl: 124 million viewers
  • League of Legends: 58 million viewers
  • MLB World Series: 38 million viewers
  • NBA Finals: 32 million viewers
  • NHL Stanley Cup Finals: 11 million viewers

While viewership can surpass that of well-known professional leagues, it doesn’t yet stack up in terms of monetization. That said, this aspect is now increasing enough to be seen as a threat to more traditional leagues.

How Much is eSports Worth?

According to Goldman Sachs, eSports will exceed $1 billion in revenue in 2019, and reach $3 billion by 2022. eSports creates the foundation for an entire ecosystem of opportunities, which include live-streaming, game development, player fanbases, and brand investments for sponsorship and advertising—where 82% of revenue currently comes from.

Although eSports under-indexes on monetization relative to the size of its audience, there is a huge opportunity for it to close the gap, given the predicted 35% compound annual growth rate (CAGR) for total eSports revenue between 2017 and 2022.

Getting Attention from the World’s Biggest Players

The success of eSports tournaments is attributed to live-streaming platforms. Amazon’s purchase of leading video-streaming site, Twitch, allowed Amazon to tap into the rapidly growing eSports audience, along with other live-streaming opportunities. Since the acquisition in 2014, the number of average viewers has doubled to 15 million, half of YouTube’s daily viewership.

Google, which lost the bidding war for Twitch, has recently made its own big move into gaming with cloud gaming service Google Stadia. Ultimately, the company hopes it will help keep live-streamers on YouTube instead of competing platforms.

The Future of eSports

Over time, eSports will tap into bigger advertising budgets, and reach national, regional, and global levels, as traditional sports are able to. eSports will also be a medal event in the 2022 Asian Games, which could pave the way for full Olympic status.

As a whole, eSports is starting to seriously compete with the big leagues. With a massive worldwide appeal, passionate fans, and billion-dollar revenues, the industry is only beginning to take flight.

The debate however, is not around the battle between eSports and traditional sports. It is around the shift to celebrating a culture that is completely virtual, over one that is physical—which has much bigger implications.

Source: https://www.visualcapitalist.com/how-the-esports-industry-fares-against-traditional-sports/

Esports Entertainment Group $GMBL – #Mobile #Esports grossed $15.3 billion worldwide last year $TECHF $ATVI $TTWO $GAME $EPY.ca $FDM.ca $TNA.ca

Posted by AGORACOM-JC at 11:22 AM on Friday, August 30th, 2019
SPONSOR: Esports Entertainment $GMBL Esports audience is 350M, growing to 590M, Esports wagering is projected at $23 BILLION by 2020. The company has launched VIE.gg esports betting platform and has accelerated affiliate marketing agreements with 190 Esports teams. Click here for more information
GMBL: OTCQB

———————–

Mobile esports grossed $15.3 billion worldwide last year

  • Mobile esports industry has generated $15.3 billion in revenue last year.
  • Market intelligence firm predicts that mobile gaming is the fastest-growing sector when it comes to the global esports scene.

By Varun Parashar

Niko Partners is a market research and consulting firm based in Asia, which specializes in the sector of gaming and esports. According to their most recent 45-page report, the Mobile esports industry has generated $15.3 billion in revenue last year. The market intelligence firm predicts that mobile gaming is the fastest-growing sector when it comes to the global esports scene. This means that we can expect massive regional as well as global mobile esports tournaments coming our way in the upcoming years.

The steep climb in numbers remains constant when it comes to the number of players who are now engaging in mobile games because most of the popular titles are free to play and can be accessed easily as all you need is a mobile phone and an internet connection. Pc and console gaming involves comparatively more number of variables than mobile gaming which makes up for the major reason why people are looking up to playing mobile games on a competitive level as well.

“Mobile esports tournaments will engage consumers not only as spectators but as participants,” said Niko Partners managing partner Lisa Hanson.

