Posted by AGORACOM-JC
at 9:00 PM on Sunday, April 14th, 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
———————–
Steph Curry discusses old-school video games, eSports popularity
The eSports world has become — well, a world of its own.
It’s a continued success that has turned a gamer’s paradise into what some view as a respected sport.
On his latest episode of the YouTube series, “5 Minutes from Home,”
Warriors guard Steph Curry sat down with eSports stars Myth and Hamlinz
to discuss the two’s success in the gaming industry.
“Very excited to talk about their background in the eSports world,”
Curry said. “Now they’re pioneering a new industry and creating a brand
and creating their legacy from the jump.”
Hamlinz and Myth didn’t waste any time asking Curry the important question: What are some of his favorite video games?
“I’m terrible at ‘Fortnite,'” Curry said amid chuckles from the group. “God awful.”
He listed the popular sports-related video games as the main ones he dabbles in.
“I love any golf game, 2K, Madden, Tiger Woods had his old game that I loved to play,” Curry said.
He also said “Call of Duty” was one he enjoys playing, but that changed when he got married and had kids. Naturally.
The trio finished out the night when they stopped by the KoJa Kitchen food truck — a favorite place of Curry’s to indulge in.
You can watch the interview in its entirety below.
Posted by AGORACOM-JC
at 4:23 PM on Wednesday, April 10th, 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 Playing Out to Be a Big Opportunity for Investors
Esports sector represented just 1% of the global gaming market at nearly $700 million in 2017, with the industry expecting to reach $1.65 billion by 2021, representing a 27.4% CAGR estimates Newzoo.
Worldwide eSports viewership is expected to grow by nearly 50% from 2018 levels to 560 million by 2021
Sean Mason | April 10, 2019 | SmallCapPower: Video games are nothing new – people have been playing them since the 1970s. But with the proliferation of social media in recent years, electronic sports, or eSports, could eventually generate more revenue than traditional professional sporting events, such as National Football League (NFL) games.
eSports can be most simply defined as organized, competitive video
gaming at the professional level, where participants compete in a
virtual environment for money and recognition. Much of eSports’ appeal
is in its inclusivity, as anyone with dexterity and determination can,
in theory and with plenty of practice, reach an elite level regardless
of their athleticism. And thanks to the Internet, eSports tournaments
have quickly gone global. This, after all, is due to the fact that the
distribution of eSports is almost entirely digital, with fans being able
to stream eSports content for free anywhere in the world.
To give you an idea how much growth potential exists within the
eSports sector, it represented just 1% of the global gaming market at
nearly $700 million in 2017, with the industry expecting to reach $1.65
billion by 2021, representing a 27.4% CAGR estimates Newzoo.
With its popularity rising, worldwide eSports viewership is expected
to grow by nearly 50% from 2018 levels to 560 million by 2021. In fact,
in the U.S. eSports viewership on key streaming platforms such as
Twitch, Youtube, and TV with traditional channels like TBS, ESPN have
already surpassed that of the NHL and is expected to take the #2 spot
behind the NFL by 2021, according to an August 2018 report by Eight
Capital, adding that the sector remains under-monetized relative to
traditional sports. To put that into perspective, average revenue per
eSports enthusiast was just $3.60 in 2017, a fraction of the $15 average
revenue per basketball fan and $54 average per sports fan globally,
this based on a study by Newzoo.
Audience engagement for eSports is extremely high, which has become
ideal for advertisers to target a captive and young demographic.
According to a Goldman Sachs eSports report dated October 2018, eSports
generated an estimated $655 million in annual revenue in 2017, 38% of
which came from sponsorships, 14% from media rights, and 9% from ticket
revenue. By 2022, though, media rights are anticipated to reach 40% of
total eSports revenue, with sponsorship expected to become the second
largest contributor of revenue at 35%.
Goldman Sachs believes eSports will increasingly migrate from PCs to
other platforms, such as console and mobile. For mobile eSports, Goldman
Sachs said it is seeing increased venture investment in the space.
