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#HyperX and Allied #Esports Announce HyperX Esports Arena Las Vegas $GMBL $ATVI $TTWO $GAME $EPY.ca $TCEHF $Game.ca $EPY.ca

Posted by AGORACOM-JC at 1:58 PM on Friday, November 16th, 2018
  • HyperX, the gaming division of Kingston Technology Company, Inc. and Allied Esports, a global esports entertainment company, today announced an exclusive naming rights partnership and multiyear agreement
  • Under which Allied Esports’ global flagship property, located at the Luxor Hotel & Casino, was newly named the HyperX Esports Arena Las Vegas
  • The first dedicated esports venue on the Las Vegas Strip.

FOUNTAIN VALLEY, Calif. — HyperX, the gaming division of Kingston Technology Company, Inc. and Allied Esports, a global esports entertainment company, today announced an exclusive naming rights partnership and multiyear agreement under which Allied Esports’ global flagship property, located at the Luxor Hotel & Casino, was newly named the HyperX Esports Arena Las Vegas, the first dedicated esports venue on the Las Vegas Strip.

HyperX and Allied Esports announce HyperX Esports Arena Las Vegas, naming rights partnership the first for a dedicated multipurpose esports arena in North America @hyperx

“HyperX and Allied Esports share a strategy centered on a ‘We’re All Gamers’ mindset, and with this first-of-its-kind partnership we can accelerate opportunities to engage fans and create influential content,” said Simon Temperley, Allied Esports Chief Revenue and Marketing Officer. “This dynamic relationship is a direct result of Allied customers’ excitement to use the best gaming equipment on the market and HyperX’s belief in our vision for content creation.”

The partnership is comprised of co-branded experiences and events, including unique opportunities with HyperX’s personalities, esports athletes and influencers; co-branded content and collateral in-venue, online and on social platforms; marketing, promotion and product activations; and a prominent retail presence in Las Vegas. The HyperX Esports Arena Las Vegas branding will be integrated across all social media platforms starting today.

“HyperX’s commitment and dedication to all things esports has helped to propel the brand to become a favorite for professional and casual gamers. Attaining the naming rights for HyperX Esports Arena Las Vegas allows us a great opportunity to grow our audience,” said Daniel Kelley, director of marketing, HyperX. “Allied Esports is a respected esports partner for us and we look forward to announcing more successes with them.”

The new deal expands on an already robust partnership between Allied Esports and HyperX. Earlier this year, HyperX became the Official Peripheral and Arena Partner of the Las Vegas arena, equipping gamers with HyperX headsets, keyboards, mice and mouse pads for esports tournaments, special events and daily play.

HyperX was also an Official Partner of Allied Esports’ North American mobile esports truck this summer with stops at various events, including the 2018 Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) in Los Angeles, VidCon 2018 in Anaheim, and Comic-Con 2018 in San Diego.

The new HyperX Esports Arena Las Vegas opened in March 2018 and has quickly become a global destination for esports fans, players and streamers, and teams. The venue has staged some of the most popular esports entertainment events and productions of the year across a variety of game genres and titles, including Ninja Vegas ’18, starring streaming sensation Tyler “Ninja” Blevins, and recently announced two more major events in December: League of Legends All-Star 2018 (Dec. 6-8) and Capcom Cup 2018 (Dec. 14-16). The arena’s nightly tournaments, including Friday Frags and Saturday Night Speedway, have become the epicenter of Las Vegas’ growing competitive video gaming scene. HyperX Esports Arena Las Vegas was recently named Venue of the Year at the 2018 Tempest Awards, a part of the Esports Business Summit.

As part of the partnership, HyperX will be sponsoring events at HyperX Esports Arena Las Vegas. From January 9-12 during CES 2019, HyperX is planning a variety of social and marketing activities that will include the newly announced HyperX Esports Arena Las Vegas. More information on the CES activations and other HyperX-sponsored events currently in the planning stages will be available closer to the event dates.

About HyperX
HyperX is the gaming division of Kingston Technology Company, Inc., the world’s largest independent memory manufacturer, with the goal of providing gamers, PC builders, and power users with high-performance components. For 15 years, the HyperX mission has been to develop gaming products for gamers – high-speed memory, solid state drives, headsets, keyboards, mice, USB flash drives, and mouse pads – to the gaming community and beyond. The award-winning HyperX brand has carved its name atop the leaderboard by consistently delivering products that deliver superior comfort, aesthetics, performance, and reliability. HyperX gear is the choice of pro gamers, tech enthusiasts, and overclockers worldwide because it meets the most stringent product specifications and is built with best-in-class components. HyperX has shipped over 60 million memory modules and 5 million gaming headsets worldwide.