Based on statistics, China is the largest market for both mobile and PC esport games, accounting for $5.6 billion and $6.4 billion respectively. League of Legends remains the leading PC esport game, having grossed $1.9 billion last year down from $2.1 billion the year prior. Most of us are aware of how popular this game is owing to its twitch viewership counts which remain at an all-time high except times when major events are taking place. Despite being the most viewed and the highest revenue-generating game on Pc, Riot Games’ MOBA falls short in front of Tencent’s mobile title Arena of Valor which grossed $2.5 billion in 2018. When it comes to PC, the most popular esports titles are League of Legends, Dota2, Counter-Strike Global Offensive, Fortnite and so on. But the mobile gaming world is fighting back with well-established titles like PUBG Mobile, Arena of Valor, Clash Royale, Brawl Stars, Mobile Legends and many more anticipated titles like Call of Duty awaiting their global release. 

The healthy competition between PC/Console gaming and Mobile gaming brings only good news to the community as the entire scene is growing and more people, organizations and nations are getting involved, hence it only gives us confidence when we tell it to the world that Gaming is the next big thing!

Source: https://www.talkesport.com/business/mobile-esports-grossed-15-3-billion-worldwide-last-year/

Enthusiast Gaming $EGLX.ca and J55 Capital Receive Final Order Approving Merger $EPY.ca $FDM.ca $WINR $TCEHF $ATVI $TNA.ca

Posted by AGORACOM-JC at 2:06 PM on Thursday, August 29th, 2019
  • Announced that they have obtained a final court order from the Ontario Superior Court of Justice approving the previously announced plan of arrangement under the Business Corporations Act (Ontario).
  • J55 will acquire all of Enthusiast’s issued and outstanding common shares by way of a plan of arrangement under the Business Corporations Act

TORONTO and VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Aug. 29, 2019 — Enthusiast Gaming Holdings Inc. (TSX-V: EGLX) (“Enthusiast”) and J55 Capital Corp. (TSX-V: FIVE.P) (“J55”) are pleased to  announce that they have obtained a final court order from the Ontario Superior Court of Justice approving the previously announced plan of arrangement under the Business Corporations Act (Ontario). J55 will acquire all of Enthusiast’s issued and outstanding common shares by way of a plan of arrangement under the Business Corporations Act (Ontario) (the “Arrangement“).

Receipt of the final order follows the annual and special meeting of shareholders of Enthusiast (“Enthusiast Shareholders”) held on August 26, 2019, where Enthusiast Shareholders overwhelmingly approved the Arrangement by a special resolution, and the annual and special meeting of shareholders of J55 (“J55 Shareholders”) held on August 26, 2019, where J55 Shareholders unanimously approved the Arrangement by a special resolution.

Pursuant to the Arrangement, holders of common shares of Enthusiast will receive 4.22 post-First Consolidation (as defined in the joint management information circular of J55 and Enthusiast dated July 23, 2019) common shares of J55 for each common share of Enthusiast held.

Closing of the Arrangement remains subject to the satisfaction or waiver of other customary closing conditions, including final approval by the TSX Venture Exchange. Subject to satisfaction of these closing conditions, it is anticipated that the Arrangement will be completed in early September, 2019.

Enthusiast’s stock expects to be halted after markets today, Thursday August 29, 2019 pending the closing of the merger transactions. Enthusiast’s stock is not expected to resume trading as following the Arrangement, Enthusiast will become a subsidiary of J55 and be delisted.

