Posted by AGORACOM-JC
at 5:52 PM on Wednesday, August 28th, 2019
SPONSOR: Enthusiast Gaming Holdings Inc. (TSX-V: EGLX) Uniting gaming communities with 80 owned and affiliated websites, currently reaching over 150 million monthly visitors. The company exceeded 2018 target with $11.0 million in revenue. Learn More
EGLX: TSX-V
What Are the Most Popular Video Games for Esports?
Esports, or electronic sports, compete with and sometimes even surpasses traditional sports when it comes to things like prize money and viewership.
This fast-growing industry is not just for kids either, as people from traditional sports, like Rick Fox, participate in the esports scene. These are the most popular games for esports and how they got so popular.
You can’t talk about esports history without mentioning South Korea, the home of esports.
In the late ’90s and early 2000s, when Americans were just starting to
use computers to surf the web, Korea invested heavily in becoming the
best place in the world for gaming. People played Starcraft with each other as a hobby. Eventually, it became so competitive they started playing for money.
This quickly blossomed into what we now know as esports. Although
Starcraft was replaced by its sequel, Starcraft II, the game remains a
popular esport in Korea and other parts of the world. Currently,
Starcraft II is past its prime, but it still has almost 2 million active players who’ve earned a total of nearly $31 million in prize money.
League of Legends
The story of esports then turned to League of Legends. Created in
2009, this game soon became the most played in the world, including in
Korea. Its popularity exploded, especially in China, and eventually,
League of Legends grew to have over 100 million players.
That said, Riot Games, the creator of League of Legends, has kept the
prize pools modest. Despite being one of the most-played games in the
world, the total prize pool, as reported by EsportsEarnings, is just
under $69 million.
Fortnite
Fortnite has taken the world by storm. With over 250 million players, its massive popularity translates into huge prize pools considering its relative newness on the esports scene.
Fortnite recently had its inaugural Fortnite World Cup, which had a prize pool of over $30 million. The winner, 16-year-old Kyle “Bugha†Giersdorf,
went home with $3 million. Epic Games, the creator of Fortnite, is
investing a ton of money into the esports scene. So far, it’s already
paid out almost $72 million in winnings to its athletes.
Counter-Strike: Global Offensive
Valve, the creator of Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, or CS: GO for
short, approaches esports differently than others on this list. Valve
funds and operates large tournaments, but it also allows other
organizations to organize their own competitions. As a result, the CS:
GO scene is far larger than how many people actually play the game.
According to Statista,
CS: GO averages less than a million players. Despite this, it has
awarded over $80 million in prize money to competitors from around the
world.
Defense of the Ancients
Valve also developed Defense of the Ancients, also called DotA. Like
CS: GO, not many people play DotA, but its esports scene is absolutely
massive. According to Statista, less than a million people play DotA 2. However, because of the game’s many tournaments around the world, as well as The Compendium, which essentially crowdsources the prize money for DotA’s big tournament, its esports scene is huge.
According to EsportsEarnings, the total prize money from DotA is
almost $182 million. For a game with a fraction of the Fortnite or
League of Legends’ players, DotA throws a lot of money around for its
esports scene.
Posted by AGORACOM-JC
at 5:18 PM on Wednesday, August 28th, 2019
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Why Some Executives See Crypto As A New Business Tool
Executives are leveraging blockchain-driven currency to axe business process friction or fuel innovative products and services.
Signals are building that more organizations recognize its alluring features as fuel for innovative products and services, or useful for axing friction in the business process behind a transaction.
By: Jason Abdilla, Unsplash
Many executives see blockchain-driven digital currency as a terribly clunky payment vehicle or speculative investment. But signals are building that more organizations recognize its alluring features as fuel for innovative products and services, or useful for axing friction in the business process behind a transaction.
