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.
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!
Posted by AGORACOM-JC
at 10:59 AM on Wednesday, August 28th, 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
———————–
‘Fortnite’ streaming star Ninja lands partnership with Adidas
“Fortnite” streaming superstar Tyler “Ninja†Blevins has joined another team: Adidas.
Posted by AGORACOM-JC
at 4:13 PM on Monday, August 26th, 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
What Role Does (and Will) Esports Play at Gamescom?
The first-ever version of ESL One Cologne was held at gamescom 2014, before moving to the Lanxess Arena the following year, with that summer’s run of the tournament attracting a sold-out crowd of 15,000.Â
Gamescom holds the opportunity for a large-scale event, based on the sheer volume of attendees (373,000 across the entirety of this year’s event).
The growth of esports necessitated
bigger stages for these competitions, and in their place, gamescom now
runs regional and showcase events on its expo floors. Multiple German
national competitions including the ESL Meisterschaft and League of Legends Premier Tour finals, attract a decent amount of fanfare, while the highly niche Farming Simulator League
rolled out its own live event. Although gamescom has larger arena space
at its disposal, it seems unlikely that the crowd sizes will ever
surpass the dozen or so rows of chairs.
“Germany has a lot of esports tournaments happening already,†said Alexander Müller, managing director of Cologne-based SK Gaming. “I believe that’s one of the reasons why someone like Riot Games, for example, or others, are hesitant to bring even more esports to Cologne. Why would you?â€
Gamescom holds the opportunity for a
large-scale event, based on the sheer volume of attendees (373,000
across the entirety of this year’s event). Müller said that whether it
was a “home game†for his League of Legends European Championship (LEC) team, or something based elsewhere in the city, there are many events concepts that could be developed.
Credit: The Esports Observer
In terms of the trade floor, SK
Gaming is one of few team organizations to have had a presence, though
this year it opted for a press and media offsite event, located at its
player HQ. “It’s tough,†said Müller. “Running a booth at gamescom is a
monster, and I’m not sure if it’s the right fit for a team like SK,
because it takes a lot of your resources.â€
Endemic gaming brands, meanwhile, set
up similar stages to what might be seen at a DreamHack or Intel Extreme
Masters expo floor. While gamers bemoan the four hour waiting times to
play new games, it’s considerably easier to try out a new piece of
gaming hardware. Even if esports events are side attractions at
gamescom, competitive gaming is embedded in the culture of the trade
fair, with almost every major brand including Razer, Discord, and AOC International setting up amateur tournaments to build hype and excitement around their respective show floors.
Credit: The Esports Observer
“Gamescom is the most important event
we have in the year,†said Juan Carlos Sánchez, product manager for
AOC. “We have two scenarios here; professional people that work in the
gaming environment, and customers. All together at one event, it’s
perfect.â€
While exhibition space encompasses
the majority of gamescom, there is also a separate business area, in
which all attending companies (1,153 of which were registered for 2019)
can arrange one-to-one product showcases. On the day he spoke to The
Esports Observer, Alias had 14 additional interviews booked, amounting
to around seven hours of conversation.
“For me, esports, means
professionals,†said Alias, whose company runs two separate gaming
brands; AOC Gaming for enthusiasts, and AGON for those earning money
through their play. The company has active longterm industry
partnerships with teams, including G2 Esports, and event companies, such as Red Bull.
“Esports are influencing people to buy our monitors. Why? Because we
promote esports tournaments, people see our brand, and we create this
environment inside the company.â€
Credit: Esports Observer
On top of product showcases and
demonstrations, gaming conventions are the prime time for announcements,
and even in this regard, esports is a little light. On top of the
aforementioned Ford announcement, Misfits Gaming’s CEO Ben Spoont “reintroduced†his company’s Alienware Center
in Berlin at gamescom 2019. It’s not unthinkable that one day the fair
could be the podium to announce a new franchise team, or new tournament
brand.
“I see esports everywhere when I walk around gamescom,†said Mark Subotnick, Intel’s
director of business development for video games and esports. “It feels
like every booth or hall has some aspect of esports in it. I feel
esports is incredibly well represented. As a place to go and see a
pinnacle event, definitely not.â€
Unlike many companies, Intel has also
had experience running a large scale tournament at a gaming convention.