For further information regarding J55, please contact:

John Veltheer
Chief Financial Officer, Secretary and Director
Telephone: 604-562-6915
Email: [email protected]

For further information regarding Enthusiast, please contact:

Julia Becker
Head of Investor Relations & Marketing
Telephone: (604) 785-0850
Email: [email protected]

Forward-Looking Information

This news release contains forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of J55 or Enthusiast Gaming to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements in this news release include, but are not limited to: statements with respect to the completion of the Arrangement and the timing for its completion; the satisfaction of closing conditions which include, without limitation (i) certain termination rights available to the parties under the Arrangement Agreement, (ii) J55 obtaining the necessary approvals from the TSX-V for the listing of its common shares, (iii) Enthusiast Gaming receiving approval for the delisting of its shares on the TSX-V, and (iv) other closing conditions, including compliance by J55 and Enthusiast Gaming with various covenants contained in the Arrangement Agreement.  Often, but not always, forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of words such as “plans”, “expects” or “does not expect”, “is expected”, “estimates”, “intends”, “anticipates” or “does not anticipate”, or “believes”, or variations of such words and phrases or state that certain actions, events or results “may”, “could”, “would”, “might” or “will” be taken, occur or be achieved. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on the forward-looking statements and information contained in this press release. Since forward-looking statements and information address future events and conditions, by their very nature they involve inherent risks and uncertainties.

Actual results could differ materially from those currently anticipated due to a number of factors and risks. Readers are cautioned that the foregoing list of factors is not exhaustive. The forward-looking statements contained in this news release are made as of the date of this release and, accordingly, are subject to change after such date.

J55 and Enthusiast Gaming do not assume any obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether written or oral, that may be made from time to time by us or on our behalf, except as required by applicable law.

Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Primary Logo

Enthusiast Gaming $EGLX.ca – What Are the Most Popular Video Games for #Esports? $EPY.ca $FDM.ca $WINR $TCEHF $ATVI $TNA.ca

Posted by AGORACOM-JC at 5:52 PM on Wednesday, August 28th, 2019

SPONSOR: Enthusiast Gaming Holdings Inc. (TSX-V: EGLX) Uniting gaming communities with 80 owned and affiliated websites, currently reaching over 150 million monthly visitors. The company exceeded 2018 target with $11.0 million in revenue. Learn More

EGLX: TSX-V

What Are the Most Popular Video Games for Esports?

  • Esports, or electronic sports, compete with and sometimes even surpasses traditional sports when it comes to things like prize money and viewership.
  • This fast-growing industry is not just for kids either, as people from traditional sports, like Rick Fox, participate in the esports scene. These are the most popular games for esports and how they got so popular.

by Bryan Steele

Starcraft II

You can’t talk about esports history without mentioning South Korea, the home of esports. In the late ’90s and early 2000s, when Americans were just starting to use computers to surf the web, Korea invested heavily in becoming the best place in the world for gaming. People played Starcraft with each other as a hobby. Eventually, it became so competitive they started playing for money.

This quickly blossomed into what we now know as esports. Although Starcraft was replaced by its sequel, Starcraft II, the game remains a popular esport in Korea and other parts of the world. Currently, Starcraft II is past its prime, but it still has almost 2 million active players who’ve earned a total of nearly $31 million in prize money.

League of Legends

The story of esports then turned to League of Legends. Created in 2009, this game soon became the most played in the world, including in Korea. Its popularity exploded, especially in China, and eventually, League of Legends grew to have over 100 million players. 

That said, Riot Games, the creator of League of Legends, has kept the prize pools modest. Despite being one of the most-played games in the world, the total prize pool, as reported by EsportsEarnings, is just under $69 million.

Fortnite

Fortnite has taken the world by storm. With over 250 million players, its massive popularity translates into huge prize pools considering its relative newness on the esports scene.

Fortnite recently had its inaugural Fortnite World Cup, which had a prize pool of over $30 million. The winner, 16-year-old Kyle “Bugha” Giersdorf, went home with $3 million. Epic Games, the creator of Fortnite, is investing a ton of money into the esports scene. So far, it’s already paid out almost $72 million in winnings to its athletes.

Counter-Strike: Global Offensive

Valve, the creator of Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, or CS: GO for short, approaches esports differently than others on this list. Valve funds and operates large tournaments, but it also allows other organizations to organize their own competitions. As a result, the CS: GO scene is far larger than how many people actually play the game. 