Unlikely Bedfellows Align Around Feature-Rich Token Projects
For example, a group of 14 financial firms
led by UBS Group AG and including Barclays PLC, Nasdaq Inc., Credit
Suisse Group AG , Bank of New York Mellon Corp., and State Street Bank
& Trust Co have created a new company, Fnality International, to
control development of a bitcoin-like token that the firms plan to use
to settle cross-border trades. The token, called utility settlement coin
(USC), is designed so banks can settle transactions directly with each
other without having to involve a third-party intermediary, removing
layers of costs and inefficiency. JPMorgan Chase & Co. is taking a
similar approach, creating a network of more than 250 members that is
working on a token called JPM Coin. Twenty eight brands, led by Facebook
and including Mastercard, Visa, Uber, Spotify, PayPal, and eBay have
created the Libra Association
to develop a token, which is named Libra. In so doing, unlikely
bedfellows are coming together to take on the extremely difficult work
of forging a new financial infrastructure, pioneering challenging
territory in joint governance, and navigating regulatory uncertainty.
What Is So Compelling?
Blockchain-driven digital tokens have very attractive attributes that
make it possible to do something totally new: merge business and
operational activity with the movement of money. All of a sudden, money
can be programmable—terms and conditions could be directly
embedded into how money moves from one party to another. While this is
certainly possible in today’s financial world, the potential to reduce
the cost of doing so to writing a few lines of code is tantalizing.
For example, the USC token serves as a messenger that includes the
data needed to complete a trade along with payment, which could cut
transaction cost and time. A key feature of Facebook’s Libra is a
programming language called Move that can be used to customize
transaction logic and create “smart contracts†that dictate the
conditions under which value is moved—an element which could fuel a
range of financial innovations. Imagine a world in which a few lines of
code ensure a transaction doesn’t take place until certain other
conditions are met—an asset couldn’t be spent until a certain time in
the future, or until a certain number of parties have registered their
approval. While moving this logic to code comes with a new set of
challenges (including the possibility of bugs and the open question of
legal enforceability), pioneers imagine digital tokens flexibly embedded
into existing products, used to create innovative bundling, or develop
completely new financial products.
Digital tokens carry other attractive attributes as well. They are
designed to be interoperable (they are more useful the more widely
accepted they are, and so token development is a race to get the
flywheel turning on network effects). They are typically traceable, so
they provide clear auditability, and hold the potential to settle on a
near-immediate basis.
By cutting out intermediaries, they also offer the prospect of a
low-transaction cost global currency. According to Bloomberg, retailers
are paying $90 billion in swipe fees on credit and debit cards every year. On August 14, supermarket giant Kroger stopped accepting Visa at 21 supermarkets and five gas stations because of what the company called “excessive feesâ€.
Digital tokens could eventually also serve as an efficient way to
shape and align consumer or partner behavior, functioning as a high value rewards system,
like a supercharged loyalty point. This has the potential to exert
influence across a wide range of organizations and business objectives.
Regulators Are Taking These Signals Seriously
UNITED STATES – JULY 16: David Marcus, head of Facebook’s Calibra
digital wallet service, prepares to testify during the Senate Banking,
Housing and Urban Affairs Committee hearing on “Examining Facebook’s
Proposed Digital Currency and Data Privacy
CQ-Roll Call,Inc.
Momentum has been met with a heightened response from regulators and
lawmakers. Facebook’s announcement of Libra led to heated U.S. Senate
Banking Committee and the House Financial Services Committee held
hearings. At the hearings, Senate Banking Chairman Mike Crapo of Idaho
painted the complexity ahead, “Libra is based on a relatively new and
continually evolving technology in which it is not entirely clear how
existing laws and regulations apply.†The Financial Stability Oversight
Council, an umbrella group of regulators that includes the Fed, has
formed a working group to discuss oversight of digital assets. The Group
of Seven (G7) industrialized nations have elevated cryptocurrencies to a
priority issue, with finance ministers debating how global
cryptocurrency could impact financial markets. Bank of England Governor
Mark Carney even suggested central banks should consider joining forces to create a virtual currency
(based on a network of digital central-bank currencies) that could ease
the global economy’s reliance on the dollar and be used to facilitate
cross-border trade and international payments.
