Posted by AGORACOM-JC
at 2:17 PM on Wednesday, May 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
———————–
Gamers Fight for Rights as Billion-Dollar Esports Market Matures
While there’s disagreement over how big a problem this is, there’s consensus that esports organizations have too much power.
“Orgs have strong counsel with 30-page agreements that have all sorts
of terms in them, and often on the other side you’ve got a teenager, or
early 20s, who’s probably never read a contract before,†said Gordon,
whose firm represents both players and organizations. “It’s really
weighted against the player.â€
As some esports leagues push to make themselves more and more like traditional sports
leagues, the industry may need to decide whether its players will get
the benefits of traditional sports stars (unions, collective bargaining
and rigid salary structures) or whether it will mirror more the music
and entertainment world, where young creators often sign away a large
bulk of their rights and income on their way up.
Finding Agents
One major concern in esports: Teams often serve as management for
their players. Trink said that earlier this year, while FaZe Clan was
trying to reach a new agreement with Tenney, it began encouraging those
on its roster to find outside representation. He said it’s better for
the players and better for the organization to help avoid situations
like the one they’re in now.
That’s part of what Trink called the new-era contract. In addition to
helping gamers find agents or managers, the team is rethinking revenue
splits. Instead of teams getting 80% of brand deals that it brings to a
player, Trink said the team now takes 20%. (The $60,000 that FaZe claims
to have made from Tenney came from 20% cuts off two different brand
deals.)
FaZe Clan is also getting more granular on revenue details. Instead
of simply taking a cut of Twitch revenue, FaZe Clan is separating out
different streams. It no longer takes a percentage of donations or
subscriptions that its gamers earn from Twitch, which for top streamers
can be tens of thousands of dollars each month.
“We feel that is too personal and that we shouldn’t take that money,†Trink said.
Proving Themselves
Only so much change can come from the teams themselves. In the
future, gamers may need fully independent unions, similar to those in
the NFL or NBA, and a collectively bargained salary structure.
But as in pro sports, up-and-coming gamers will have to demonstrate that they deserve lucrative contracts, said Bryce Blum, founding partner at ESG Law.
“An unproven player in esports, like the majority of rookies in
traditional sports, isn’t worth a massive deal,†he said. “They need to
get their foot in door and prove their worth on the first contract in
order to improve their value in the marketplace.â€
Posted by AGORACOM-JC
at 8:09 AM on Wednesday, May 29th, 2019
Partnered with Ubisoft Canada to host the Rainbow Six Canada Nationals and bring the Ubisoft show floor activation to Enthusiast Gaming Live Expo (EGLX) in October 2019.
Rainbow Six Canada Nationals will kick off in June 2019 and conclude in a live finals at EGLX in October 2019
TORONTO, May 29, 2019 — Enthusiast Gaming Holdings Inc. (TSXV: EGLX) (OTCQB: EGHIF), (“Enthusiast Gaming†or the “Companyâ€), the largest publicly traded video game media and esports company in North America, is excited to announce that through its subsidiary, Enthusiast Gaming Live Inc, it has partnered with Ubisoft Canada to host the Rainbow Six Canada Nationals and bring the Ubisoft show floor activation to Enthusiast Gaming Live Expo (EGLX) in October 2019.
Ubisoft is one of the world’s leading game publishers, responsible
for creating acclaimed video game franchises including: Assassin’s
Creed, Far Cry, Just Dance, Prince of Persia, Rayman, Raving Rabbids,
and Tom Clancy’s. The esports tournament is a unique team-based
competitive first-person shooter experience with high-level gamers
playing Rainbow Six, a popular Ubisoft video game.
Presented by Ubisoft Canada and powered by Enthusiast Gaming, the
Rainbow Six Canada Nationals will kick off in June 2019 and conclude in a
live finals at EGLX 2019 on October 20, in downtown Toronto at the
Metro Toronto Convention Centre.
The strategic partnership is in collaboration with Waveform
Entertainment Inc., a leading esports operator and tournament producer,
which Enthusiast invested in earlier this year. The partnership includes
the full broadcast and live final production and tournament management.
In addition, Ubisoft Canada will bring its Ubisoft Canada showfloor
activation to EGLX 2019.
“We are excited to partner with Ubisoft Canada on the second
season of the Rainbow Six Canada Nationals. Ubisoft Canada is a leader
in the Canadian gaming publisher landscape, so bringing the finals to
EGLX, Canada’s largest video game expo, is the perfect collaboration.
Partnering with one of the largest game publishers and a fellow Canadian
gaming titan speaks to the immense growth of EGLX and we look forward
to putting on another amazing show in 2019†commented Menashe Kestenbaum, CEO of Enthusiast Gaming.
Tickets to EGLX 2019 will be on sale this summer. More information can be found at eglx.ca. To learn more about sponsorship or exhibit space at EGLX 2019, reach out to [email protected].
Canadian Rainbow Six Siege players can register their team for the Canada Nationals today and find more information about the tournament at r6canadanationals.com.
About Ubisoft
Ubisoft is a leading creator, publisher and distributor of
interactive entertainment and services, with a rich portfolio of
world-renowned brands, including Assassin’s Creed, Just Dance, Tom
Clancy’s video game series, Rayman, Far Cry and Watch Dogs. The teams
throughout Ubisoft’s worldwide network of studios and business offices
are committed to delivering original and memorable gaming experiences
across all popular platforms, including consoles, mobile phones, tablets
and PCs. For the 2017-18 fiscal year Ubisoft generated sales of €1,732
million. To learn more, please visit www.ubisoft.com.