According to Statista, CS: GO averages less than a million players. Despite this, it has awarded over $80 million in prize money to competitors from around the world.

Defense of the Ancients

Valve also developed Defense of the Ancients, also called DotA. Like CS: GO, not many people play DotA, but its esports scene is absolutely massive. According to Statista, less than a million people play DotA 2. However, because of the game’s many tournaments around the world, as well as The Compendium, which essentially crowdsources the prize money for DotA’s big tournament, its esports scene is huge.

According to EsportsEarnings, the total prize money from DotA is almost $182 million. For a game with a fraction of the Fortnite or League of Legends’ players, DotA throws a lot of money around for its esports scene.

Source: https://www.sportscasting.com/what-are-the-most-popular-video-games-for-esports/

Enthusiast Gaming $EGLX.ca and J55 Capital Receive Overwhelming Support for Merger During Annual and Special Meetings $EPY.ca $FDM.ca $WINR $TCEHF $ATVI $TNA.ca

Posted by AGORACOM-JC at 9:31 AM on Tuesday, August 27th, 2019
EGLX: TSX-V
  • Both companies received overwhelming votes in favour of the merger arrangement during the Annual and Special Meeting of Enthusiast held on August 26, 2019 and during the Annual and Special Meeting pf J55 also held on August 26, 2019

TORONTO and VANCOUVER, B.C., Aug. 27, 2019 — Enthusiast Gaming Holdings Inc. (TSX-V: EGLX) (“Enthusiast“) and J55 Capital Corp. (TSX-V: FIVE.P) (“J55”) are pleased to announce that both companies received overwhelming votes in favour of the merger arrangement during the Annual and Special Meeting of Enthusiast held on August 26, 2019 (the “Enthusiast Meeting”) and during the Annual and Special Meeting pf J55 also held on August 26, 2019 (the “J55 Meeting”). 

At the Enthusiast Meeting, Enthusiast shareholders (“Enthusiast Shareholders”) voted in favour of the arrangement resolution (the “Enthusiast Arrangement Resolution“) under which J55 will acquire all of Enthusiast’s issued and outstanding common shares by way of a plan of arrangement under the Business Corporations Act (Ontario) (the “Arrangement“). The Enthusiast Arrangement Resolution required approval of at least 66 2/3% of the votes cast by the Enthusiast Shareholders at the Enthusiast Meeting.

At the J55 Meeting, the J55 shareholders represented by proxy voted unanimously in favour of the resolution approving the Arrangement (the “J55 Arrangement Resolution”) and unanimously in favour of the resolution (the “J55 QT Resolution”) approving the three cornered amalgamation among J55, its wholly-owned subsidiary and Aquilini GameCo Inc. (“GameCo”) which will result in the acquisition of all of the issued and outstanding securities of GameCo by J55 (the “Amalgamation”) and serves as J55’s Qualifying Transaction (as defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange (the “TSXV”). The J55 Arrangement Resolution required approval of more than 50% of the votes cast by shareholders of J55, and the J55 QT Resolution, since it is a Related Party Transaction as defined in TSXV policies, required approval of the majority of disinterested shareholders (with shares held by interested shareholders, namely Adrian Montgomery, Francesco Aquilini and Roberto Aquilini being excluded) pursuant to Multilateral Instrument 61-101 – Protection of Minority Security Holders in Special Transactions (“MI 61-101”) and by a majority of the minority shareholders (with shares held by non-arm’s length parties to J55 namely Adrian Montgomery, Francesco Aquilini, Roberto Aquilini, John Veltheer and Alex Helmel being excluded) pursuant to Policy 2.4 of the TSXV.