Since 2013, there has been $3.3 billion of venture capital investment in
eSports-related start-ups, which is set to capitalize on two primary
trends: the opportunity for live-streaming to monetize the growth in
eSports; and the popularity of eSports in Asia. China’s eSports market
is derived from the largest gamer base in the world, with approximately
442 million gamers by the end of 2017 and a 57.2% penetration rate of
China Internet users, according to CNNIC.
Technological evolution in the eSports space will likely mean more
money will flow into trends such as streaming, mobile, and Virtual
Reality (VR). To that end, Canadian company YDX Innovation Corp. (TSXV:YDX) already has direct experience in eSports in addition to a product that fits well with the segment.
“When we created our VR game a year and a half ago, we already knew
we were taking the platform in an eSports direction,†YDX Innovation CEO
Daniel Japiassu told SmallCapPower in an interview.
YDX Innovation’s Arkave VR Arena is a gaming platform that brings an
immersive Virtual Reality experience to different venues – a highly
scalable business model according to the Company. YDX Innovation
announced recently that it had signed an agreement with eSports company
Jackpot Rising to organize tournaments using Arkave VR.
And, in 2019, YDX plans to launch its Game On festival for the new
gamers, younger players who have not yet experienced competitive
gaming.
“This is an industry (eSports) fueled by people 10 years of age and
older,†Mr. Japiassu said, adding that although it’s a new industry
there’s already a substantial number of participants.
Disclosure: Neither the author nor his family own shares in the company mentioned above.
Posted by AGORACOM-JC
at 10:00 AM on Friday, April 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
———————–
Professional esports are just getting started, Take-Two CEO says
According to research firm Newzoo, esports is projected to generate $1.1 billion in revenue in 2019, marking the first year the industry would reach the billion-dollar mark.
Earlier this week at the Barclays Center, 74 men and 1 woman got the
chance to live out a dream — they became professional competitive
gamers.
The esports athletes were officially drafted for the second season of
Take-Two‘s NBA 2K League, the gaming giant‘s esports league featuring
their flagship NBA 2K sports video game franchise. Take-Two Interactive
CEO Strauss Zelnick emphasized the excitement surrounding the league‘s
second season, highlighting the popularity and rising importance of the
esports industry as a whole.
“The first season ended with a great result, and everyone‘s looking
forward to the April second tip-off,†he said Friday on CNBC‘s “Fast
Money.†“Over 250 million people worldwide consume esports as a form of
entertainment. About half of them, 125 million, are avid esports
watchers.â€
According to research firm Newzoo, esports is projected to generate
$1.1 billion in revenue in 2019, marking the first year the industry
would reach the billion-dollar mark.
In many ways this year‘s NBA 2K League embodies how quickly the space
is growing. AT&T is joining the likes of Dell and Intel as a
partner for the league, which has also expanded to 21 teams from the
original 17 NBA franchise-owned teams that hit the virtual court during
last year‘s inaugural season.
This year‘s draft pool also included 22 international players from
outside of the U.S., reflecting the overall industry‘s drive to expand
globally. Among the players in the draft pool was Chiquita Evans from
Chicago, who became the league‘s first female player in a time when the
esports industry as a whole is grappling with discussions around
diversity and inclusion.
Ultimately, Zelnick believes that esports leagues like NBA 2K will boost the video game industry as a whole.
“We‘re having a record year with NBA 2K, so one of the things we love
is that when there‘s more hits in the market, there are more people
engaged and the entire market grows,†he said. “So we‘re going to sell
more units of NBA 2K this year than ever before, we‘ll have higher
recurrent consumer spending than ever before.â€
But the biggest gaming companies are facing stiff competition. While
Take-Two and Activision Blizzard have dove into esports, with Blizzard‘s
Overwatch League being the latter‘s most recent investment in the
space, they‘re still facing the likes of other publishers who have
dominated the industry.
For example, Tencent-owned Riot Games‘ “League of Legends†events
still draw huge numbers of viewers, with last year‘s World Championship
finals attracting nearly 100 million unique viewers who watched the
match (for comparison, this year‘s Super Bowl had 98 million viewers).
This while Epic Games‘ “Fortnite†also continues to dominate online
viewership, both recreational and competitively.
Zelnick, however, believes that those same competitors, like “Fortnite,†lift the games industry as a whole.