About Waveform Entertainment
Waveform Entertainment Inc. is a leading Canadian broadcast and production agency specialized in the gaming and esports industry. Founded in 2018, Waveform has been on the leading edge of live event production and broadcast for several years and services clients all around the world. In April 2019, Enthusiast acquired a 20% interest in Waveform. Learn more about Waveform at www.waveform.gg.
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.
CONTACT INFORMATION:
Investor Relations: Julia Becker Head of Investor Relations & Marketing [email protected] (604) 785.0850
This news release contains certain statements that may constitute
forward-looking information under applicable securities laws. All
statements, other than those of historical fact, which address
activities, events, outcomes, results, developments, performance or
achievements that Enthusiast anticipates or expects may or will occur in
the future (in whole or in part) should be considered forward-looking
information. Such information may involve, but is not limited to,
comments with respect to strategies, expectations, planned operations
and future actions of the Company. Often, but not always,
forward-looking information can be identified by the use of words such
as “plans”, “expects”, “is expected”, “budget”, “scheduled”,
“estimates”, “forecasts”, “intends”, “anticipates”, or “believes” or
variations (including negative variations) of such words and phrases, or
statements formed in the future tense or indicating that certain
actions, events or results “may”, “could”, “would”, “might” or “will”
(or other variations of the forgoing) be taken, occur, be achieved, or
come to pass. Forward-looking information is based on currently
available competitive, financial and economic data and operating plans,
strategies or beliefs as of the date of this news release, but involve
known and unknown risks, uncertainties, assumptions and other factors
that may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of
Enthusiast to be materially different from any future results,
performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking
information. Such factors may be based on information currently
available to Enthusiast, including information obtained from third-party
industry analysts and other third-party sources, and are based on
management’s current expectations or beliefs regarding future growth,
results of operations, future capital (including the amount, nature and
sources of funding thereof) and expenditures. Any and all
forward-looking information contained in this press release is expressly
qualified by this cautionary statement. Trading in the securities of
the Company should be considered highly speculative.
Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services
Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture
Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this
release. The securities of the Corporation have not been and will not be
registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended
and may not be offered or sold in the United States absent registration
or an applicable exemption from the registration requirement. This press
release shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an
offer to buy nor shall there be any sale of the securities in any
jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be
unlawful.
Posted by AGORACOM-JC
at 2:50 PM on Tuesday, May 28th, 2019
SPONSOR: Enthusiast Gaming Holdings Inc.
(TSX-V: EGLX) Uniting gaming communities with 80 owned and affiliated
websites, currently reaching over 75 million monthly visitors. The
company exceeded 2018 target with $11.0 million in revenue. Learn More
EGLX: TSX-V ———————————-
Esports gaming platform Skillz hooks users even more than Netflix and Facebook
The esports market is going to be a multibillion-dollar industry.
Competitive gaming platform Skillz is seeing gamer use that surpasses time spent on Facebook and Netflix.
The company hosts about 2 million tournaments featuring online games
of solitaire, mahjong and a number of sports-related mobile titles for
amateur gamers who earn cash prizes.
When Netflix
CEO Reed Hastings acknowledged the streaming media giant’s growing list
of competitors in his latest annual shareholder letter, he didn’t cite
Disney or HBO as the biggest threats. “We compete with (and lose to)
Fortnite more than HBO,†Hastings wrote in January.
Call it the rise of the gamers.
Publisher Epic Games and megastreamers like Ninja turned Fortnite
into a sensation, the esports industry continues to grow, and the
biggest names in tech — Apple and Alphabet among them — revealed their plans to dive deeper into gaming. Apple unveiled its new Arcade subscription gaming service and Alphabet’s Google its own streaming platform for gamers called Stadia.
Amid the changing gaming industry landscape, mobile gaming has taken
an increasingly bigger chunk of the pie. In 2018 the mobile gaming
market, which encompasses smartphones and tablets, grew to $63 billion
in revenue, according to research firm Newzoo. This accounts for almost
half of the global games market. Mobile gaming is getting closer to
overtaking both console and PC platforms, with Newzoo estimating more than 50% market share between tablet and phone-based games in 2020 and 2021, and over $90 billion in annual revenue.
Mobile esports — competitive gaming with mobile-based titles — has
also become more established. Newzoo projects the global esports market
will exceed $1.6 billion in revenue by 2021 and will rake in more than $1 billion in revenue this year. Esports teams are now raising their own venture capital, too, with one team worth $310 million, according to Forbes, and a total of nine esports teams worldwide worth at least $100 million.
‘The most prolific media environment ever’
One of the key leaders of mobile esports growth is Skillz, which ranked No. 31 on the 2019 CNBC Disruptor 50 list.
It hosts about 2 million tournaments, featuring online games of
solitaire, mahjong and a number of sports-related mobile titles for
amateur gamers who earn cash prizes based on their performance. Back in
November, Skillz revealed that collectively, players on the platform earn, on average, over $675,000 in daily prizes.