Suddenly, the prospect of whether this new form of money could
undermine the role of central banks or become a viable alternate to
national currencies had become serious debate. This acknowledges the
power and influence of the players exploring these new currencies as
well as the complexity of projecting how they would operate in the wild.
Canary In The Coal Mine?
Will these initial projects succeed or fail? It is too early to
project the outcome of such early work in the space, much less how it
could evolve as momentum builds. However, we are seeing clear signals
that there is hunger for the features and functionality
blockchain-driven digital tokens and currency make possible. And many in
the space are taking the position that it’s inevitable that something
like these early projects will ultimately come to market, even if the
initial attempts fail to make it through the regulatory gauntlet. It is
likely we will see a race for innovation in this space, one that could
blur the lines between the financial services industry and other
sectors, and even the role of nation-states versus corporations.
Posted by AGORACOM-JC
at 10:59 AM on Wednesday, August 28th, 2019
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projected at $23 BILLION by 2020. The company has launched VIE.gg
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———————–
‘Fortnite’ streaming star Ninja lands partnership with Adidas
“Fortnite” streaming superstar Tyler “Ninja†Blevins has joined another team: Adidas.
Posted by AGORACOM-JC
at 10:37 AM on Wednesday, August 28th, 2019
SPONSOR: Tartisan Nickel (TN:CSE)
Kenbridge Property has a measured and indicated resource of 7.14
million tonnes at 0.62% nickel, 0.33% copper. Tartisan also has
interests in Peru, including a 20 percent equity stake in Eloro
Resources and 2 percent NSR in their La Victoria property. Click her for more information
Nickel touches one-week high on Indonesia worries, inventories
Nickel prices hit their highest in a week on Wednesday as speculators bought on fears of shortages from major producer Indonesia, while at least half of London Metal Exchange inventories were under the control of one party.
Nickel, mainly used to make stainless steel, has shot up about 50% so far this year, fueled by concerns that Indonesia will move forward a mineral export ban due in 2022.
By: Eric Onstad
LONDON — Nickel prices hit their highest in a week on Wednesday as
speculators bought on fears of shortages from major producer Indonesia,
while at least half of London Metal Exchange inventories were under the
control of one party.
Nickel, mainly used to make stainless steel, has shot up about 50% so
far this year, fueled by concerns that Indonesia will move forward a
mineral export ban due in 2022.
“The price rise is exaggerated,†said Commerzbank analyst Daniel
Briesemann, adding that the price gains were not supported by supply and
demand fundamentals.
“Lower exports of nickel ore should at least in part be balanced by
higher exports of higher-value nickel products, so the impact would not
be as severe as appears at first glance.â€
Benchmark nickel was the strongest performer on the LME, advancing
1.5% to $15,930 a tonne in official open-outcry trading after touching
$16,000, the highest since Aug. 21.
The net speculative long position of nickel on the LME had expanded
to 20% as of Friday’s close, a fresh year-to-date high, Alastair Munro
at broker Marex Spectron said in a note.
* NICKEL STOCKS/TIME SPREAD: One party holds 50% to 80% of available
LME inventories, data showed, leading to tight supplies in the LME
system, traders said.
They said this also likely contributed to a jump in the premium of
cash LME nickel over the three-month contract to $79 a tonne by
Tuesday’s close, the highest in a decade.
* NICKEL WASTE: Waste from a nickel plant in Papua New Guinea owned
by Metallurgical Corporation of China spilled into the adjacent Basamuk
Bay over the weekend, three sources told Reuters on Wednesday.
* CHINA RATES: Deteriorating Sino-U.S. trade ties and interest rate
reforms are fueling speculation China will start cutting key rates from
next month, but bankers expect borrowing costs to come down only
gradually.