Join the global #HyperXFamily at facebook.com/hyperxcommunity, and learn how HyperX products can enhance your console experience and boost performance for both you and your PC at hyperxgaming.com. Whatever your skill level, whatever genres you play, we embrace all gaming enthusiasts everywhere with our core belief — We’re All Gamers.

Website: http://www.hyperxgaming.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/HyperX
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hyperx/
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/hyperxcommunity
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/kingstonhyperx

About Allied Esports
Allied Esports is a premier esports entertainment company with a global network of dedicated esports properties and content production facilities. Its mission is to connect players, streamers and fans via integrated arenas and mobile esports trucks around the world that serve as both gaming battlegrounds and every day content generation hubs. Allied Esports is a subsidiary of Ourgame International (SEHK:899), owner of WPT Enterprises, Inc., the operator of The World Poker Tour.

The Allied Esports Property Network currently spans ten properties in the top three esports markets across the globe: North America’s HyperX Esports Arena Las Vegas, Esports Arena Orange County, Esports Arena Oakland and Esports Truck “Big Meta”; Europe’s ELC Gaming, Esports Truck “Big Betty” and Esports Studio in Hamburg, Germany; and China’s Lianmeng Dianjing in Beijing, Lianmeng Dianjing SEG Arena in Shenzhen, Lianmeng Dianjing Tianjin Arena and Lianmeng Dianjing Gui’an Arena.

For more information, visit AlliedEsports.gg and follow @AlliedEsports on social media.

Editor’s Note: For additional information or executive interviews, please contact Mark Tekunoff, Kingston Technology Company, Inc. 17600 Newhope Street, Fountain Valley, CA USA 92708, 714-438-2791(Voice). Press images can be found in Kingston’s press room here.

Kingston, the Kingston logo, HyperX and the HyperX logo are registered trademarks or trademarks of Kingston Technology Corporation in the U.S. and/or other countries. All registered trademarks and trademarks are property of their respective owners.

Source: https://business.financialpost.com/pmn/press-releases-pmn/business-wire-news-releases-pmn/hyperx-and-allied-esports-announce-hyperx-esports-arena-las-vegas

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#Esports And Casual Games Race To The #Blockchain $GMBL $ATVI $TTWO $GAME $EPY.ca $TCEHF $Game.ca $EPY.ca

Posted by AGORACOM-JC at 11:43 AM on Thursday, November 15th, 2018

  • We’re by no means oracles at Crypto Briefing, but the future usage of cryptocurrency and blockchain in the video game industry looks as inevitable as the marriage of internet and gaming
  • It wasn’t that long ago that most video games were played offline, with online modes only sometimes being haphazardly added on.
  • These days, online gaming rules the roost.
  • Even more specifically, mobile gaming is predicted by Newzoo’s 2018 Global Games Market Report to account for over half of all gaming revenue.

By Brian Penny

We’re by no means oracles at Crypto Briefing, but the future usage of cryptocurrency and blockchain in the video game industry looks as inevitable as the marriage of internet and gaming.

It wasn’t that long ago that most video games were played offline, with online modes only sometimes being haphazardly added on. These days, online gaming rules the roost. Even more specifically, mobile gaming is predicted by Newzoo’s 2018 Global Games Market Report to account for over half of all gaming revenue.

Meanwhile, Newzoo’s 2018 Global eSports Market Report predicts approximately $900 million in revenues generated by eSports. The viewership for professional gaming is around 380 million people watching over 46 billion minutes of Twitch streams every month alone.

But will it be the blockchain or cryptocurrency that’s accepted by the video game industry first, and will it be casual games or esports that powers it?

The answer lies in the business model powering the gaming industry’s revenue.

Crypto Meets Esports

Cryptocurrencies are already making headway into Esports. The United Masters League has announced its backing for the first professional gaming tournament with a crypto pot. Sponsored by Unikrn, a global gambling and Esports brand backed by Mark Cuban, players in the ChallengeMe tournament will vie for prizes totalling $290,000, to be paid out in the company’s native cryptocurrency, Unikrn Gold.

The ChallengeMe tournament will last three months, and be fought between fourteen European teams in matches of Counterstrike:Global Offensive, Unikrn revealed in a press release.

With over 400 hours of gameplay and broadcasts in eight languages, the tournament indicates a serious shift towards virtual currencies and assets within the space of online gaming. Nor is it a one-off event; Unikrn had already begun a long-term pivot towards digital assets when it attained licensing for cryptocurrency as well as fiat betting last month.