And not only are they earning more, they’re playing more during a
time that Skillz CEO Andrew Paradise calls “the beginning of the most
prolific media environment ever.â€
Skillz CEO Andrew Paradise says the mobile gaming company has doubled revenue over the last five months. Skillz
“Skillz is delivering 65 minutes a day per person,†Paradise told
CNBC. “It’s more prolific than Facebook at its peak, YouTube and
Snapchat.â€
In fact, the average Skillz user is spending more time on the
platform than Netflix subscribers spend watching content, with the
average subscriber for the streaming site clocking in at about 50
minutes per day. The boom in Skillz’ platform, according to Paradise, is
in large part due to the competitive element that results in a higher
engagement number.
The so-called casual gamer is actually engaging the same way a hard-core gamer would.
Andrew Paradise
Skillz CEO
Paradise believes that the increasing focus on mobile is blurring the line between casual and so-called “hardcore†gamers.
“The casual gamer is becoming a hardcore or mid-core gamer, and it’s
reflective of this evolution in media usage,†said Paradise, who
specifies that a Skillz user in the past would spend an average of about
30 minutes a day on the platform.
Many of those users are women — seven of the top 10 earners on Skillz
last year were female players, a group that took home $8 million in
prize money. According to a study released by Newzoo earlier this year,
46% of all gamers are female and it is a market that may include more
than 1 billion women around the world.
Posted by AGORACOM-JC
at 11:35 AM on Monday, May 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
———————–
The First NASCAR Esports League Kicked Off This Weekend At The Charlotte Motor Speedway
This past weekend at the Charlotte Motor Speedway the first ever NASCAR esports league got underway, with the action taking place alongside the Coca-Cola 600 race.
Players on both Xbox One and PlayStation 4 competed at the event,
with Slade Gravitt of Wood Brothers Racing taking the win on PS4 and
Brian Tedeschi of Team Penske taking the win on Xbox One.
This race was the opening of the eNASCAR Heat Pro League, a major
esports league that features 30 drivers from 15 race teams, which are
owned by prominent NASCAR race teams. The league will feature 16 races
across a variety of tracks, with the league concluding at the 2019
NASCAR playoffs later this year. It was streamed on the NASCAR Facebook
page, along with the 704Games Twitch livestream.
“Charlotte Motor Speedway was the perfect venue and environment to
drop the green flag on the eNASCAR Heat Pro League season,†said Ed
Martin, managing director of esports at 704Games. “Our drivers fed off
the energy of the crowd and the thrill of competing on the busiest day
in Motorsports, delivering incredible action to fans in attendance and
watching around the world through our livestreams. It was exciting to
see the best players from across the country capture the NASCAR drama
and excitement through the NASCAR Heat 3 game before transitioning to
Coca-Cola 600 action. When 704Games, the Race Team Alliance and NASCAR
set out to create the first-ever eNASCAR league on consoles, this is
what we had envisioned.â€
Gravitt, who won the PS4 competition, is just 16 years old, and
decided to try and compete in the league after playing with friends who
wanted to see how well they could do in the qualifiers. He quickly
noticed he was pretty good, and went on to earn a spot in the
competition before going on to win it.
After the opening race in the competition Team Penske Esports are at
the top of the team standings with 78 points. Just below them is Wood
Brothers Gaming with 73 points and then JR Motorsports and Petty Esports
are tied for third with 70 points. Nine of the remaining teams are
within 10 points of third place, meaning the standings could easily
change very quickly.
The next race in the eNASCAR Heat Pro League takes place on
Wednesday, May 29, with the action being broadcast on the NASCAR
Facebook page and the 704Games Twitch livestream.
Posted by AGORACOM-JC
at 9:45 PM on Sunday, May 26th, 2019
SPONSOR: Enthusiast Gaming Holdings Inc.
(TSX-V: EGLX) Uniting gaming communities with 80 owned and affiliated
websites, currently reaching over 75 million monthly visitors. The
company exceeded 2018 target with $11.0 million in revenue. Learn More
EGLX: TSX-V ———————————-
Mike Tyson jumps into esports with investment in Fade 2 Karma
Throughout his boxing career, former world heavyweight champion Mike Tyson knocked out 44 opponents.
Now, 14 years after retiring from boxing, Tyson wants to get another knockout, this time in esports.
Jacob Wolf
Throughout his boxing career, former world heavyweight champion Mike
Tyson knocked out 44 opponents. Now, 14 years after retiring from
boxing, Tyson wants to get another knockout, this time in esports.
On Thursday, Tyson announced a strategic investment in Fade 2 Karma, a
professional esports team best known for its time in Hearthstone.
As a result, Fade 2 Karma will construct a new streaming facility
near Los Angeles in El Segundo, California, the home base of Tyson
Ranch, a marijuana company owned by Tyson.
The new facility, called “The Ranch House,” will include private
livestreaming rooms, a performance stage for tournaments, content
production and a rooftop party deck. Connected to the facility will be a
new entertainment production studio, operated by Fade 2 Karma.
On Wednesday, Tyson joined many of the Fade 2 Karma professional
Hearthstone players for a livestreaming session broadcasted on Alexandra
“Alliestrasza” Macpherson’s Twitch channel. It was the first time the
former pro boxer competed in Hearthstone, although he said he had played
other games, including Call of Duty, in the past.
“It was pretty awesome. I had the opportunity to really engage with
some millennials, which I never really actually do,” Tyson told ESPN on
Thursday. “This is the first time, and I thought it was pretty awesome.