* CHALCO: Chinese aluminum giant Chalco’s, production of the metal
fell more than 8% in the first-half of 2019 from the same period a year
earlier, data showed, highlighting the impact of low prices on Chinese
smelters.
* PRICES: LME copper shed 0.2% to trade at $5,673 a tonne in official
rings, aluminum dipped 0.1% to $1,758.50, zinc lost 0.6% to $2,259.50,
lead fell 0.7% to $2,085, while tin gained 0.6% to $15,850.
* For the top stories in metals and other news, click or ($1 = 7.0928
Chinese yuan) (Reporting by Eric Onstad; Editing by Ken Ferris and
Edmund Blair)
Posted by AGORACOM-JC
at 12:00 PM on Tuesday, August 27th, 2019
SPONSOR: Tartisan Nickel (TN:CSE)
Kenbridge Property has a measured and indicated resource of 7.14
million tonnes at 0.62% nickel, 0.33% copper. Tartisan also has
interests in Peru, including a 20 percent equity stake in Eloro
Resources and 2 percent NSR in their La Victoria property. Click her for more information
Nickel on track to close above tin for the 1st time in 9 years
London nickel prices on Tuesday were on track to close higher than tin prices for the first time since September 2010, buoyed by a recent rally in nickel prices and declines in tin prices.
Nickel on the London Metal Exchange (LME) rose as much as 1.6% to $15,910 a tonne in early Asian trading, surpassing the tin contract, which hit a fresh three-year low of $15,765 a tonne.
By: Mai Nguyen and Tom Daly
SINGAPORE/BEIJING — London nickel prices on Tuesday were on track to
close higher than tin prices for the first time since September 2010,
buoyed by a recent rally in nickel prices and declines in tin prices.
Nickel on the London Metal Exchange (LME) rose as much as 1.6% to
$15,910 a tonne in early Asian trading, surpassing the tin contract,
which hit a fresh three-year low of $15,765 a tonne.
If nickel closes above tin on the LME, it would be the first time since Sept. 15, 2010, according to Refinitiv Eikon data.
Nickel has been a rising star in the base metals complex, soaring
nearly 50% so far this year on the LME, boosted by worries of supply
disruption, solid demand and technical trading.
LME tin, the worst performer among all base metals, has lost 19% so
far this year due to weak demand. China’s tin smelters recently cut
production due to sluggish sales, low processing fees and reduced
availability of ore.
“I have never seen this during my career. Finally. But it is by tin
price going down. It should be by nickel prices going up,†said Yim Suk
Jae, a manager at STX Corp, which handles supply from the Ambatovy
nickel and cobalt project.
FUNDAMENTALS
* PRICES: LME copper rose 0.1%, aluminum fell 0.3%, zinc decreased
0.3% and lead edged up 0.2%. Shanghai copper rose 0.7%, zinc advanced
1.4%, lead increased 1% and aluminum edged up 0.1%.
* TRADE DEAL: U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday predicted a trade
deal with China after positive gestures by Beijing, but gains in metals
were capped as the bruising trade war shown a tendency to quickly
reverse direction.
* COPPER: Germany’s Wieland, one of the world’s largest copper
product makers, said on Monday it would reduce working hours at a German
plant from next month because of the slowing global economy.
* CHINA: Profits at China’s industrial firms returned to growth in
July, helped by public works spending and improved margins in some
sectors, but an economic slowdown and the U.S. trade war are seen
weighing on business outlook.
* CHINA HOUSING: China’s housing market is expected to slow this year
with sales forecast to drop, as Beijing steps up efforts to scrutinize
banks and provincial governments to keep a lid on lending and prices, a
Reuters poll showed.
* YUAN: China’s yuan weakened for the ninth straight session on
Tuesday, plumbing new 11-1/2-year lows, as dramatic twists in the
Sino-U.S. trade war left investors skeptical of the chances of a
near-term deal.
A weaker yuan pressures dollar-priced metals by making them more expensive for Chinese buyers.