“For us, IEM is so big, and when we put it in ChinaJoy [a gaming trade
fair in Beijing, with similar attendance numbers to gamescom] it took
over an entire hall. Which is awesome, but it also does more as its own
thing.â€
Credit: The Esports Observer
While Intel itself did not have a
booth at this year’s gamescom, Subotnick feels good about the presence
esports has at the event. “It just needs to be top of mind for people. I
don’t feel like we have to have a giant event. But you might disagree,
and say ‘hey I want that back, I liked coming here and having that be
part of the show.’â€
Posted by AGORACOM-JC
at 12:37 PM on Friday, August 23rd, 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
Three weeks ago, Kyle “Bugha†Giersdorf, a 16-year-old esports athlete, won the 2019 Fortnite World Cup, winning $3 million and cementing himself as the 10th wealthiest esports athlete of all time.
Also, recently, professional streamer and esports athlete Ninja signed a deal with Mixer, a Microsoft-owned livestreaming company, that paid him $50 million to stream exclusively on their site.
Esports have been the topic of a lot of public discussion lately, with new developments within the tournament scene of the popular video game “Fortnite.†Three weeks ago, Kyle “Bugha†Giersdorf, a 16-year-old esports athlete, won the 2019 Fortnite World Cup, winning $3 million and cementing himself as the 10th wealthiest esports athlete of all time. Also, recently, professional streamer and esports athlete Ninja signed a deal with Mixer, a Microsoft-owned livestreaming company, that paid him $50 million to stream exclusively on their site.
Until the past couple of years, there hasn’t been a lot of money
in esports; many players had to grind at endless tournaments to achieve
pro status, and climb the ranks to be the richest esports athlete of
their respective game. While prize money payouts have been lower in
previous years, due to the influx of competitors in modern esports, new
players should also get the respect they deserve for doing well in their
games.
Esports encompasses athletes from all different types of competitive
video games, and there have been top players of almost every age,
ethnicity, gender and sexual orientation. In fact, some of the
wealthiest esports athletes have overcome adversity based on some of
these aspects of their identities.
Here are some of the current richest esports athletes. (This list
does not include income earned from streaming or sponsorship deals, and
is only based on the players’ tournament placing.)
KuroKy is a professional “Dota 2†player from Germany
and is the wealthiest esports athlete of all-time; he has made over $4.2
million from 103 tournaments. He is known as one of, if not the best
“Dota 2†player ever to play the game. Team Liquid, a premier esports
team, signed KuroKy in 2015. They were the 10th team to sponsor KuroKy, a
testament to his skill and future legacy.
KuroKy has many impressive wins at major tournaments; however, his
most impressive win is his first-place finish at The International 2017,
the largest tournament series for “Dota 2.†He had never gotten a
first-place finish at any previous International tournaments, and this
victory netted him over $2.1 million, an amount that only the top
esports athletes have obtained.
Scarlett is the wealthiest female esports athlete and hails from
Canada. She made her breakout performance at IPL 4, with an impressive
open-bracket run, defeating many difficult opponents only to get knocked
out in the fifth round of losers. She truly put her name on the map
when she won the 2012 Starcraft II World Championship Series Canada
tournament, making her the best Canadian “Starcraft II†player. She then
won the 2012 Starcraft II World Championship Series North America
tournament and became the best North American player.
Scarlett is an extremely well-known player in the “Starcraft IIâ€
community and inspires female gamers around the world. She’s also the
richest transgender esports athlete. She is currently placed ninth on
the WCS Circuit ranking, and 27th on the WCS Korea ranking. Scarlett
most recently won the Intel Extreme Masters Season XII — PyeongChang SC2
tournament, earning $50,000
“Dota 2†is the esports game with the most money in it, by far.
Forty-three of the top 50 richest esports athletes have made the
majority of their earning playing “Dota 2.†It’s a team-based,
Multiplayer Online Battle Arena (MOBA) video game, which means that
competitions take place among teams — “Dota 2,†specifically, in teams
of five. It wouldn’t be fair to the rest of Team Liquid not to include
Miracle.
Miracle is the highest-earning esports athlete from Jordan, and the
second-wealthiest esports athlete of all time. He accompanied KuroKy on
Team Liquid for their first-place finish at The International 2017, and
Miracle, along with their three other teammates GH, Matumbaman and MinD_ContRol,
all won the same amount as KuroKy in that tournament. Miracle also has
three other first-place finishes at tournaments that have earned him
over $550,000. Given the fact that he is only 22 years old and has only
been playing “Dota 2†competitively for five years, this young star’s
potential is only beginning to grow.