We played Hearthstone. I really sucked real bad. You have to start
somewhere. I played games before, so I’m going to start over and see
what happens from here.”
Tyson said that he first got interested in the esports industry via
his son, who is both a gamer and a fan of professional esports
competitions. From there, Tyson tasked his team at the Tyson Ranch to
find an opportunity that made sense — with Fade 2 Karma, he said,
emerging as an option that felt like the perfect fit. He said he
believes the future of the esports industry will be gigantic.
Fade 2 Karma was founded by German Hearthstone and Magic: The
Gathering player Tim “Theude” Bergmann in July 2015. Since then, the
team has expanded to include competitive Hearthstone players and
streamers from all around the world, including the likes of the United
Kingdom, Canada, Sweden, Israel and the United States.
Outside of esports, Tyson is developing the Tyson Ranch Resort, a
420-acre entertainment complex, luxury glamping resort and cannabis
research and design facility in Desert Hot Springs, California, about a
two-hour drive east from Los Angeles. Tyson, his business partners and
California City mayor Jennifer Wood attended a groundbreaking ceremony
for the site in December.
In other ventures, Tyson completed a one-man show residency in Las
Vegas for his “Undisputed Truth: Round 2” in late 2017. Tyson said he is
interested in potentially doing another one-man show project in the
future, but for now, he is focusing on Tyson Ranch.
Tyson joins a growing list of celebrity athletes who have invested in
esports in the past five years. Some, including Rick Fox, who won three
NBA titles with the Los Angeles Lakers in the early 2000s, and Golden State Warriors forward Jonas Jerebko,
have taken an active role in their organizations — being involved in
strategy, planning and execution. Other celebs, such as former New York Yankees star Alex Rodriguez and musicians Jennifer Lopez and Drake, have taken passive roles.
Overall, the industry continues to become a new frontier for
investors looking to capitalize on the future of sports. In 2019, the
industry is projected to eclipse $1 billion in annual revenue, according
to a report by analytics firm Newzoo.
Posted by AGORACOM-JC
at 2:40 PM on Thursday, May 23rd, 2019
SPONSOR: Esports Entertainment
$GMBL Esports audience is 350M, growing to 590M, Esports wagering is
projected at $23 BILLION by 2020. The company has launched VIE.gg
esports betting platform and has accelerated affiliate marketing
agreements with 190 Esports teams. Click here for more information
GMBL: OTCQB
———————–
Q1 2019’s Most Impactful PC Videogames: The Year of Growth
Both the Overwatch League and NBA 2K League have expanded. Viewership for Western League of Legends
pro leagues is up year-over-year. Across the esports industry, leagues
are being revamped and prize pools are growing. Overall, 2019 is shaping
up to be a year of growth for the industry.
This growth is reflected in The
Esports Observer’s PC Games Impact Index report for the first quarter of
2019. For a detailed breakdown of the key performance indicators that
determine a game’s index score, click here to review last year’s initial Impact Index report.
The Big Four
For the last several years, the esports industry has been consistently led by Counter-Strike , League of Legends, and Dota 2 ,
commonly referred to as the “Big Three.†Over the last year, with its
consistently high viewership and $100M USD overall prize pool for its
first season, Fortnite
has forced its way onto equal footing with the Big Three. This is
clearly reflected in the large gap between these games and the next
title in the impact rankings. The fifth place game (Overwatch) is separated from the Big Four by 21.84 – the largest gap separating any two games on the list.
The scores of each of the games in the Big Four have increased year-over-year.
While it is worth noting that the Overwatch League
did not begin until mid-February, thus putting the game at a
significant disadvantage in esports activity compared to the Big Four, Overwatch was unable to break into the top four at any point during the inaugural OWL season in 2018.
In fact, the Overwatch League itself may be a limiting factor for Overwatch’s
impact. Activision Blizzard has effectively eliminated all third-party
activity related to the game, drastically reducing both the number of
tournaments and available prize money within a given quarter. While the
league still generates viewership that frequently places highly on
weekly Twitch rankings, the lack of prominent streamers or other
tournaments ultimately hurts Overwatch’s impact score, which has declined slightly year-over-year.
By contrast, the scores of each of the games in the Big Four have increased year-over-year, with Fortnite
jumping from 13.64 points in Q1 2018 to 51.70. These games continue to
iterate on their structures while also providing opportunities for
streamers and third-party tournament organizers to drive growth for
their respective esports scenes.
On The Rise
Four games are particularly noteworthy for growing their impact scores by more than 100% year-over-year. Call of Duty , FIFA , and World of Warcraft each saw a surge in popularity in the latter half of 2018 due to the release of new titles: Black Ops 3, FIFA 19, and the expansion Battle for Azeroth,
respectively. The popularity of these games (and by extension their
viewership and esports interests) operate on a regular content cycle.
Interest peaks when a new entry is released, and then declines over time
until it spikes again with the next release.
That said, all three games are also now in the midst of a renewed focus on their esports systems. Call of Duty is gearing up for its move to a franchise system, FIFA
has enjoyed a boom in its ecosystem with more third-party tournaments
and organizers entering the space, and Activision Blizzard overhauled
the structure for both of WoW’s competitive modes as well as increasing their prize pools. Additionally, WoW continues to see large spikes in viewership during World First raid races led by esports organization Method.