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Rob Gronkowski Announces New Line Of CBD Products, Leaves Door Open For Return To Football
Rob Gronkowski’s “next chapter†involves a campaign to get professional sports leagues to loosen their restrictions on CBD products.
Retired former Patriots tight end announced at a press conference in New York City on Tuesday that he has partnered with Abacus Health to launch a line of CBD products, after Gronkowski said the products changed his life.
BOSTON (CBS) — Rob Gronkowski’s “next chapter†involves a campaign to get professional sports leagues to loosen their restrictions on CBD products.
The
retired former Patriots tight end announced at a press conference in
New York City on Tuesday that he has partnered with Abacus Health to
launch a line of CBD products, after Gronkowski said the products
changed his life.
“I
immediately made CBDMedic part of my recovery,†Gronkowski said of his
post-retirement treatment. “And now for the first time in more than a
decade, I am pain-free. And that is a big deal.â€
Citing his countless injuries and his nine surgeries during his playing career, Gronkowski said he had no choice but to retire.
“[The
injuries] took an absolute beating on my mind and my soul. I was hurt
both mentally and physically, day in and day out,†Gronkowski said. “I
decided to walk away from the game for one reason: I had to recover.â€
Gronkowski
said his own results have led to him choosing to make a plea to
professional sports leagues to allow active players to use CBD products
to treat their own injuries.
“It’s just time,†he said.
Gronkowski
was asked the question that’s been asked by everyone and anyone over
the past few months: Is he returning to the NFL? Gronkowski got
emotional when answering the question.
“It’s
crazy. I understand. I feel that love. But I want to be clear to my
fans: I needed to recover. I was not in a good place. Football was
bringing me down. And I didn’t like it. And I was losing that joy in
life. Like, the joy. I’m sorry right now,†Gronkowski said, fighting
through tears. “But … I really was. And I was fighting through it. And I
knew what I signed up for and I knew what I was fighting through, and I
knew I just needed to fix myself.â€
Gronkowski
said his focus now is on achieving optimal health, and that a return to
the NFL is not in the cards in the coming weeks or the next month.
However, Gronkowski left the door open to a return to playing football, if he feels healthy enough at a later date.
“I
truly believe I can get to another level with my body, and I’m just in
the first stage right now,†Gronkowski shared. “When that time comes
down in the future, if I have the desire to play football again, if I
feel passionate about football again, if I’m feeling like I need to go
back on the field, I will go back to football. But as of right now, that
is not the case. It could be the case in six months, it could be the
case in two years, it could be the case in three years, it could be the
case in three months. But I truly don’t see it in the foreseeable
future, in like a week or a month. No. I want to do a different chapter
of my life right now.â€
Gronkowski
shared a personal story about the types of injuries he played through,
discussing a hit to his quad he endured during a Super Bowl. Gronkowski
finished the game and won a championship, but that was jut the start of
the pain.
“I
was in tears in my bed after a Super Bowl victory. … It didn’t make
much sense to me,†Gronkowski said. “I couldn’t sleep for more than 20
minutes a night, after a Super Bowl win. And I was like damn, this
sucks. It didn’t feel right.â€
Gronkowski said that in three separate hospital visits, 1000 milliliters of blood was drained from his leg.
“It’s
not normal. It was like record-breaking at the hospital,†Gronkowski
said. “I was like, you know I like to break records — which I do, I
think I broke records on and off the field non-stop, with injuries and
everything. That’s what I do.â€
Tuesday’s
press conference was initially announced on Aug. 13, immediately
leading to speculation regarding what Gronkowski’s “next chapter†might
be.
Gronkowski,
who turned 30 in May, retired from football after completing his ninth
season. He was originally drafted in the second round of the 2010 draft
by the Patriots, for whom he caught 521 passes for 7,861 yards and 79
touchdowns during his Hall of Fame career. He also added 81 playoff
receptions for 1,163 yards and 12 touchdowns in 16 games played, helping
the Patriots to wins in both Super Bowl XLIX and LIII.