Closing of the Amalgamation and the Arrangement (collectively, the “Transactions”) remain subject to certain conditions including: final approval of the TSXV; for the Amalgamation, the completion of the acquisition by GameCo of Luminosity Gaming Inc. and Luminosity Gaming (USA), LLC (collectively, the “Luminosity Acquisition”) and completion of the First Consolidation; and for the Arrangement, final approval of the Ontario Superior Court of Justice (the “Court”). The application for the final order from the Court is scheduled for August 29, 2019. Assuming that the conditions to closing are satisfied or waived, it is expected that the Arrangement will be completed in early September, 2019. Following completion of the Arrangement, Enthusiast will become a wholly-owned subsidiary of J55, will cease to be a reporting issuer and its shares will be delisted from the TSXV and OTCQB.

First and Second Consolidations

J55 also announces that it has consolidated the issued and outstanding common shares of J55 (each, a “J55 Share”) on the basis of 1.25 pre-consolidation J55 Shares for 1 post-consolidation J55 Share (the “First Consolidation”). The First Consolidation is effective as of August 26, 2019, and the J55 Shares will be listed on the TSXV on a post-First Consolidation basis effective at the opening of the market on August 28, 2019, although the J55 Shares will remain halted pending completion of the Transactions. Prior to the First Consolidation, there were 19,000,000 J55 Shares issued and outstanding. Accordingly, upon the First Consolidation becoming effective, there will be a total of 15,200,000 J55 Shares outstanding subject to adjustments for rounding.

Following completion of the Transactions, J55 intends to complete a second consolidation (the “Second Consolidation”, and together with the First Consolidation the “Consolidations”) of its then issued and outstanding shares on the basis of 8 post-First Consolidation Shares for 1 post-Second Consolidation J55 Share and to change its name from “J55 Capital Corp.” to “Enthusiast Gaming Holdings Inc.” (the “Name Change”).  J55 is authorized to issue an unlimited number of common shares.

Letters of transmittal will not be sent to shareholders in connection with either the First Consolidation or the Second Consolidation. Share certificates and direct registration statements, as applicable, will be sent to registered shareholders following completion of the Second Consolidation and Name Change reflecting the adjustments to their shareholdings as a result of the Consolidations, as applicable.

Further information about the Transactions and Consolidations is set forth in the joint information circular of Enthusiast and J55 dated July 23, 2019 which was mailed to the shareholders of Enthusiast and J55, and which is available under their respective profiles on SEDAR at www.sedar.com.

About Enthusiast Gaming

Founded in 2014, Enthusiast Gaming is the largest vertically integrated video game company and has the fastest-growing online community of video gamers. Through the Company’s organic and acquisition strategy, it has amassed a platform of over 150 million monthly visitors across its network of websites and YouTube channels. Enthusiast also owns and operates Canada’s largest gaming expo, Enthusiast Gaming Live Expo, EGLX, (eglx.ca) with approximately 55,000 people attending in 2018. For more information on the Company, visit www.enthusiastgaming.com.

For further information regarding J55, please contact:

John Veltheer
Chief Financial Officer, Secretary and Director
Telephone: 604-562-6915
Email: [email protected]

For further information regarding Enthusiast, please contact:

Julia Becker
Head of Investor Relations & Marketing
Telephone: (604) 785-0850
Email: [email protected]