Credit: Ubisoft
Although Rainbow Six Siege did not benefit from a major new game release, it was still able to see impact growth on par with the other three titles. Rainbow Six Siege is the product of steady growth and frequent content updates
which have driven more esports viewership, prize money, and
organization interest over the last 18 months. While the game is likely
to continue growing as an esport, its impact score may have peaked for
the year as its most prominent tournament, the Six Invitational,
concluded in February. However, the game’s ability to see such strong
year-over-year growth without relying on a new release gives it more in
common with the games in the Big Four, and suggests a potential to one
day contend with the impact of those titles if its current growth rate
continues into 2020.
Still Not Enough
The final game of note stands out for its absence in the top 15 – Apex Legends. Apexdominated Twitch
following its release on Feb. 4, 2019, and saw tournament support from
the streaming platform in the form of two $100K USD Twitch Rivals
events. Unfortunately, developer Respawn Entertainment and publisher EA
failed to capitalize on the game’s successful launch. By
March, the lack of a developer-supported tournament ecosystem or
significant content update had driven many of the game’s top streamers
back to other titles, primarily Fortnite. With the $30M Fortnite World Cup on the horizon, it is unlikely that Apex Legends will be able to pull top competitive Fortnite streamers away.
That said, with top streamers such as Turner “Tfue†Tenney stating that they would quit competing in Fortnite
tournaments after the World Cup due to frustration with the game, a
significant esports investment from EA in the latter half of 2019 could
be enough to draw disenfranchised Fortnite streamers to Apex Legends, giving the game a second chance to dethrone the current king of battle royales.
Posted by AGORACOM-JC
at 2:39 PM on Wednesday, May 22nd, 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
———————–
Understanding the esports ecosystem
Broadcasters aren’t the only demographic trying to figure out what impact esports might have on their industry: based on a number of very well attended sessions at the recent SportsPro Live event in London, professional sport is too
Esports is emerging as an exciting new market bringing together
players from the broadcasting, gaming and sports industries, writes Ian
Volans.
L-R, Esports integrity commissioner (moderator) Ian Smith; ESL UK CEO
James Dean; New York Excelsior OWL VP of consumer products Collette
Gangemi; FACE IT co-founder & CBO Michele Attisani; Riot Games
business development manager Romain Bigeard.
Broadcasters aren’t the only demographic trying to figure out what
impact esports might have on their industry: based on a number of very
well attended sessions at the recent SportsPro Live event in London,
professional sport is too.
For the benefit of novices, speakers agreed that the term “esportsâ€
is not entirely useful. Introducing a panel discussion on where the
esports and gaming business is heading, Ian Smith Integrity Commissioner
at the Esports Integrity Coalition described the term as a slightly
misleading umbrella term covering a variety of games that are lumped
together in the same way that the Olympics lumps together 26 or 28
different sports. “Just like the Olympics, we have the 100m men’s final
at one end watched by 1.2 billion people and we have synchronized
swimming at the other end watched by 12 people. Esports is exactly like
that,†said Smith.
Smith placed Counter-Strike Global Offensive (CS: GO), League of Legends and Defense of the Ancients 2 (Dota2) at the Usain Bolt end of the esports spectrum, with Overwatch and Rainbow 6 being in a second tier not too far behind while other games such as Starcraft,
which was massive until a few years ago, are in decline. Each game has
its own characteristics, attracting its own community. It’s the
engagement of these communities which is of interest to professional
sporting bodies, and a potential competitor for the attention of
broadcasters’ viewers.
In a keynote, Wouter Slijffers, CEO of Fnatic said he felt
“professional gaming†is a more intuitive description. Fnatic owns ten
professional teams across the globe, including a League of Legends team which won the world championship in 2011 and was runner up in 2018
Wouter Slijffers is CEO of Fnatic, owner of ten pro esports games worldwide
Slijffers suggested that the estimated esports audience of 1.8
billion represented a quarter of world population or 40% of the online
population. The sector is projected to be worth US$1.1 billion in 2019
rising to US$1.8 billion in 2022, a very healthy compound annual growth
rate of 22%. The excitement about esports rests on adage that “there’s
money in eyeballs.â€
Media rights market There are four key
stakeholder groups at the core of the esports ecosystem: the publishers
who develop and release the games; platforms that facilitate the
broadcast of games to audiences worldwide; organisers of live events
that are filling arenas with increasing regularity; and pro teams.
Associations are emerging as the maturing ecosystem recognizes a need
for governance structures. For example, World esports Association
(WESA) is an open and inclusive organization that aims to
professionalize esports in areas such as player representation,
standardized regulations, revenue shares for teams as well as
establishing predictable schedules for fans, players, organizers and
broadcasters. The Esports Integrity Coalition is a not-for profit
members’ association that works with esports stakeholders to protect the
integrity of competition, investigate all forms of cheating including
match manipulation and doping and impose sanctions on offenders.
Slijffers outlined the increasingly diverse revenue streams that help
fund professional esports teams. Sponsorship and partnerships are key
with brands keen to tap into esports for content-led campaigns. To
support this, Fnatic has an in-house content studio and offers talent
services. Having protected its trademarks in key markets worldwide, fans
are monetized through merchandising – Fnatic has its own global e-shop
and opened Bunkr, the world’s first esports concept store, in London’s
Shoreditch tech district in 2016.