Talk
of a potential Gronkowski retirement began during the offseason prior
to the 2018 season, but Gronkowski ultimately decided to play. He
announced his retirement in late March of this year, after making a
diving catch to set up the game-winning touchdown in Super Bowl LIII
against the Rams.
Gronkowski also announced a new name for himself.
“Now, you can just call me Mr. Recovery,†Gronkowski said. “You know you like that name. Mr. Recovery, baby!
Posted by AGORACOM-JC
at 9:31 AM on Tuesday, August 27th, 2019
EGLX: TSX-V
Both companies received overwhelming votes in favour of the merger arrangement during the Annual and Special Meeting of Enthusiast held on August 26, 2019 and during the Annual and Special Meeting pf J55 also held on August 26, 2019
TORONTO and VANCOUVER, B.C., Aug. 27, 2019 — Enthusiast Gaming Holdings Inc. (TSX-V: EGLX) (“Enthusiast“) and J55 Capital Corp. (TSX-V: FIVE.P) (“J55â€) are pleased to announce that both companies received overwhelming votes in favour of the merger arrangement during the Annual and Special Meeting of Enthusiast held on August 26, 2019 (the “Enthusiast Meetingâ€) and during the Annual and Special Meeting pf J55 also held on August 26, 2019 (the “J55 Meetingâ€).Â
At the Enthusiast Meeting, Enthusiast shareholders (“Enthusiast Shareholdersâ€) voted in favour of the arrangement resolution (the “EnthusiastArrangement Resolution“)
under which J55 will acquire all of Enthusiast’s issued and outstanding
common shares by way of a plan of arrangement under the Business Corporations Act (Ontario) (the “Arrangement“).
The Enthusiast Arrangement Resolution required approval of at least 66
2/3% of the votes cast by the Enthusiast Shareholders at the Enthusiast
Meeting.
At the J55 Meeting, the J55 shareholders represented by proxy voted
unanimously in favour of the resolution approving the Arrangement (the “J55 Arrangement Resolutionâ€) and unanimously in favour of the resolution (the “J55 QT Resolutionâ€) approving the three cornered amalgamation among J55, its wholly-owned subsidiary and Aquilini GameCo Inc. (“GameCoâ€) which will result in the acquisition of all of the issued and outstanding securities of GameCo by J55 (the “Amalgamationâ€) and serves as J55’s Qualifying Transaction (as defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange (the “TSXVâ€).
The J55 Arrangement Resolution required approval of more than 50% of
the votes cast by shareholders of J55, and the J55 QT Resolution, since
it is a Related Party Transaction as defined in TSXV policies, required
approval of the majority of disinterested shareholders (with shares held
by interested shareholders, namely Adrian Montgomery, Francesco
Aquilini and Roberto Aquilini being excluded) pursuant to Multilateral
Instrument 61-101 – Protection of Minority Security Holders in Special Transactions (“MI 61-101â€)
and by a majority of the minority shareholders (with shares held by
non-arm’s length parties to J55 namely Adrian Montgomery, Francesco
Aquilini, Roberto Aquilini, John Veltheer and Alex Helmel being
excluded) pursuant to Policy 2.4 of the TSXV.
Closing of the Amalgamation and the Arrangement (collectively, the “Transactionsâ€)
remain subject to certain conditions including: final approval of the
TSXV; for the Amalgamation, the completion of the acquisition by GameCo
of Luminosity Gaming Inc. and Luminosity Gaming (USA), LLC
(collectively, the “Luminosity Acquisitionâ€) and
completion of the First Consolidation; and for the Arrangement, final
approval of the Ontario Superior Court of Justice (the “Courtâ€).
The application for the final order from the Court is scheduled for
August 29, 2019. Assuming that the conditions to closing are satisfied
or waived, it is expected that the Arrangement will be completed in
early September, 2019. Following completion of the Arrangement,
Enthusiast will become a wholly-owned subsidiary of J55, will cease to
be a reporting issuer and its shares will be delisted from the TSXV and
OTCQB.