Forward-Looking Information

This news release contains forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of J55 or Enthusiast Gaming to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements in this news release include, but are not limited to: statements with respect to the completion of the Transactions and Consolidation and the timing for their completion; the satisfaction of closing conditions which include, without limitation, certain termination rights available to the J55 and GameCo under the Amalgamation Agreement and receipt of final approval of the TSXV; completion of the Arrangement and the timing for its completion; the satisfaction of closing conditions which include, without limitation (i) necessary court approvals in connection with the plan of arrangement, (ii) certain termination rights available to the J55 and Enthusiast under the Arrangement Agreement, (iii) J55 obtaining the necessary approvals from the TSX-V for the listing of its common shares, (iv) Enthusiast Gaming receiving approval for the delisting of its shares on the TSX-V, and (v) other closing conditions, including compliance by J55 and Enthusiast Gaming with various covenants contained in the Arrangement Agreement.  Often, but not always, forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of words such as “plans”, “expects” or “does not expect”, “is expected”, “estimates”, “intends”, “anticipates” or “does not anticipate”, or “believes”, or variations of such words and phrases or state that certain actions, events or results “may”, “could”, “would”, “might” or “will” be taken, occur or be achieved. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on the forward-looking statements and information contained in this press release. Since forward-looking statements and information address future events and conditions, by their very nature they involve inherent risks and uncertainties. Actual results could differ materially from those currently anticipated due to a number of factors and risks. Readers are cautioned that the foregoing list of factors is not exhaustive. The forward-looking statements contained in this news release are made as of the date of this release and, accordingly, are subject to change after such date. J55 and Enthusiast Gaming do not assume any obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether written or oral, that may be made from time to time by us or on our behalf, except as required by applicable law.

Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Esports Entertainment Group $GMBL – #Ford $F launches its own #Esports virtual racing teams $TECHF $ATVI $TTWO $GAME $EPY.ca $FDM.ca $TNA.ca

Posted by AGORACOM-JC at 11:01 AM on Tuesday, August 20th, 2019
SPONSOR: Esports Entertainment $GMBL Esports audience is 350M, growing to 590M, Esports wagering is projected at $23 BILLION by 2020. The company has launched VIE.gg esports betting platform and has accelerated affiliate marketing agreements with 190 Esports teams. Click here for more information
GMBL: OTCQB

———————–

Ford launches its own esports virtual racing teams

  • Ford plans to launch its own esports virtual racing teams. Under the name Fordzilla, the company will recruit top esports drivers for teams in France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the UK.
  • The company will also invite star players to form a European team with select members from each national team.

By: Christine Fisher

The Fordzilla teams will compete in games like Forza Motorsport 7, developed by Microsoft Game Studios’ Turn 10 Studios. According to Ford, millions of people play Forza games each month, and one million players choose Ford vehicles.

Ford has partnered with Microsoft Game Studios before, and a few years ago, the top prize in the first-ever Forza Racing Championship was a 2017 Ford Focus RS. We don’t know what prizes Ford will offer to its driving teams, but recruitment begins at Gamescom in Germany this week.

Catch up on all the latest news from Gamescom 2019 here! In this article: av, business, drivers, driving, esports, europe, european, ford, fordzilla, forza, forza motorsport 7, gamescom2019, gaming, league, Microsoft Game Studios, Microsoft Studios, racing, team, teams, transportation, turn 10 studios, virtual racing  

Source: https://www.engadget.com/2019/08/19/ford-esports-fordzilla-virtual-racing-teams/

Enthusiast Gaming $EGLX.ca – Prize pot of $30 million at #Fortnite World Cup shows #Esports’ rapid growth $EPY.ca $FDM.ca $WINR $TCEHF $ATVI $TNA.ca

Posted by AGORACOM-JC at 11:45 AM on Monday, August 19th, 2019

SPONSOR: Enthusiast Gaming Holdings Inc. (TSX-V: EGLX) Uniting gaming communities with 80 owned and affiliated websites, currently reaching over 75 million monthly visitors. The company exceeded 2018 target with $11.0 million in revenue. Learn More

EGLX: TSX-V

Prize pot of $30 million at Fortnite World Cup shows eSports’ rapid growth

The recent Fortnite World Cup had a total prize pool of $33m and the top winners took away several million each.

By: Federico Winer, PhD researcher, Loughborough University

  • Kyle Giersdorf, or Bugha to give him his game name, is $3m better off after winning the 2019 Fortnite World Cup.
  • The American teenager took home the largest-ever payout for a single player in an eSports tournament.
  • His win reflects the growing popularity of the game and the power of the eSports market. British teenager Jaden Ashman shared $2.25m with his teammate as the runners-up in the doubles competition.