“We think that ‘Fortnite‘ is a great thing for the industry, it has
probably brought in a somewhat younger consumer,†he explained. “I‘m
often asked if it‘s something that has hurt us. To the contrary, we‘ve
seen the market continue to grow at the same time that ‘Fortnite‘ has
been an extraordinary hit for Epic.â€
This despite the fact that some analysts believe game revenues could
be set to decline. Back in January, London-based research firm owner
Pelham Smithers forecast that video game revenue is headed for its first
decline since 1995 on the back of tightening regulations in China, a
shortage of big console hits in 2019 and waning player enthusiasm for
battle royale titles like “Fortnite.â€
But Smithers also made his predictions before the release of
Electronic Arts‘ “Apex Legends,†which took the gaming world by storm
and garnered 50 million players in just one month. The battle royale
title is yet another name in the free-to-play ecosystem that has
revolutionized the gaming industry in the last few years, allowing users
to download a game at no cost. In this case, the vast majority of
revenue is made through in-game purchases and microtransactions, which
have become dominant sources of earnings for many publishers.
This has led even the biggest publishers to explore in-game
monetization. Zelnick notes that not only have microtransactions become
the “biggest opportunity†to encourage users to continue interacting
with a title, but it ultimately is the biggest measure of engagement.
“Microtransactions is spending, and that‘s a reflection in our view
of engagement,†he said, adding that they often are a result of “making
the highest quality enttertainment†that “[engages] the customer.â€
“If we get that right, monetization follows, revenues follow and
profits follow, and that‘s been our story for the 11 years that we‘ve
been responsible for this enterprise,†he added.
Additionally, the Chinese government has seemingly eased on their
game approval regulations. After freezing game approvals for months last
year in a content crackdown on gaming companies, Chinese regulators
have since approved 80 new games in January and one more for gaming
giant Tencent in late February.
Despite the games industry‘s growth, Activision Blizzard and Take-Two
Interactive have struggled with both stocks down 9 and 15 percent
respective this year. Thanks to its “Apex Legends†sensation, Electronic
Arts has outperformed its competitors and surged 25 percent.
Posted by AGORACOM-JC
at 12:22 PM on Tuesday, April 2nd, 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
———————–
Durham College opens first ESports gaming arena in Canada!
Durham College’s ESports gaming arena opens today! The arena is broadcast-grade for streaming online and competitive gaming.
Posted by AGORACOM-JC
at 10:29 AM on Friday, March 29th, 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
———————–
Simplicity set to open five esports gaming centers
Simplicity has identified locations for five esports gaming centers, representing around 9,000 square feet of space with over 150 gaming stations.
The first center will be located in Boca Raton, which is scheduled to have its grand opening in April of this year.
Logo credit: Simplicity
Simplicity
has now opened its franchise partner program, allowing the centers to
be opened in new locations by partners while retaining the
organisation’s branding. The centers are said to “feature cutting edge
technology including high performance PCs.â€
Jed Kaplan, CEO of Simplicity discussed
the venture in a statement: “I am excited to announce the opening of
our first Esports Gaming Center and the locations of our next four. Our
goal is to open 15 locations by year end and a total of 50 nationwide in
the next 24 months. Additionally, we offer attractive opportunities for
advertisers and sponsors to connect with our audience via our digital
and physical real estate.â€
In late 2018, Simplicity was acquired by SMAAASH Entertainment. In a statement given at the time of the deal, F. Jacob Cherian, CEO of SMAAASH Entertainment revealed that the company aimed to build “brick and mortar esports centers.â€
Following
the merger, Kaplan joined SMAAASH Entertainment as its Co-CEO and is a
minority owner of NBA team Memphis Grizzlies and Welsh football club
Swansea City.
Simplicity is currently partnered with esports apparel company Raven GG and competes in PUBG, SMITE, Gears of War, and NHL.
Esports
Insider says: More and more companies and organisations are looking to
open centers, either for internal use or aimed at the public. As gaming
and esports continue to be gradually embraced by the general public,
there’s potential for these establishments to become mainstays all
around the globe. These plans sound very ambitious considering
Simplicity’s centers are unproven in terms of popularity so we’ll have
to see how things pan out after the Boca Raton center opens.