Mobile Games Made Developers Depend on Microtransactions

While “hardcore” gamers ignored mobile gaming in its early days, revenues by mobile developers like Rovio, Supercell, and King made legacy console and PC developers take notice. It wasn’t long before Electronic Arts, Square Enix, and longtime holdout Nintendo were developing mobile games.

These mobile upstarts proved a freemium business model that was unheard of outside of South Korea’s online gaming market. Games and apps on mobile devices are developed and released in sprints, using an Agile development method. This allows them to be released to the consumer market and start generating revenue earlier in the development cycle.

Mobile games are often given away for free.

Over 80 percent of games today are free-to-play with in-app purchases, called microtransactions. When executed correctly these freemium models are very profitable – Candy Crush Saga and Clash of Clans (the two highest-grossing mobile games of all time) are pulling in approximately $1 million a day.

Anyone who’s played a video game on either mobile, PC, or console (which I have to assume from the statistics is everyone) knows the familiar format of earning gems or coins to purchase items within a game. Using those currencies to make real-world purchases would be a big deal to gamers everywhere.

This is what gaming platforms like GameCredits and LootForge are trying to do, but developers and publishers like Blizzard want to keep it in their own ecosystem with proprietary digital currencies like WoW Token.

It’s unlikely anyone will ever make any real money playing video games any time soon, aside from the professionals. But there’s still hope for video games and blockchain.

Blockchain Can Bring Games to the Next Level

The blockchain is about more than just cryptocurrencies. It also provides an immutable digital ledger that can be decentralized or distributed. Using blockchain technology, tracking video game scores, stats, and assets in everything from first-person shooters like “Call of Duty” and “Fortnite” to MMOs like “Minecraft” and “Fallout 76” can be done across all platforms, whether mobile, PC, or console.

This can be a big win for developers, who often have to deal with the servers of Microsoft, Sony, and Nintendo’s consoles, along with Valve’s Steam PC marketplace and Google and Apple’s mobile markets.

Cross-play isn’t made easier when the platform owners resist. Sony made waves in 2018 for hesitating to allow its PS4 players to play with gamers on other consoles. It finally succumbed to the bad press and released a press announcement in September, revealing that it’s considering cross-play on more of its games.

And tracking on the digital ledger isn’t all – thanks to Ethereum’s ERC-721 non-fungible token standard and the ERC-1155 reference implementation, digital collectibles can be created, tracked, and traded on the blockchain.

Games like “Fortnite” and “World of Warcraft” have a variety of items of varying rarity and value.

Roll chances on bosses determine drop rates of items, and this can all be calculated via blockchain for a much more enhanced loot distribution system. It’s not just currency – clothing, weapons, and other collectible items can be found in games.

Online black markets for resources in some games have existed as long as the games themselves. Platforms like Wax and OpenSea are already looking into these systems, and Decentraland built a blockchain specifically for VR using the concept of nonfungible tokenized smart contracts.

But let’s not forget the distribution system of the games themselves. Piracy is responsible for an estimated $8.1 billion in annual losses to the video game industry. Most games these days are sold through digital keys, and thefts of those keys have ravaged everyone from Valve’s Steam marketplace (a 2016 hack resulted in the loss of 33 million game codes) to developers like Gun Media (limited edition Friday the 13th Kickstarter codes were stolen in February 2018).

And anyone buying a game on the secondary market often loses out on most of the valuable online functionality.

Blockchain-based tracking of these codes can help combat piracy. In fact, the public/private key transaction system used in blockchain can secure game codes better, while the digital ledger helps trace who uses them.

Whether blockchain or cryptocurrency penetrates gaming first isn’t clear, but both technologies are poised gain acceptance from gamers before anyone else. Miners and gamers are forever conjoined in the battle for graphics cards with powerful GPUs, and it’s time everyone starts working together.

Source: https://cryptobriefing.com/esports-games-race-blockchain/

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#Esports monetization is set to evolve in new, amazing ways $GMBL $ATVI $TTWO $GAME $EPY.ca $TCEHF $Game.ca $EPY.ca

Posted by AGORACOM-JC at 5:37 PM on Tuesday, November 13th, 2018
  • The esports industry relies on the legacy sports broadcast model for monetization, but there are new, advanced interactive technologies on the scene bringing amazing opportunities for the financial juggernaut that esports is.
VB Staff November 13, 2018 7:50 AM
“The people who wanted to make sure that esports happened looked at the business models of
traditional sports and said, let’s make that happen for us,” says Jonathan Singer, industry strategist
at Akamai.

That means advertising, sponsorship, merchandising, ticket sales, media rights, teams and leagues, formal coaching and mentoring, building up some stars, and having big events. What was a little different was putting it all online.