The finals, at the end of July, followed ten weeks of competition involving more than 40m competitors and a total prize pot of over $30m. The tournament packed out the 23,771-seat Arthur Ashe stadium at Flushing Meadows, New York’s largest tennis arenas.

Fortnite Battle Royale is emerging as one of the most popular computer games with an estimated 250m players around the world. Essentially, it is a First-Person Shooter game where players fight to survive in a battle against other human players. Unlike some other games in this genre, such as PUBG or Counter-Strike, its graphics are cartoonish, which means parents of teenage players are less likely to object to the content – it doesn’t look violent of feature excessive blood, bullets and bombs.

Fortnite is rising to prominence in an increasingly lucrative market. Out of 7.6 billion people on the planet, there are approximately 2.2 billion gamers. This includes social gaming, mobile gaming, as well as free-to-play and pay-to-play multiplayer gaming. Of these players, there are about 380m eSports viewer fans – 165m of them regular viewers and 215m occasionals.

Epic Games, publisher of Fortnite, attracts players by making the game itself free to play. But they also sell “V-Bucks” to the players, which cost US$9.99 per 1,000 and can be spent on a variety of customisation and enhancements for players’ characters.

Evolution of eSports titles’ popularity, breakdown by searches in Google, 2004-present. Google Trends, 2019b, Author provided

None of these influence the actual performance of the character in the battle – accuracy and pace still depend on the skill of the individual competitor. This is similar to most eSports titles. But according to research firm Superdata, between its release in July 2017 and May 2018 Fortnite netted US$1.2 billion in revenue.

Competitive edge

So what exactly are eSports? They are defined as competitive tournaments involving electronic games – especially among professionals. Players compete in leagues or play for an audience on a live-streaming service in exchange for payment, which can range to several million dollars for the most successful players.

Top players and teams are well remunerated. Forbes reported that the “average starting North America League of Legends Championship Series (NA LCS) player salary is now over US$320,000, with over 70% of the players performing on multi-year contracts”. An article in Business Insider in 2018 reveals that top teams such as Evil Geniuses earn more than US$10m a year in revenue. This is almost the same budget as a top second division team from La Liga, in Spain.

The recent Fortnite world cup had a total prize pool of $33m and, as we have heard, the top winners took away several million each. Even players who ranked as lowly as 65-108 took away $50,000 for their pains.

When it comes to training for competition, you could be forgiven for thinking that eSports players are not like traditional athletes, building strength and endurance over long hours in the gym or pounding the streets. But, as the growth in prize money means the potential rewards for success grow ever larger, a new generation of eSports professionals is finding that fitness aids concentration. Some of the more successful teams are even drafting in coaches from other sports.

I have connected with several teams and, even in those with low budgets, they are aware of the importance of their physical and mental well-being through nutrition and exercise to perform better in games.

What’s next?

ESports look to be here to stay, but the degree of success will depend on a variety of factors, including general entertainment trends, industry governance and the possibility of government censorship in certain regions. To help the various players in the market understand consumers better and react proactively to changes in the business environment, it is essential to highlight the critical value of eSports data – something that I have been researching for some time.

The huge and rapid growth of eSports – and the massive revenues this promises – are thought by many industry insiders to be indicative of a bubble. Commenting on headlines which implied that gaming tournaments were “bigger than the Superbowl”, Sebastian Park, vice-president of eSports with the Houston Rockets (which owns a majority stake in professional League of Legends team Clutch Gaming) said recently: “When I read a lot of these papers, I don’t know where they derive 50% of those numbers”.

For the health of the industry, it’s critical to be able to establish how different esports industry stakeholders are collecting data and information from the fans to understand their behaviour and consumer trends. There has been speculation that Nielsen, which has been collecting data on TV viewing since the 1950s, is working on a solution. This could be the next big step in establishing eSports credibility.

Source: https://scroll.in/field/933717/prize-pot-of-30-million-at-fortnite-world-cup-shows-esports-rapid-growth-but-is-it-sustainable