Posted by AGORACOM-JC
at 10:00 AM on Wednesday, March 27th, 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 Popularity Around The Globe
Recent years have seen an explosion in the popularity of esports, fuelled by an insatiable appetite in Asia.
You can be sure that when a new trend starts, the USA won’t be far away from the action.
The country has taken esports to its heart and produced big names, like the celebrity gamer Ninja, otherwise known as Tyler Blevins from Michigan.
Recent years have seen an explosion in the popularity of esports,
fuelled by an insatiable appetite in Asia. It’s not just a case of
playing your favorite games hoping to get a better score than your
friends; players compete for mega bucks and have become rich and famous.
Massive Growth in Asia
There are billions of dollars to be made in the esports business.
Forecasters believe that the global market will expand by 75% to $1.6bn
by the end of 2021. The arrival of smartphones has made esports even
easier to play.
A major area of growth is in the number of live tournaments. Mixed
martial arts (MMA) promoter ONE Championship has already made a $50m
investment and wants to hold esports events alongside MMA matches.
China listed esports as an official sport in 2003
and 13 years later, it was declared a national industry. Another major
boost came in 2018 when esports became a demonstration sport at the
Asian Games. The next event takes place in 2022 and esports will be an
official medal sport.
More partnerships are being forged as companies realize just how much
money could be made in the future. The number of competitive players in
China doubled last year leading to online companies such as Alibaba
Group Holding and Tencent Holdings to set up venues in the country.
Rural areas, as well as the major cities, are being targeted, and events
take place on a weekly basis.
It’s big news for game developers as the tournaments create more
awareness of their products. The hope is that games such as League of
Legends and Dota 2 will see their already impressive sales boosted.
Academies are opening up in countries such as China, Malaysia, Singapore and Japan.
It’s becoming big business with students paying up to $975 for a
month’s tuition, all dreaming of becoming professional players.
Achieving that dream could see them earning up to $700,000 a year.
Japan has also seen incredible growth in the popularity of esports.
That’s led to increased sales of high-performance gaming computers that
eliminate the possibility of even the shortest lag. Be sure to check out
our own reviews for the best gaming gear.
The Tokyo Game Show held in October 2018 saw plenty of talk about
esports. The second-hand market for these computers also sees increased
business. Others just go to many internet cafes and use their superior
equipment.
Perhaps the best-known Asian market of all is South Korea,
which is regarded as the country that started the esport revolution.
Gamers like Faker, Bang and Wolf are more or less household names.
South Korea hosts probably the biggest live esports event in the world – the League of Legends World Championship.
The Middle East is catching up
Dubai is a place of extravagance, and the Middle
Eastern kingdom has already made it known it would like to be a global
gaming destination for esports. The United Arab Emirates is already constructing the region’s first dedicated esports venue,
catering for players who can’t get enough of games like Counter-Strike.
Pro teams play each other with over $54,000 won in prize money.
Overwatch is also popular, and teams in the UAE include Risky Gaming,
Inferno Game Zone and Dubai Mirage.
However, esports is still some way behind other social online
entertainment there, such as online casinos. Despite land casinos and
sports betting being prohibited, locals are able to find plenty of legal opportunities to play online.
Saudi Arabia is another part of the Middle East
enjoying rising esports popularity; there’s even official government
representation and support for competitive gaming.
The United States and esports
You can be sure that when a new trend starts, the USA won’t be far
away from the action. The country has taken esports to its heart and
produced big names, like the celebrity gamer Ninja, otherwise known as Tyler Blevins from Michigan.
Posted by AGORACOM-JC
at 11:07 AM on Monday, March 25th, 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
———————–
$50M esports arena coming to Philadelphia
The Fusion Arena, to open in 2021, will be home to the Philadelphia Fusion team that competes in the Overwatch League.
Photo: comcast spectacor
Comcast Spectacor and The Cordish Cos. are building a $50 million, 3,500-seat esports arena in Philadelphia
The Fusion Arena will be next to Wells Fargo Center, Lincoln Financial Field, Citizens Bank Park and the mixed-use Xfinity Live development
“We’re thrilled to introduce a venue like no other as we move forward with the next phase of development within the Philadelphia Sports Complex,†said Dave Scott, Comcast Spectacor’s chairman and CEO.