Xyp9x is the wealthiest “Counter-Strike: Global Offensive†player,
and the third-richest esports athlete from Denmark. He has earned over
$1.45 million from “CS:GO†and currently plays support, as a rifler for
Astralis. He has come in first place at 43 tournaments and had his
biggest win recently, at Intel Grand Slam Season 1, in which he earned
$200,000. Before Xyp9x was even 18, he had already won over $5,000 in
esports competitions, setting him up as one of the youngest athletes to
look out for, and now that he is 23 years old, he has broken
expectations and has built a legacy on continuing to break expectations
to this day.
Faker is the No. 1 ranked “League of Legends†player and
the richest esports athlete in South Korea. “League†is a popular MOBA
game inspired by “DOTA†and “Warcraft III†and, like other popular
esports games, “League†has a variety of players from all around the
world; however, the most dedicated fanbase is in South Korea. “Leagueâ€
has always been one of the most-viewed games on Twitch.tv, and it has
been that way since its release in 2009, when it really blew up.
To be the top player at a game like this proves Faker’s prowess. He
has earned over $1.2 million from “League†competitions, and has made
first-place finishes in major tournaments since 2013; his most notable
win was at the League of Legends 2016 World Championship. While Faker
might be an extremely talented player, like in “DOTA 2,†you play as a
team, so his team, SK Telecom T1 K, deserves props too.
Karma is the eighth highest-earning gamer from Canada and the richest
“Call of Duty†player, having taken the prize money at tournaments for
nine different games in the series. He has had consistent results in
each “COD†game, with peak years in 2013, 2014 and 2017, but he has also
done well within the past few months, earning over $65,000 in prize
money.
For many people, “COD†was the first game
through which they heard about esports and major-league gaming. The
game inspired countless kids to compete in esports, so being the richest
player in the game is quite a title. Karma has won 59 tournaments,
winning the most from the 2017 Call of Duty World League Championship
tournament as a member of OpTic Gaming.
Of course, there’s plenty of other wealthy esports athletes out there, and there are lots of top players
to admire. Esports are still an emerging medium, and it is likely that
the current wealthiest and best players will soon be dethroned. With new
money flowing in and more public attention toward esports than ever, it
is likely that future tournaments will be even bigger and more
competitive.
Video game entertainment is a big market, and many competitors record
and stream videos to supplement their incomes, which can sometimes earn
them more money than actual tournament revenue. It’s clear that gaming
has a lot to look forward to in the future.
Posted by AGORACOM-JC
at 8:32 AM on Thursday, August 22nd, 2019
Announced that Luminosity Gaming has signed international Fortnite influencers, “Spencerâ€, “Beaksâ€, and “Plu†to its roster of over 50 professional esports players and video gaming influencers.Â
The three influencers will continue creating and sharing content around the popular video game, Fortnite, to their combined network of 2.7 million followers.
TORONTO, Aug. 22, 2019 – Enthusiast Gaming Holdings Inc. (TSXV: EGLX) (OTCQB: EGHIF), (“Enthusiast†or the “Companyâ€), one of the largest vertically integrated video gaming media companies in North America, is excited to announce that Luminosity Gaming (“Luminosityâ€) has signed international Fortnite influencers, “Spencerâ€, “Beaksâ€, and “Plu†to its roster of over 50 professional esports players and video gaming influencers.Â
The three influencers will continue creating and sharing content
around the popular video game, Fortnite, to their combined network of
2.7 million followers. Luminosity continues to grow its combined reach
of 60 million followers through signing new professional players and
influencers and capitalizing on the 8 professional esports teams managed
under the brand.
On May 31, 2019, Enthusiast announced a merger with Luminosity and
Aquilini GameCo. and the combined entity will consist of over 85 gaming
websites, 900 YouTube Channels, 8 professional esports teams and over 50
influencers. The network reaches over 200 million viewers on a monthly
basis and has become one of the leading networks for advertisers wanting
to target the sought after gaming demographic. These signings allow
Enthusiast to continue to build customized sponsorship and marketing
programs for large brands across its website network, esports teams and
players and live events business.
Luminosity’s successful esports organization is an important
component of the Enthusiast platform. One of the Company’s key growth
priorities is Luminosity’s franchise appreciation through the growth of
the talent roster and the continued development of content rich channels
through players and influencers. Enthusiast will continue to leverage
Luminosity’s leading industry presence, brand affinity, and growing
roster of esports players and influencers to provide brands marketing
and promotional strategies and partnerships.