A media rights market is beginning to develop but Slijffers said that
it was “yet to be proven†how teams would share revenues with the
leagues who were doing the deals. Twitch has paid $90 million for
exclusive streaming rights for the Overwatch League for two years but BAMTech’s $350 million six-year deal reported in December 2016 for exclusive rights to stream League of Legends unraveled before it started. In May 2018, ESPN+ stepped in with a replacement deal of undisclosed value.
Sponsorship and partnerships are key with brands keen to tap into esports for content-led campaigns.
One area which highlights the similarities between sport and esports
and the cultural differences between North America and Europe is in
commercial relationship between leagues and teams. Depending on the
game, open leagues and tournaments are more common in Europe while the
model in North American is more often closed franchise,
publisher-controlled, leagues.
Romain Bigeard, business development manager at Riot Games, was one
of the SportsPro Live panelists. Riot Games released debut title League of Legends in 2009 and it has gone on to become one of the most played computer games and a driver of the esports phenomenon.
Bigeard’s career started in the open leagues with promotion and
relegation in Europe. One of the downsides of the European approach was
that because of the short esport business life cycle – six to nine
months – a team could get relegated three months into a sponsorship
deal. When he moved to America, he realized that the franchise system
gave teams – the “weak-link in the overall ecosystem†– time to
negotiate and activate sponsorship deals that work for partner brands.
Michele Attisani, co-founder of FACEIT, agrees with Bigeard: “From a
commercial standpoint, and from a business standpoint, I think a
franchise is brilliant because it gives the ability to invest for the
long term.†FACEIT is a global online esports platform with 12 million
users playing more than 15 million game sessions each month. Key
objectives in developing the platform were to make it as social as
possible in order to build communities around the games they support and
to integrate Twitch, YouTube. The company has also branched into
hosting major live events such as the FACEIT CS:GO Major which
sold-out the Wembley Arena in September 2018 and was broadcast live on
Sky Sports’ website, YouTube and Facebook channels.
With more money coming in, Attisani says that with the approach adopted by Riot with League of Legends and Blizzard with the Overwatch League
there is greater stability for the teams, the players, the brands and
the leagues. However, he cautions that the long-term consequences of the
model are not fully understood. Stability comes at a cost: at the time
of the ESPN+ deal, Bloomberg reported that League of Legends teams were paying between $10 million and $13 million for franchises.
The FACEIT founder firmly believes that esports success depends on
having a strong and very engaged competitive community and large fan
bases for the games. “You need to make sure that as you build a
franchise you also maintain the overall health of the ecosystem for the
game.â€
Open ecosystem James Dean is CEO of the UK
subsidiary of Turtle Entertainment GmBH, owner and operator of the ESL
brand which runs a number of esports platforms, national and
international pro leagues and produces and broadcasts gaming events live
and globally. He warns that it is easy to lose sight of the fact that
all games publishers are some sort of commercial entity and that unlike
die-hard football fans who are unlikely to abandon their club, esports
fans can quite easily move away from one game to another. Dean believes
that an open ecosystem below community-based franchises is the best
combination to sustain an aspirational path for talent from lower
levels. “We have to encourage the talent, but you need the commercial
infrastructure to sustain the business model,†he said.
ESL created the World esports Association (WESA) to create an
alternative structure capable of giving players that aspirational path
to the top, but with sustainability. ESL’s CS-GO Pro League will be run under the auspices of WESA in 2019.
Collette Gangemi, VP of consumer products and merchandising for New York Excelsior, a pro team in the Atlantic Division of the Overwatch League
team, owns a community-based franchise in New York City. She observes
that having the IP rights combined with the ability to create fandom and
a community is hugely important and gives confidence for investment.
“We’re New York and will continue to invest in franchise-based models:
first with the Overwatch League and with others launching very soon.â€
There is growing interest in esports among traditional sports: for
example, FACEIT has been working with NHL. Attisani says the NHL Gaming
World Championship which enters second year in 2019 has been
“phenomenal†in revitalising the NHL brand and its relevance to younger
audiences.
2018 was the second year of Formula 1’s involvement in esports, and
the first year of official teams: nine out of ten of the F1 teams
participated. A total of 66,000 entered the four qualifying rounds and
the final was watched live by 1.2 million on TV and a further 3.2
million on a dedicated livestream. The competition generated 100 million
social media impressions and 20 million online views of F1 esports
content. For F1, esports creates “material fan engagement and commercial
opportunities.â€
Soccer has also jumped on the bandwagon: FIFA has revamped its FIFA eWorld Cup for 2019 with qualification through EA Sports FIFA19 Global Series. While in England, the ePremier League 2019 final was broadcast live on Sky Sports in March.
Leicester City footballer Christian Fuchs owns a pro esports team and
is planning to build a dedicated esports arena in New York City
Christian Fuchs, a member of the 2015-16 Leicester City squad that
famously disrupted the oligopoly that has dominated the English Premier
League, has set-up his own pro team – #NoFuchsGiven – that competes in FIFA19
tournaments. Fuchs told delegates at SportsPro Live that he has bought a
36-acre sports complex in New York and is planning to build a dedicated
thousand-seater esports arena which will be the biggest in the city.
For digitally native younger demographics there is little doubt that
esports is a rival to both broadcast and traditional sports. Only time
will tell how the three sectors will learn to co-exist.