Xfinity Live is also a joint venture between Comcast Spectacor and
Cordish, which specializes in real estate developments around stadiums
and arenas.
Architecture firm Populous designed the 60,000-square-foot venue,
which will be home to the Philadelphia Fusion, an esports team owned by
Comcast Spectacor that competes in the Overwatch League. The league
wants its teams to play in their home markets next year. The Fusion are
looking at playing at other venues in Philadelphia while the new esports
venue is being built.
Construction will start this summer on a site currently used as a
parking lot and the venue is scheduled to open in 2021. The Fusion
facility will have a 10,000-square-foot esports training facility as
well as two balcony bars, a broadcast studio and premium boxes and
suites.
The venue will be rigged to also host small concerts, comedy shows
and corporate events, said Joe Marsh, chief business officer for Comcast
Spectacor’s gaming division and the Fusion.
Populous also designed the $10 million Esports Stadium Arlington, a
100,000-square-foot gaming space built at the Arlington Convention
Center hear Dallas.
“We’ve reached a place now where there is a need for purpose-built
esports venues,†said Brian Mirakian, a senior principal with Populous.
“This project represents the prototype of the future.â€
Cordish
Principal Blake Cordish expects to see more esports projects like the
one in Philadelphia. “This flagship esports venue will perfectly
complement the surrounding anchors in the Philadelphia Sports Complex,â€
Cordish said. “The Cordish Cos. is extremely bullish about the future of
esports, especially when integrated into mixed-use, sports-anchored
developments.â€
Posted by AGORACOM-JC
at 2:00 PM on Thursday, March 21st, 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
———————–
The biggest esports tournaments and leagues in 2019
All around the world, esports
are on the rise and they don’t look to be slowing down any time soon.
Whether you want to tune in for a few hours of action-packed tournament
gameplay between the top pros or follow your favorite team week after
week in your favorite game’s league, we’ve got you covered.
Note that only standalone tournaments, not playoffs that take place
at the end of a season, are included in the list of esports tournaments.
Keep reading for the top esports tournaments and top esports leagues in
2019.
Top eSports tournaments
The International
Date: August 15-20, 2019
The International is the premier Dota 2 tournament that attracts
teams from around the world. Starting in the third year of the
tournament in 2013, Valve has sweetened the pot by adding 25% of the
total sales of the in game Battle Pass to the prize pool. This instantly
made it one of the best paid esports tournaments in the world, with the
2018 edition reaching more than $25 million in total prize money.
The International 2019 is set to take place from August 15-20 in
Shanghai’s Mercedes-Benz Arena. Teams will vie for one of the 18 spots
available by competing in a series of smaller tournaments known as the
Dota Pro Circuit. If 2018 was any indication, the first place prize is
likely to top $11 million.
Intel Extreme Masters
Date: February 13 – March 2, 2019
Intel Extreme Masters is one of the longest running series of esports
tournaments around. It features a number of tournaments in different
locations around the world, capped off with a World Championship. This
final tournament typically takes place in Katowice, with separate prize
pools and brackets for each game.
The most recent Intel Extreme Masters took place in from February 13 –
March 2. It included CS:GO (the 14th Major tournament), Dota 2,
Starcraft II, and for the first time ever, Fortnite: Battle Royale.
Smaller IEM tournaments will still be held throughout the year, with an
additional $1 million prize for the first time to win four eligible
tournaments in a single year.
CS:GO Major Tournaments
Date: August 20 -September 8, 2019
Counter Strike: Global Offensive Major Tournaments, known simply as
Majors, are biannual esports tournaments sponsored by the game’s
developer, Valve Corporation. It’s widely considered the most
prestigious CS:GO tournament, with players from around the globe
competing. Although the prize money is supplied by Valve, the
tournaments themselves are organized by other esports orgs, including
ESL, Major League Gaming, and DreamHack.
The most recent Major took place at the Intel Extreme Masters XIII,
with Danish squad Astralis winning first place and $500,000. The Fall
edition is set to take place in Berlin, and will feature 24 teams from
the four qualifying regions: Americas, Asia, CIS, and Europe.