Menashe Kestenbaum, CEO of Enthusiast commented, “With
the rapid growth of esports, we are thrilled to have such a strong team
of content creators and esports professional athletes under the
Luminosity brand. Between Enthusiast’s online gaming communities and
live events and Luminosity’s dominance in esports, there are significant
synergies for growth and cross promotion across the entire platform. We
are building a powerful integrated video game and esports ecosystem and
continue to provide our brand partners customized marketing programs to
effectively reach these gaming communities.â€
About Enthusiast Gaming
Enthusiast Gaming is one of the largest vertically integrated video
game companies 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.
About Luminosity Gaming
Luminosity Gaming is one of the largest globally recognized esports
organizations in the world, with over 50 professional esports players
and influencers reaching 60 million collective followers. Luminosity has
8 world class esports teams competing across top games such as
Fortnite, Apex, Rainbow Six: Seige, Counter Strike, Call of Duty,
Madden, Smite, etc. For more information visit www.luminosity.gg
CONTACT INFORMATION:
Investor Relations: Julia Becker Head of Investor Relations & Marketing [email protected] (604) 785.0850
This news release contains certain statements that may constitute
forward-looking information under applicable securities laws. All
statements, other than those of historical fact, which address
activities, events, outcomes, results, developments, performance or
achievements that Enthusiast anticipates or expects may or will occur in
the future (in whole or in part) should be considered forward-looking
information. Such information may involve, but is not limited to,
comments with respect to strategies, expectations, planned operations
and future actions of the Company. Often, but not always,
forward-looking information can be identified by the use of words such
as “plans”, “expects”, “is expected”, “budget”, “scheduled”,
“estimates”, “forecasts”, “intends”, “anticipates”, or “believes” or
variations (including negative variations) of such words and phrases, or
statements formed in the future tense or indicating that certain
actions, events or results “may”, “could”, “would”, “might” or “will”
(or other variations of the forgoing) be taken, occur, be achieved, or
come to pass. Forward-looking information is based on currently
available competitive, financial and economic data and operating plans,
strategies or beliefs as of the date of this news release, but involve
known and unknown risks, uncertainties, assumptions and other factors
that may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of
Enthusiast to be materially different from any future results,
performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking
information. Such factors may be based on information currently
available to Enthusiast, including information obtained from third-party
industry analysts and other third-party sources, and are based on
management’s current expectations or beliefs regarding future growth,
results of operations, future capital (including the amount, nature and
sources of funding thereof) and expenditures. Any and all
forward-looking information contained in this press release is expressly
qualified by this cautionary statement. Trading in the securities of
the Company should be considered highly speculative.
Neither the 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.
The securities of the Corporation have not been and will not be
registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended
and may not be offered or sold in the United States absent registration
or an applicable exemption from the registration requirement. This press
release shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an
offer to buy nor shall there be any sale of the securities in any
jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be
unlawful.
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.
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.
Posted by AGORACOM-JC
at 10:11 AM on Friday, August 16th, 2019
EGLX: TSX-V
Adds over 2 million followers to combined network of over 200 million
Signed international Fortnite influencer, Yelo, to its roster of over 50 professional esports players and video gaming influencers.
Yelo’s combined social network reaches over 2 million followers across all social channels, a substantial addition to the 200 million plus fans the combined organization currently reaches.
TORONTO, Aug. 16, 2019 — Enthusiast Gaming Holdings Inc. (TSXV: EGLX) (OTCQB: EGHIF), (“Enthusiast†or the “Companyâ€), one of the largest vertically integrated video gaming media companies in North America, is excited to announce that Luminosity Gaming (“Luminosityâ€) has signed international Fortnite influencer, Yelo, to its roster of over 50 professional esports players and video gaming influencers. Yelo’s combined social network reaches over 2 million followers across all social channels, a substantial addition to the 200 million plus fans the combined organization currently reaches.
The amalgamation of Enthusiast and Luminosity creates one of the
largest esports organizations in the world. The organization is
comprised of the top players and content creators in the esports
ecosystem. Yelo joins Luminosity’s team of players and influencers which
currently reaches over 60 million followers across social media.
Combined with Enthusiast’s network of over 150 million monthly visitors,
the collective reach totals over 200 million gaming enthusiasts across
85 websites, 900 YouTube channels, 8 professional esports teams and over
50 social influencers.