“That could not have made more sense,” Singer says. “It’s exactly what you needed to do. You took the prior business model and applied it. Check all the boxes and make sure you do it correctly. But if you’re looking at the future of esports, what are the new opportunities?”

The way esports is structured, a lot of it seems very similar to traditional sports, he adds. There are two or four guys (usually guys) with suits and headsets, and they’re calling the match, and sometimes you’ve got a commercial break. But within that paradigm there are ways to innovate, and there are ways to bust out. There are three key innovations that can take esports into the future, Singer says: relevance, value, and choice.

Relevance means that if you’re going to be advertising-based, the advertising needs to get better. It needs to get more targeted. How can you get viewers to consume your ads? What are they going to get in return?

“There’s room for innovation there, because this is almost a purely online audience,” he explains. “This is so different than what people think when they think about a sports audience. Obviously, a lot of people know a lot about digital advertising, but they need to take that learning, see where that industry is going, and apply it to esports.”

The next piece, he says, is value, particularly value to the viewers. It could look like a simple exchange: You give me an ad and I get to watch my content. But what does that experience look like and how does it interrupt my experience?

Right now companies are leaping in to take advantage of the opportunities this offers. Veracity is offering a blockchain system in which viewers make decisions around how many ads they’re willing to watch or listen to, in exchange for a certain amount of match viewing time. Advertisers put money into the blockchain system, and in the end, pay broadcasters solely based on viewership.

The last area ripe for innovation is the sport itself, or the difference in the way that audiences think about games versus the way they think about traditional sports.

“I hate to use the example of the Hunger Games, because it’s about sending children off to their deaths, which is terrible, but in that model, these viewers in the Capitol were able to engage with what they were watching by banding together, collecting some money, sending little air drops out for people,” Singer says. “Is that kind of engagement something that we can see in esports? How do the game-makers make that “fair” or reasonable? Is that something that audiences want? Is that something the players would tolerate?”

There’s a tremendous amount of opportunity around viewer interactivity for esports, in ways that would never fly in traditional sports.

“No one’s going to throw an extra basketball onto the court,” Singer says. “Or if you do, you’ll get kicked out of the stadium.”

Also part of the interactive piece is the opportunity to play with viewer perspective, as in how do viewers consume their matches. Do you follow one player? Where are the cameras, and why are they there? Companies are working hard now on innovating around how viewers watch and interact with the match, and how to translate that into engagement and new monetization opportunities.

In the end, there’s one very specific line of thought, Singer says, which is that esports doesn’t need traditional television, because it already has established itself. Esports is making money, and there are people making money in it. It’s respected by the people who watch it and enjoy it, and viewer numbers are skyrocketing.

“So don’t get me wrong — all of the traditional stuff is working,” he says. “The question is, where does it go from here?”

To learn more about how to merge the traditional esports model with the new, where the profit is coming from, and even more innovations coming down the pike, don’t miss this VB Live event!

Source: https://venturebeat.com/2018/11/13/esports-monetization-is-set-to-evolve-in-new-amazing-ways-vb-live/

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Goldman Sachs $GS #Esports moving from wild west to revenue boom $GMBL $ATVI $TTWO $GAME $EPY.ca $TCEHF $Game.ca $EPY.ca

Posted by AGORACOM-JC at 1:15 PM on Monday, November 12th, 2018
  • Goldman Sachs has become the latest financial powerhouse to give the future of esports a glowing report.
  • Following PwC’s Sports Survey 2018, US investment bank Goldman Sachs has published its own research on esports, concluding that, by 2022, the esports audience will “reach a similar size to the NFL today”.
  • GS reports that increasing levels of professionalism — not least organisational structure — is playing a significant role in growing esports revenues.

Esports audience figures compared with major US sports, according to Goldman SachsThe report reads: “In the early years of esports, there was little organisation or infrastructure and, as a result, the massive audience of esports did not translate into meaningful revenue streams for players, team owners, etc.

“But in 2017, Riot Games created the North American and EU League of Legends leagues, while in January of 2018, Blizzard launched the Overwatch League.

We expect total esports monetisation will reach $3bn by 2022

“We believe these leagues created the requisite infrastructure that will allow esports to finally start to close the monetisation gap relative to other established sports leagues. In 2017, we estimate esports generated $655m in annual revenue, including 38% from sponsorships, 14% from media rights, and 9% from ticket revenue.

8Goldman Sachs’ estimates for esports revenue growth to 2022“But by 2022, we expect media rights to reach 40% of total esports revenue — comparable to the average of the four major Western sports leagues today — as massive audiences and associated revenue for established online video platforms like Twitch, YouTube, Douyu, and Huya will be able to support a growing pool of media rights fees paid to top publishers for their content.