First and Second Consolidations
J55 also announces that it has consolidated the issued and outstanding common shares of J55 (each, a “J55 Shareâ€) on the basis of 1.25 pre-consolidation J55 Shares for 1 post-consolidation J55 Share (the “First Consolidationâ€).
The First Consolidation is effective as of August 26, 2019, and the J55
Shares will be listed on the TSXV on a post-First Consolidation basis
effective at the opening of the market on August 28, 2019, although the
J55 Shares will remain halted pending completion of the Transactions.
Prior to the First Consolidation, there were 19,000,000 J55 Shares
issued and outstanding. Accordingly, upon the First Consolidation
becoming effective, there will be a total of 15,200,000 J55 Shares
outstanding subject to adjustments for rounding.
Following completion of the Transactions, J55 intends to complete a second consolidation (the “Second Consolidationâ€, and together with the First Consolidation the “Consolidationsâ€)
of its then issued and outstanding shares on the basis of 8 post-First
Consolidation Shares for 1 post-Second Consolidation J55 Share and to
change its name from “J55 Capital Corp.†to “Enthusiast Gaming Holdings
Inc.†(the “Name Changeâ€). J55 is authorized to issue an unlimited number of common shares.
Letters of transmittal will not be sent to shareholders in connection
with either the First Consolidation or the Second Consolidation. Share
certificates and direct registration statements, as applicable, will be
sent to registered shareholders following completion of the Second
Consolidation and Name Change reflecting the adjustments to their
shareholdings as a result of the Consolidations, as applicable.
Further information about the Transactions and Consolidations is set
forth in the joint information circular of Enthusiast and J55 dated July
23, 2019 which was mailed to the shareholders of Enthusiast and J55,
and which is available under their respective profiles on SEDAR at www.sedar.com.
About Enthusiast Gaming
Founded in 2014, Enthusiast Gaming is the largest vertically
integrated video game company and has the fastest-growing online
community of video gamers. Through the Company’s organic and acquisition
strategy, it has amassed a platform of over 150 million monthly
visitors across its network of websites and YouTube channels. Enthusiast
also owns and operates Canada’s largest gaming expo, Enthusiast Gaming
Live Expo, EGLX, (eglx.ca) with approximately 55,000 people attending in 2018. For more information on the Company, visit www.enthusiastgaming.com.
For further information regarding J55, please contact:
John Veltheer Chief Financial Officer, Secretary and Director Telephone: 604-562-6915 Email: [email protected]
For further information regarding Enthusiast, please contact:
Julia Becker Head of Investor Relations & Marketing Telephone: (604) 785-0850 Email: [email protected]
Forward-Looking Information
This news release contains forward-looking statements.
Forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks,
uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results,
performance or achievements of J55 or Enthusiast Gaming to be materially
different from any future results, performance or achievements
expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. Forward-looking
statements in this news release include, but are not limited to:
statements with respect to the completion of the Transactions and
Consolidation and the timing for their completion; the satisfaction of
closing conditions which include, without limitation, certain
termination rights available to the J55 and GameCo under the
Amalgamation Agreement and receipt of final approval of the TSXV;
completion of the Arrangement and the timing for its completion; the
satisfaction of closing conditions which include, without limitation (i)
necessary court approvals in connection with the plan of arrangement,
(ii) certain termination rights available to the J55 and Enthusiast
under the Arrangement Agreement, (iii) J55 obtaining the necessary
approvals from the TSX-V for the listing of its common shares, (iv)
Enthusiast Gaming receiving approval for the delisting of its shares on
the TSX-V, and (v) other closing conditions, including compliance by J55
and Enthusiast Gaming with various covenants contained in the
Arrangement Agreement. Often, but not always, forward-looking
statements can be identified by the use of words such as “plansâ€,
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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€