Steve Maida, President of Luminosity commented, “We
are excited to sign Yelo to our talent roster and social audience of 60
million followers. With over 2 million social media followers, he is
rapidly growing into one of the biggest Fortnite influencers on the
scene. Yelo joining the Luminosity and Enthusiast Gaming family
of players is further validation of the Luminosity brand power as one
of the fastest growing esports organizations in the world, attracting
top talent in the industry.â€
About Enthusiast Gaming
Enthusiast Gaming is one of the largest vertically integrated video
game companies 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.
About Luminosity Gaming
Luminosity Gaming is one of the largest globally recognized esports
organizations in the world, with over 60 million registered active
users. Luminosity has 8 world class esports teams competing across top
games such as Fortnite, Apex, Rainbow Six: Seige, Counter Strike, Call
of Duty, Madden, Smite, etc. For more information visit www.luminosity.gg
CONTACT INFORMATION:
Investor Relations: Julia Becker Head of Investor Relations & Marketing [email protected] (604) 785.0850
This news release contains certain statements that may constitute
forward-looking information under applicable securities laws. All
statements, other than those of historical fact, which address
activities, events, outcomes, results, developments, performance or
achievements that Enthusiast anticipates or expects may or will occur in
the future (in whole or in part) should be considered forward-looking
information. Such information may involve, but is not limited to,
comments with respect to strategies, expectations, planned operations
and future actions of the Company. Often, but not always,
forward-looking information can be identified by the use of words such
as “plans”, “expects”, “is expected”, “budget”, “scheduled”,
“estimates”, “forecasts”, “intends”, “anticipates”, or “believes” or
variations (including negative variations) of such words and phrases, or
statements formed in the future tense or indicating that certain
actions, events or results “may”, “could”, “would”, “might” or “will”
(or other variations of the forgoing) be taken, occur, be achieved, or
come to pass. Forward-looking information is based on currently
available competitive, financial and economic data and operating plans,
strategies or beliefs as of the date of this news release, but involve
known and unknown risks, uncertainties, assumptions and other factors
that may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of
Enthusiast to be materially different from any future results,
performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking
information. Such factors may be based on information currently
available to Enthusiast, including information obtained from third-party
industry analysts and other third-party sources, and are based on
management’s current expectations or beliefs regarding future growth,
results of operations, future capital (including the amount, nature and
sources of funding thereof) and expenditures. Any and all
forward-looking information contained in this press release is expressly
qualified by this cautionary statement. Trading in the securities of
the Company should be considered highly speculative.
Neither the 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.
The securities of the Corporation have not been and will not be
registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended
and may not be offered or sold in the United States absent registration
or an applicable exemption from the registration requirement. This press
release shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an
offer to buy nor shall there be any sale of the securities in any
jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be
unlawful.
Posted by AGORACOM-JC
at 1:52 PM on Thursday, August 15th, 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
———————–
Kellogg’s shifts sports-related ad spending to esports
The advertiser is shifting more advertising spending to esports because it offers something that most traditional sports cannot — almost unprecedented access to younger people between the ages of 21 and 34 who have high incomes.
For Kellogg’s, esports has gone from an experimental investment to a continuous one
Competitive gaming campaigns are now a staple, rather than a test, on media plans for most Kellogg’s brands.
The advertiser is shifting more advertising spending to esports
because it offers something that most traditional sports cannot — almost
unprecedented access to younger people
between the ages of 21 and 34 who have high incomes. Since it jumped on
the esports bandwagon two years ago, Kellogg’s has steadily made
inroads, moving from experiential activations at tournaments to being
the headline sponsor of them. For Kellogg’s, esports has gone from an
experimental investment to a continuous one, said Dominik Schafhaupt,
marketing manager for snacks in Northern Europe at Kellogg’s.
The scale of those investments will flex depending on the brand and
its target audience as well the market they are based in, said
Schafhaupt who revealed that the advertiser is changing how it funds its
association with esports now that it’s a mainstay on media plans.
Previously, advertisers like Kellogg’s dipped into sponsorship budgets
to fund early forays into the world of competitive gaming. But as the
stakes of making those activations work got bigger so too did the budgets for them, which meant advertisers turned to digital and broader marketing budgets.
“Esports is an element of our communications mix, and there isn’t a single spend pillar it is funded by,†said Schafhaupt.
Perhaps nowhere is this more obvious at Kellogg’s than on its Pringles brand.
The snacks brand has paid to sponsor the League of Legends European
Championships this summer in a deal with its organizer Riot Games. The
partnership comes just seven months after Kellogg’s signed a deal with
gaming community N3rd Street Gamers, which runs its own tournaments.