“As media rights and sponsorship continue to grow, along with the formalisation of pro sports leagues, we expect total esports monetisation will reach $3bn by 2022.”

GS says its research indicates that the growing popularity of “survival-based games” (battle royale) such as Fortnite and PUBG, will help drive esports into the mainstream.

We believe the esports audience should continue to outpace the growth of traditional leagues

The report said: “Due to the growing popularity of survival-based games Fortnite and PUBG, we believe esports viewership is moving more into the mainstream, which should support a 14% audience growth CAGR for the next five years.

“Recently, Epic games announced that it would set aside $100m in prize pool for the first year of Fortnite esports tournaments, nearly the size of the entire esports prize pool in 2017. With growing incentives for esports players, and by extension more interest from the casual observer, we believe the esports audience should continue to outpace the growth of traditional leagues.”

Going mobile

The GS report also features a Q&A with Andy Miller, co-founder of NRG org. In the interview, Miller shares his thoughts on franchising, growth in China and mobile esports.

Asked if he thought mobile and console esports would become as popular as PC-based games, he replied: “I do think it will be big. I have a mobile background myself — NRG entered the founding franchise into the Clash Royale League.

“Mobile is more here in gaming than you think, because what are the biggest games people are playing right now? Fortnite, PUBG? They’re on mobile. Clash [of Clans]? Mobile. Hearthstone and games like that have been around for a while.

“So the question is — will they translate into good esports? I think that’s probably more a function of the game than the fact that it’s on mobile, so we’ll see. There will definitely be breakout games. I think the touch screens are capable now — there is a lack of latency, so I think the opportunity is definitely there.”

Source: https://blog.luckbox.com/goldman-sachs-esports-moving-from-wild-west-to-revenue-boom-e9a551372336

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Professional Sports Franchises Turn To #Esports For The Next Billion-Dollar Market Opportunity $GMBL $ATVI $TTWO $GAME $EPY.ca $TCEHF $Game.ca $EPY.ca

Posted by AGORACOM-JC at 2:14 PM on Friday, November 9th, 2018

  • 2018 marked the inaugural year of the NBA’s gaming league, known as the NBA 2K League. This league is composed of 17 competitive gaming teams that are essentially owned and operated by the same organizations that pay your favorite dunker or three-point shooter
  • But is there a real business opportunity here? There are a few data points that favor their efforts. For instance, it is estimated that nearly 1.6 million people play NBA 2K every day, at an average of 90 minutes per day, according to the league. Since consumer attention equals revenue opportunities, this may be a smart move for the league.

Mark Hall Contributor

The last four decades brought us generations of young athletic children whose sole aspiration was to become the nextMichael Jordan or Tom Brady of their sport. Since most people don’t make it to pros, these children grew up to become lifelong viewers and fans of the game and sports teams they love.

Midway through the 1990s, the growth of the video game industry enabled sports fans to live vicariously through the avatar of their favorite athlete or character. Fast forward to today, the broader industry, known as esports, has grown into nearly a billion-dollar market.

Leagues like the National Basketball Association (NBA) and others have taken notice.

In an effort to seize on this monumental shift, the NBA is jumping on board by creating new pathways and meaning to the term ‘professional athlete.’ People who would otherwise have no shot at shaking the commissioners hand while being drafted by the NBA are now doing just that.

2018 marked the inaugural year of the NBA’s gaming league, known as the NBA 2K League. This league is composed of 17 competitive gaming teams that are essentially owned and operated by the same organizations that pay your favorite dunker or three-point shooter.

Each team’s roster will mirror that of the actual game, with five players each covering a different position and a sixth player being in the rotation. What’s unique about this league is that players don’t play avatar versions of real NBA players, but rather digital versions of themselves with increased talent.

But is there a real business opportunity here? There are a few data points that favor their efforts. For instance, it is estimated that nearly 1.6 million people play NBA 2K every day, at an average of 90 minutes per day, according to the league. Since consumer attention equals revenue opportunities, this may be a smart move for the league.

The NBA isn’t the only league making moves like this. In August, the National Football League (NFL) announced a partnership with gaming company Electronic Arts and TV network ESPN to host a competitive league for their famed Madden game series.

True success of these league initiatives won’t be evident for years to come. However, the sheer announcement of such platforms will shape a new generation of aspiring professional athletes who can potentially achieve competitive domination like that of Lebron James, without having to break a sweat.