The Overwatch World Cup features many of the same players as the
Overwatch League, but this time they are competing for their home
countries rather than their esports organizations. in 2018, four
countries hosted qualifying tournaments for six nations, with the top
two teams moving on to the finals at BlizzCon.
So far, no nations have been able to match the South Korean players’
prowess, with all three first place trophies heading to the
esports-friendly nation. It’s worth noting that players aren’t in it for
the money, as all participating teams receive the same prize of
$16,000. This can often lead to interesting strategies and wacky hijinks
in-game.
Fortnite World Cup Finals
Date: July 26-28, 2019
The Fortnite World Cup Finals
bring with them a prize pool worthy of the world’s most popular game:
$40 million. That’s nearly half of the $100 million that Epic Games
pledged for 2019 to make their hit game into an esports juggernaut.
Although the game’s suitability for competitive play is questionable,
the sheer size of the pool has drawn players and streamers from a
variety of backgrounds to play.
Weekly qualifiers kick off April 13, with a prize pool of $1 million
to be distributed among successful contestants. From there, the top 100
solo players and the top 50 duo players will be invited to New York City
for the Fortnite World Cup Finals. Each qualifying player will earn at
least $50,000, with the top solo player taking home $30 million.
Evolution Championship Series
Date: August 2-4, 2019
If you’re a fan of fighting games, odds are you’ve already heard of
the Evolution Championship Series, or Evo for short. Evo is easily the
biggest esports tournament in the genre, growing year after year since
its start more than 20 years ago in 1996.
This year’s tournament is set to take place in Las Vegas from August
2-4. It will feature brackets for a variety of fighting games, including
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, Tekken 7, Street Fighter V, Dragonball
FighterZ, and others.
The Overwatch League,
or OWL, has just entered its second season, with a total prize pool of
$5 million. If you haven’t heard of it, OWL is Blizzard-Activision’s
official esports league for their hit first-person hero shooter
Overwatch. In 2018, it was the most watched esports league, mostly
because of the sheer number of hours the league was broadcast.
The action is spread out across a 28-match schedule with four,
five-week long stages. Each stage concludes with a playoff tournament
for the honor of becoming the Stage Champions, but the real prize is
after the end of the fourth stage. The OWL season 2 grand finals (not to
be confused with the Overwatch World Cup above), will have the top
teams vying to become the season 2 champions and take home the $1
million prize that comes with it.
League of Legends Championship Series
This year Riot Games’ official League of Legends esports league
underwent a rebranding, with the NALCS changing to the LCS, and the
EULCS switching to the League European Championship (LEC). Other
popular regions like China’s LPL and Korea’s LCK remain unchanged.
The season is divided into two sections, the Spring and Summer
splits, with a short split playoff game and mid-season Invitational
tournament tucked between them. The real excitement is at the League of
Legends World Championship, which brings together the top teams from all
regions to compete for the cup. Last year’s tournament drew nearly 75 million viewers, making it the most watched esports event of the year.
Call of Duty World League
While most first-person shooter competitions take place at esports
tournaments, Activision set up a league for the Call of Duty franchise.
This year the league enters its fourth season, with all matches played
on the PS4 versin of Call of Duty: Black Ops 4.
Unlike last season, this season the action is all 5v5 team modes,
including Hardpoint, Search & Destroy, and Control game types. The
finals are scheduled for some time in August of this year. Before you
get excited, no, the recently added battle royale mode will not be
played in the league.
Rocket League Championship Series
The esports League for Psyonix’s car-soccer hit Rocket League is back
again in 2019 with $1 million in prizes. This year an additional region
has been added as South America joins the existing American and
European regions.
After a series of qualifiers, the action will kick off in early
April. There is also a secondary Rival league for teams that fail to
qualify for the main league with $100,000 in prize money.
PUBG Global Championship
Fortnite may have dethroned PUBG in the fight for battle royale
supremacy, but PUBG is pushing back with the introduction of the PUBG
Global Championship in 2019. The season is divided into three phases,
each of which is followed by one or more international tournaments.