Marketing partnerships like this tend to average around $2 million
(£1.6 million) to $4 million (£3.3 million) per year and are often done
as multiyear deals, said Rich Routman, president at sports media company
Minute Media. Generally, deals like the one between Kellogg’s and Riot
Games usually consist of marketing rights similar to standard sports
leagues with broadcaster advertising placements, event marketing assets
and marketing partnership rights across the vertical crucial to the
company’s business, said Routman. Yet how all of those assets are added up for commercial fees depends on the seller.
Since there is such a difference in maturity between esports
organizations, sponsorship costs and assets can greatly differ and the
market hasn’t had time to mature properly to dictate the costs.
The deal between Kellogg’s and Riot Games, for instance, is based on
one of several tiered packages sold by the latter. Each package is
weighted toward either media exposure or experiential activations, which
are supported by media impressions and a rate card for the various
assets that can be used. Having that scope between each package means
Riot can create bespoke sponsorships depending on what an advertiser
wants, said Alban Dechelotte, head of business development and
sponsorship for Riot Games.
The Pringles logo will appear on the streams of the tournaments
alongside a call to action when players are entering the game. Those
streams — and subsequently the Pringles brand — will be on both YouTube
and Twitch, which are watched on average by 1.6 million people daily
during the normal season of League of Legends matches, according to Riot
Games. The number of people watching the matches at the same time each
week has hit a peak of over 300,000, up 40% for the same event in 2018,
according to Riot Games.
“Gaming and esports are places where our core target group is, and so
now is the time to get into the community around competitive gaming,â€
said Schafhaupt.
Aside from media exposure, Kellogg’s is also exploring in-game activations.
Millions of Pringles cans across Europe will sport a unique code that
players can redeem to take part in a raffle to win rare characters to
use in the game. Unlike similar activations, which can feel gimmicky,
Kellogg’s is hoping its decision to allow people to use the code to
redeem characters that have been retired and, therefore, are unavailable
swells its cache among the notoriously advertising-adverse gaming
audience.
“I would love to measure my sales off the back of the sponsorship,
but I can’t because we have distribution partners that sit between us
and consumers,†said Schafhaupt. “At the moment, the industry looks at
measurement in esports from a media-value perspective. It’s one of the
areas we’re building on with the sponsorship by looking at how the
community responds to our brand and also the redemption rates of the
code.â€
Posted by AGORACOM-JC
at 3:16 PM on Tuesday, August 13th, 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
———————–
Esports is about to become a $1 billion industry, and Asia is at the heart of its wild growth
The electronic sports sector has grown massively in recent years and is expected to turn into a billion-dollar industry by the end of 2019.
CNBC’s Uptin Saiidi visited an annual gaming festival in Hong Kong where tens of thousands of excited fans eagerly watch players compete for the ultimate title.
Posted by AGORACOM-JC
at 4:17 PM on Friday, August 9th, 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
———————–
NetEase Plans $710M Esports Park in Shanghai
Chinese
game publisher NetEase announced its plans to invest over ¥5B RMB ($710M
USD) to build an “Esports Park†in the Shanghai Qingpu district.
Multiple
esports projects will be hosted in the park related to product design,
venue, teams development, talent construction, and user experiences.
NetEase
will build China’s first “class-A venue†in the park, at a minimum of
50K square meters, and 5,000 seats. This follows the Shanghai
government’s new classification and set of standards for esports venues.
Game publisher and the exclusive Chinese distributor of Blizzard Entertainment games, NetEase, announced that it plans to invest over ¥5B RMB ($710M) to build the “NetEase Esports Park†in the Shanghai Qingpu district.
The plan was announced at 2019 Global
Esports Conference in Shanghai, held by the Shanghai government. Ding
Yingfeng, president of NetEase, said that the plan would include
multiple esports-related projects, including those related to product
design, team development, talent construction, and user experiences.
Yingfeng also announced that the
company will build China’s first “class-A esports venue†in the park.
This is in accordance with a new classification and set of standards for
esports venues announced by the Shanghai government. As a class-A
esports venue, the facility is required to have a minimum size of 50K
square meters, and 5,000 seats.
As well as being a distributor of Blizzard titles, NetEase owns the Shanghai Dragons, an Overwatch team which represents Shanghai in the Overwatch League (OWL). In July, Activision Blizzard announced that every Overwatch League team would host at least two homestand events next year, in place of the original home-away plan.
It is very likely that NetEase’s esports park will be used for the
Shanghai Dragons’ homestand events, and will potentially become the
team’s permanent home venue in 2021.