Mark Hall is a sales leader in a large technology company, contributing to Forbes on the topics of business, culture and leadership. He has been featured in The Huffington Post, Business Insider, among others. All opinions are solely his own and are not reflective of anyone …

Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/mitsubishiheavyindustries/2018/11/02/the-worlds-most-dominant-manufacturing-powerhouse-is-about-to-get-a-lot-greener/#65e744fa5ddd

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Promoter to pour $50 million into new #Esports competitions #LOL $GMBL $ATVI $TTWO $GAME $EPY.ca $TCEHF $Game.ca $EPY.ca

Posted by AGORACOM-JC at 4:15 PM on Wednesday, November 7th, 2018

  • It’s no secret that Asia is the fastest-growing esports market. And now, One Championship wants a slice of the pie.
  • The Singapore-based martial arts promoter will organize an effort to pump up to $50 million into the launch of the One eSports championship series next year, One Championship said Wednesday.
  • The tournament and related events will be part of a joint venture with Japanese ad agency Dentsu that also includes partners Razer, the gaming hardware maker, and Singtel, the Singapore telecom.

One Championship’s efforts in Asia will culminate in a new tournament.

It’s no secret that Asia is the fastest-growing esports market. And now, One Championship wants a slice of the pie.

The Singapore-based martial arts promoter will organize an effort to pump up to $50 million into the launch of the One eSports championship series next year, One Championship said Wednesday. The tournament and related events will be part of a joint venture with Japanese ad agency Dentsu that also includes partners Razer, the gaming hardware maker, and Singtel, the Singapore telecom.

The announcement comes amid rapid growth in video game competitions, especially in Asia. Global esports revenue is expected to top $900 million this year, according to market researcher Newzoo. Esports debuted as a demonstration sport at this year’s Asian Games in Indonesia and is set to become a medal event at the 2022 Asian Games in China.

One eSports will feature “blockbuster” game titles and will host multiple esports events next year, according to One Championship. Specific details such as game titles, the number of events and their locations aren’t clear yet, but the esports competitions are expected to sync with One Championship’s already scheduled martial arts events. The esports matches will be broadcast live.

“We see a natural crossover between martial arts and gaming fans in Asia and an opportunity to bring them together under Asia’s home of millennial live sports,” Chatri Sityodtong, chief executive of One Championship, said in the announcement.

In addition to live event broadcasts, One eSports plans to stream content such as documentaries, reality shows and video blogs across its broadcast platforms in 138 countries.

Source: https://www.cnet.com/news/one-championship-pumps-in-50m-to-bring-the-fight-online-in-asia/

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The world’s #Esports industry is growing at a massive rate, and Hong Kong is ready to catch up $ATVI $TTWO $GAME $EPY.ca $TCEHF $Game.ca $EPY.ca

Posted by AGORACOM-JC at 11:12 AM on Tuesday, November 6th, 2018

  • If you haven’t noticed by now, the eSports industry is on an exciting growth trajectory that won’t be slowing down anytime soon.
  • Less and less people on the outside looking in are seeing eSports as a niche interest or trend, but a legitimate, lucrative and very, very entertaining sport that could easily eclipse traditional sports given the time.

Chris Singh

If you haven’t noticed by now, the eSports industry is on an exciting growth trajectory that won’t be slowing down anytime soon. Less and less people on the outside looking in are seeing eSports as a niche interest or trend, but a legitimate, lucrative and very, very entertaining sport that could easily eclipse traditional sports given the time. The proliferation of eSports events around the world is certainly helping drive that growth, with even official tourism boards now recognising the potential for eSports to be a major draw for international and domestic visitors. Case in point: the Hong Kong e-Sports and Music Festival.

The three-day event, which was held towards the end of August for it’s second year, took place in Hall 3 of the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre and represented a major recognition of the industry by the city of Hong Kong. In fact, it was organised by Hong Kong Tourism Board, with the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (Asia) Limited on board as the event’s major sponsor. As such, the prize pools were also remarkably large for such a young event of this size.

The tense CS:GO Grand Finals saw a record-breaking HK$2 million total prize pool, while the weekend’s highlight, the Hong Kong PUBG World Invitational, saw a pool of over HK$1 million – the largest amount ever in a local PUBG competition.

Throughout the weekend more than 26 eSports teams from around the world, and over 110 players, competed in the tournaments which were complemented by live music and an “Experience Zone” which filled an entire hall with eSports products, playable games, a large amount of VR titles, and a mini-stage hosting various other acts like a CLP x eSports Academy, KOL battles, and performances by local musicians.

With Hong Kong’s local eSports scene now boosted thanks to events like this, we thought it best to catch up with a big-name local to discuss competitive gaming, it’s growth, and what five things are required for someone to make it in this growing industry. That local just happened to be Hong Kong’s first League of Legends world champion, Toyz of professional eSports organization G-Rex and Emperor esports Stars.