There are six regional Pro Leagues in the inaugural season: North
America, Europe, Korea, Japan, China, and Chinese Taipei. There are also
three smaller “Pro Circuit†regions for Southeast Asia, Latin America,
and Oceana. Each will host its own regional events before sending the
top teams to compete internationally. The PUBG Global Championship
finals are set to take place some time in November.
Mobile esports on the rise
Mobile esports are still small in comparison with their PC and
console peers, but here are a few mobile esport tournaments and leagues
to check out.
Clash Royale League — Supercell’s official esports league for their hit arena strategy game, Clash Royale.
Valor Series — The premier esports league for Arena of Valor entered its third year in February.
Vainglory —
The mobile MOBA is featured regularly at international tournaments and
even has a pro league called the Vainglory Premier League.
Posted by AGORACOM-JC
at 12:48 PM on Tuesday, March 19th, 2019
London-based marketing firm AffiliateINSIDER will take responsibility for the growth of the e-sports betting platform VIE.gg’s affiliate partner program globally
Esports’ VIE.gg offers exchange style wagering on e-sports events in a licensed, regulated and secured platform
Esports Entertainment Group Inc (OTCQB:GMBL),
the licensed online gambling company, said Tuesday it has struck up a
new contract with AffiliateINSIDER, a London-based public relations and
marketing firm, to broaden the reach of its e-sports betting platform
VIE.gg.
Under the deal’s terms, AffiliateINSIDER will take on responsibility
for the growth of VIE.gg’s affiliate partner program globally, helping
Esports to add both new affiliates and customers.
VIE.gg offers exchange-style wagering and pool betting on e-sports
events in a licensed, regulated and secured platform. It is the first
and most transparent e-sports bet exchange as a result of Esports
Entertainment Group being a fully reporting SEC issuer in the US.
“We are excited to partner with AffiliateINSIDER as we continue to
grow and manage our affiliate network. They had an acute understanding
of the complexities we face in the emerging esports sector and have been
involved with managing and growing affiliate networks and programs
since the very beginning in the gambling space,†said Grant Johnson, CEO
of Esports, in a statement.
Esports Entertainment Group Inc. is a licensed online gambling company with a focus on e-sports wagering and gaming for adults.
Esports shares held steady at US$0.55 in morning trade on Tuesday.
Posted by AGORACOM-JC
at 2:00 PM on Thursday, March 14th, 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
———————–
Ripple (XRP) and Forte Launch $100M Fund to Integrate Blockchain With the Gaming Industry
Ripple has announced that it will launch a $100 million fund in collaboration with Forte,
San Francisco-based startup that is aiming to leverage the economic models of blockchain systems to build better economies and marketplaces in the gaming industry.
Ripple has announced that it will launch a $100 million fund in collaboration with Forte,
a San Francisco-based startup that is aiming to leverage the economic
models of blockchain systems to build better economies and marketplaces
in the gaming industry.
Forte will oversee the fund that will be allocated towards the integration of blockchain technology
with in-game markets that will allow players to make transactions with
each other more conveniently. In the past, users have often moved to
third-party platforms to sell in-game items.
Speaking to Fortune, Ethan Beard, a senior executive at Ripple’s development division Xpring, is hopeful about blockchain making gaming economies more equitable:
Video games have long been quick to
adopt new technology, from console to the PC to mobile. Now, blockchain
will help game designers who’ve had a hard time facilitating an economy
that can serve all types of players.
As the Fortune article notes, this is an expansion for Ripple, which have previously made a lot of progress in the cross-border payments niche. Should game developers get on board, the use of Ripple’s Interledger Protocol and the XRP token would give Ripple an enormous amount of exposure.
Forte was founded by Kevin Chou,
an entrepreneur with experience in the gaming space. Chou was the Chief
Executive Officer of mobile-focused Kabam and esports company Gen.G.
Forte is backed by the likes of Andreesen Horowitz, Coinbase Ventures
and Battery Ventures.
In Chou’s announcement post, he said of the direct interactions between stakeholders in the system:
I envision a future where players can
transact with each other directly instead of only with the developer. A
future where developers don’t need to figure out the maximum value they
can extract from their player base, but instead are creatively and
economically motivated to foster new types of peer-to-peer gameplay.