Posted by AGORACOM-JC
at 8:15 AM on Wednesday, May 22nd, 2019
Fastest growing North American gaming network achieved through organic growth, acquisitions, and strategic partnerships
Diverse platform of gaming sites and YouTube channels provides unique advertising solutions
Scaling rapidly to own the largest piece of industry market share
TORONTO, May 22, 2019 – Enthusiast Gaming Holdings Inc. (TSXV: EGLX) (OTCQB: EGHIF), (“Enthusiast†or the “Companyâ€), the largest publicly traded video game media and esports company in North America, is excited to announce that its network of video game enthusiasts has grown to 150 million total monthly visitors(1). Enthusiast’s platform is the fastest growing gaming network in North America(2) and includes owned and operated gaming related websites and a network of YouTube channels.
Monthly visitors across the network has doubled since Enthusiast
completed its going public transaction in October 2018 and has grown
from two million monthly visitors since 2015. The increase validates the
rapid growth of the gaming industry and further positions Enthusiast as
a leader in the space. The significant growth and size of Enthusiast’s
network has provided the Company with a number of different revenue
streams, including direct sales, revenue sharing and subscription models
that diversifies the business and supports continued future growth.
Through its aggressive acquisition and organic growth strategy,
Enthusiast has been able to scale and grow its business quickly, in an
attempt to gain significant market share within the gaming industry.
Enthusiast has seen consistent monthly organic growth across its
network, with more visitors engaging with its content rich gaming
properties. As an early industry leader, Enthusiast has built a solid
framework to take advantage of future growth opportunities and
capitalize on the overall sector growth in the coming years.
Menashe Kestenbaum, CEO of Enthusiast commented, “Our
consistent growth further validates our business model, as we continue
to outperform visitor growth month over month. Our team continues
providing innovative, rich content which attracts dedicated gamers. This
content allows us to deepen our reach both vertically and horizontally
across a number of sub-sectors within the gaming industry.†Kestenbaum continued, “In
a relatively short period of time, we have managed to amass a network
of over 150 million monthly visitors and now major brands are taking
notice. In addition to our core revenue generating verticals of content,
advertising, and events, the size of our network has provided a number
of different revenue opportunities, that we believe will add
sustainable, long-term value to our network moving forward.â€
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.
Source: Google Analytics, April 2019
Source: Comscore Media Metrix Multi-Platform, Dec 2017-Dec 2018, US
CONTACT INFORMATION:
Investor Relations: Julia Becker Head of Investor Relations & Marketing [email protected] (604) 785.0850
This news release contains certain statements that may constitute
forward-looking information under applicable securities laws. All
statements, other than those of historical fact, which address
activities, events, outcomes, results, developments, performance or
achievements that Enthusiast anticipates or expects may or will occur in
the future (in whole or in part) should be considered forward-looking
information. Such information may involve, but is not limited to,
comments with respect to strategies, expectations, planned operations
and future actions of the Company. Often, but not always,
forward-looking information can be identified by the use of words such
as “plans”, “expects”, “is expected”, “budget”, “scheduled”,
“estimates”, “forecasts”, “intends”, “anticipates”, or “believes” or
variations (including negative variations) of such words and phrases, or
statements formed in the future tense or indicating that certain
actions, events or results “may”, “could”, “would”, “might” or “will”
(or other variations of the forgoing) be taken, occur, be achieved, or
come to pass. Forward-looking information is based on currently
available competitive, financial and economic data and operating plans,
strategies or beliefs as of the date of this news release, but involve
known and unknown risks, uncertainties, assumptions and other factors
that may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of
Enthusiast to be materially different from any future results,
performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking
information. Such factors may be based on information currently
available to Enthusiast, including information obtained from third-party
industry analysts and other third-party sources, and are based on
management’s current expectations or beliefs regarding future growth,
results of operations, future capital (including the amount, nature and
sources of funding thereof) and expenditures. Any and all
forward-looking information contained in this press release is expressly
qualified by this cautionary statement. Trading in the securities of
the Company should be considered highly speculative.
Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services
Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture
Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this
release. The securities of the Corporation have not been and will not be
registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended
and may not be offered or sold in the United States absent registration
or an applicable exemption from the registration requirement. This press
release shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an
offer to buy nor shall there be any sale of the securities in any
jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be
unlawful.
Posted by AGORACOM-JC
at 4:29 PM on Tuesday, May 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
———————–
Which tournaments attract the most esports bettors?
As competitive gaming evolves, as too has the rise in esports betting.
Though the exact value of esports’ betting handle is difficult to pinpoint
There’s a reason to believe it has now surpassed $1 billion based off Business Insider’s evaluation last year.
As
competitive gaming evolves, as too has the rise in esports betting.
Though the exact value of esports’ betting handle is difficult to
pinpoint, there’s a reason to believe it has now surpassed $1 billion
based off Business Insider’s evaluation last year.
Each
esport boasts its own unique community, ecosystem and infrastructure;
despite there being several competitive gaming communities in existence,
only a handful of them are fit to be a bookmaker’s product.
Though
the consistency exhibited in esports such as the Overwatch League or
NBA 2K League is a big motivator for bookies to offer spreads on them,
there are a number of key tournaments that trump the rest when it comes
to attracting significant volumes of bettors to risk. In this report,
we’ll detail the leading tournaments that you’ll want to keep an eye on
if you want to be involved in esports betting.