Competitive gaming has come so far but there is still a long way to go for eSports, in terms of its popularity and recognition. Where has the major growth been in 2018 and what do you feel is driving this growth?

One of the significant growth factors in 2018 is definitely the legitimization of eSports as one of the demonstration sports in Asian Games, officially drawing the line between games and eSports. Asian Games attracts world-class players from different sports categories and audience from worldwide. Being one of the demonstration sports in Asian Games goes beyond a simple recognition but also drives public attentions towards eSports. Notably, eSports exclusively possessed over 60% of the viewership among all the sports in Asian Games; it shows the trend of future competitive entertainment and the growing mass public’s interest in eSports. From my perspective, this milestone is a recognition of youngsters’ interest and the penetration of eSports compared to traditional sports.

What is Hong Kong’s eSports scene like now? Is there any difference between the scene in Hong Kong and other Asian cities?

I think HK’s eSports is lagging behind compared to regions nearby. Even though we see HK officials are making more investment in eSports including EMF and a budget of $100M HKD for local eSports development; HK eSports has not yet been well recognized globally. One of the ways to truly accelerate HK’s eSports growth is to build an international eSports brand to compete in international matches and win international titles to acquire recognition on a global scale, and shape a better career path for eSports players as well as eSports related workers in HK.

What are five things you feel are necessary for someone to get into, and succeed in, the world of eSports?

Passion, persistence, talent, diligence, and high team spirit

How do you define your teams play style and what aspects of the play style remain consistent across games?

Our League of Legends team is more on defensive style with a late-game strategy. G-rex is strong in team fight and we keep this style as one of our signature.

Prize pools are getting bigger, like EMF in August, and there are now more new eSports events happening around the world. What do you feel will be the major trends in eSports in 2019? What would you like to see happen for the industry?

I think we can see more eSports stars in the market. We now see more eSports related entertainment supplementary to the traditional entertainment industry, and it’s great to see to see more and more big corporates join the market and help build a better and more supportive ecosystem for eSports in the future.

For more details on Hong Kong’s annual eSports & Music Festival head to their official website HERE.

Source: http://launch.theaureview.com/games/the-worlds-esports-industry-is-growing-at-a-massive-rate-and-hong-kong-is-ready-to-catch-up/

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Michael Jordan invests in #Esports #MJ $GMBL $ATVI $TTWO $GAME $EPY.ca $TCEHF $Game.ca $EPY.ca

Posted by AGORACOM-JC at 11:53 AM on Tuesday, October 30th, 2018

  • Basketball legend Michael Jordan has invested in Team Liquid, one of the earliest and popular esports ventures in the USA.
  • NBA legend is one of the two new investors who provided $26 million to, aXiomatic, which owns Team Liquid.

Team Liquid, which was aXiomatic in 2016, boasts of more than 60 competitive gamers based out of Los Angeles and the Netherlands.

“I’m excited to expand my sports equity portfolio through my investment in aXiomatic, esports is a fast-growing, international industry and I’m glad to partner with this great group of investors,” said Jordan, who joined his fellow Dream Team teammate Magic Johnson as an aXiomatic investor, as is Ted Leonsis, owner of the NBA’s Washington Wizards as well as the NHL’s Stanley Cup champion Washington Capitals.

“The next generation of sports fans are esports fans,” Leonsis told ESPN in a statement. “Esports is the fastest-growing sector in sports and entertainment, and aXiomatic is at the forefront of that growth.”

Source: https://europeangaming.eu/portal/latest-news/2018/10/30/31429/michael-jordan-invests-in-esports/

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#Nike $NKE Forays Into #Esports with New Deal $GMBL $ATVI $TTWO $GAME $EPY.ca $TCEHF $Game.ca $EPY.ca

Posted by AGORACOM-JC at 2:48 PM on Monday, October 29th, 2018
  • Nike has officially entered the world of eSports
  • The sportswear giant, who has stirred controversy with its recent adverts involving Colin Kaepernick, has reportedly signed a deal with Royal Never Give Up (RNG) League of Legends icon Jian ‘Uzi’ Zihao.

Nike has officially entered the world of eSports. The sportswear giant, who has stirred controversy with its recent adverts involving Colin Kaepernick, has reportedly signed a deal with Royal Never Give Up (RNG) League of Legends icon Jian ‘Uzi’ Zihao.

The company has partnered with Zihao and Chinese actor Bai Jingting, along with NBA legend LeBron James, in the latter star’s new ‘Dribble &’ campaign. The campaign is intended to support the upcoming documentary ‘Shut Up and Dribble’, according to recent media reports on the topic.

Since the deal was inked, the first photos of Zihao to be released have shown him wearing a black shirt inscribed with the words ‘Dribble & Carry’ across the front. The term ‘carry’ is used in League of Legends to describe a single player who carries the rest of his team to a victory.

Zihao is widely considered to be the best League of Legends (LOL) player in the world. He recently scored a gold medal win for representing China at the recent Asian Games in Jakarta. Nike has now joined KFC and Mercedes-Benz, both of whom already sponsor Zihao’s formidable eSports team.

NLG Signs Daniel ‘Likandoo’ Keller

After partnering with a team of poker pros and taking to Twitch with some excellent high-stakes online poker play, Stefan Schillhabel and his team at No Limit Gaming (NLG) have inked their first non-poker professional as well. Daniel ‘Likandoo’ Keller, an easily recognizable Fortnite star, is the first of countless eSports players who will soon be joining the NLG Team Stream over the next calendar year.

Speaking of Fortnite, it seems that even employees at SpaceX and Tesla might be spending a bit too much time enjoying the game. Billionaire businessman Elon Musk recently tweeted a joke stating that he had bought the game outright so that he could shut it down. ‘Had to be done. Ur welcome’ he teased his followers.

Had he actually done this, he would have had to shell out a whopping $8 billion or more, as that is the current worth of Fortnite’s developers, Epic. With that said, Musk could easily afford it, as his current worth now stands at close to $20 billion.

FansUnite to Sponsor QYOU Content

Last but not least, the Blockchain sports betting firm that recently partnered with the World Poker Tour has also made another exciting announcement. FansUnite will now be sponsoring the QYOU eSports content on the dedicated Heads Up Daily channel.

QYOU launched HUD on GINX eSports TV Canada in October last year, and currently reaches over 300 million viewers on six continents worldwide.

Source: https://www.gamingpost.ca/canadian-gaming-news/nike-forays-esports-new-deal/

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#Fortnite makers Epic Games raises a landmark $1.25 billion $GMBL $ATVI $TTWO $GAME $EPY.ca $TCEHF $Game.ca $EPY.ca

Posted by AGORACOM-JC at 2:20 PM on Friday, October 26th, 2018

  • Epic Games has received a monumental funding of about $1.25 billion. Investors include KKR, ICONIQ Capital, Smash Ventures, aXiomatic, Vulcan Capital, Kleiner Perkins, and Lightspeed Venture Partners.
  • Thanks to Fortnite, Epic Games is enjoying a lot of success.
  • The battle royale experience is a giant hit on PC, consoles, and mobile.

The free-to-play game has earned hundreds of millions of downloads and over $1 billion in revenue. And on Android, Epic Games has bypassed Google by not listing Fortnite on the Google Play store, meaning Epic Games doesn’t have to give Google a share of the money earned.

According to Digi-Capital, this is the second largest games investment in history, following the $2.3 billion Netmarble earned in 2017 via IPO (initial public offering). Epic’s is the highest non-IPO investment ever.

The new investors join Disney, Tencent, and Endeavor as minority shareholders in the company.

“We’re excited to partner with the finest minds in the financial, sports, and entertainment communities,” Epic Games founder and chief executive officer Tim Sweeney noted in a press release sent to GamesBeat. “This reinforces Epic’s position of leadership in real-time 3D technology, and accelerates our ability to improve the way people play, work, and interact with the world.”

This $1.25 billion is a massive amount to earn in an investment round. To give you a comparison, Roblox raised $150 million in September. The huge $1.25 billion number is a reflection on Fortnite’s success. Magic Leap, a company that is developing augment reality technology beyond gaming needs, has raised $2.3 billion over five rounds.

Along with Fortnite, Epic Games develops the Unreal Engine. It licenses the game-making tools to other companies, and it has become one of the most popular game engines in the world along with its main competitor, Unity. In 2018, Dragon Ball Fighterz, Sea of Thieves, Soul Calibur VI, and Dragon Quest XI were among the major games created with Unreal Engine 4.

Fortnite debuted in 2017. The game started by focusing on a cooperative mode, Save the World, where a team of players builds a fort and fights off zombies. Later in 2017, Fortnite capitalized on the success of PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds and made a battle royale mode for Fornite. Like PUBG, Fortnite’s battle royale offering drops a hundred players into a large map and has them fight until one person or team is left standing. Compared to PUBG, Fortnite has a more colorful aesthetic, and it puts an emphasis on players building their own forts. Because players can make their own cover, Fortnite is a much faster-paced game.

The battle royale mode quickly surpassed Save the World. Fortnite has dominated 2018, turning into a mainstream success and expanding its reach to mobile and consoles (including Switch).

Source: https://venturebeat.com/2018/10/26/fortnite-makers-epic-games-raises-a-landmark-1-25-billion/

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