The International
Since 2011, The International, also referred to as TI,
has brought forth the best esports has to offer in terms of size,
viewership and of course, prize money. The annual tournament organised
by Valve assembles 16 of the toughest contenders in Dota 2
from direct invites, regional qualifiers and those who amass enough
Dota Pro Circuit (DPC) points through the competitive season.
Aside
from establishing itself as the pinnacle of Dota 2 championships, The
International’s reverence is bolstered heavily by the lofty prize amount
raised each year. Dota 2 developers, Valve, contributes $1.6 million as
a base amount for The International’s tournament winnings which are
then passed off to the community to raise through crowdfunding; by
dedicating a portion of Battle Pass sales to the total prize pool.
The International has seen a year-over-year growth since its inception – last year’s TI8 amassed a whopping $25,532,177 ($20,035,099).
This year’s The International has already garnered over $12 million
just two weeks into its fundraising period, with the tournament poised
to kick off on August 15 at the Mercedes-Benz Arena in Shanghai.
League of Legends World Championship
Photo courtesy: Riot Gamesp
Riot Games’ League of Legends is by far the most played game in the world at the moment; the most recent report from Riot confirmed in 2016 the game boasted 100 million monthly players,
which we can only assume has grown based off the lofty increase in
tournament viewership over the subsequent years. When it comes to
League, there is one event that stands well above the rest on the yearly
calendar – the League of Legends World Championship also referred to as Worlds.
The
World Championship is the annual culmination of the competitive season
organised by Riot Games, currently coming up on the ninth event in the
tournament’s history this November. Worlds brings together the 24 best
League of Legends teams to clash over a month-long period for the game’s
most prestigious title as well as the Summoner’s Cup which weighs in at 32kg.
The
prestige, popularity and length of the World Championship make it a hot
product for bookmakers to feature spreads on. Last year’s Worlds was
just barely shy of 100 million unique viewers, orbiting similar statistics to that of the Super Bowl – and where there are viewers, there are punters. Legal Sports Report’s overview of the esports betting market in 2018 illustrated League of Legends accounts for 38% of the total handle.
If
you’re looking to place a wager on League of Legends, it’s a safe bet
to assume any bookmaker that carries esports will offer lines on this
game. As exemplified by eSportbetting.eu’s guide to betting on League, the catalogue of sportsbooks that support the game is quite extensive – including major US fantasy sports contest provider, DraftKings.
CS:GO Major Championships
Photo courtesy: HLTV
Counter-Strike
is one of the oldest and most prosperous esports today. Valve’s
first-person shooter has truly withstood the test of time in our current
esports panorama with a bustling ecosystem supported by tournament
organisers, online platforms and big sponsors.
Counter-Strike’s
large player base across a number of divisions makes for a seemingly
infinite amount of offerings from bookmakers; the aforementioned study
by Legal Sports Report estimates CS:GO is responsible for 29% of the betting handle, only second to League of Legends.
Though, when it comes to betting on Counter-Strike, Valve’s CS:GO Major Championship
series is the choice event for punters. Since 2013, CS:GO Majors have
furnished the most enthralling narratives and display of CS the game can
generate; the format of the Major builds off the last by incorporating
teams who can go deep enough in the previous tournament and spans across
roughly three weeks.
The
volume of matches between high-profile teams ramps up the number of
bets placed on CS while bookmakers often capitalise on Majors by
offering exclusives and specials linked to the tournament.
Recap
While there are several other tournaments such as the Overwatch League Season Finals and Call of Duty World League Championships
that are able to congregate a number of bettors to wager, those
mentioned above three are by far the market leaders. If you do decide to
get involved in esports betting, Esports Insider reminds you to bet
responsibly!
Posted by AGORACOM-JC
at 11:21 AM on Friday, May 17th, 2019
SPONSOR: Enthusiast Gaming Holdings Inc.
(TSX-V: EGLX) Uniting gaming communities with 80 owned and affiliated
websites, currently reaching over 75 million monthly visitors. The
company exceeded 2018 target with $11.0 million in revenue. Learn More
EGLX: TSX-V ———————————-
Hip Hop & ESports: The New Intersection Of Tech & Culture
As the esports industry rises in value, hip hop artists and entrepreneurs are seeing the big investment opportunities the sector provides.
Esports is believed to be the next wave of competitive entertainment and everyone is taking notice, since its expected to surpass $1 billion in revenue in 2019.
LONDON, ENGLAND – MAY 03: Kenny Williams of team 100 Thieves in
action during Esports Call Of Duty World League at Copper Box Arena on
May 03, 2019 in London, England. (Photo by Luke Walker/Getty Images)
As the esports industry rises in
value, hip hop artists and entrepreneurs are seeing the big investment
opportunities the sector provides. Esports is believed to be the next
wave of competitive entertainment and everyone is taking notice, since
its expected to surpass $1 billion in revenue in 2019. Hip hop in
perpetuity is turning up the volume on esports growth by bringing in its
loyal fan base.
The Breakdown You Need to Know
Esports is a subculture of gaming and hip hop is very prominent across the industry in several capacities. However, CultureBanx
noted that early research on gaming culture alluded to the lack of
industry diversity, both in terms of gender as well as ethnicity, and
meant that for a long time, primarily white men dominated the American-based video game industry,
that has clearly changed. It’s estimated that 380 to 400 million people
worldwide will watch esports this year, including 165 million regular
esports viewers. Additionally, research firm Newzoo estimated $700
million was spent on esports ventures.
Hip hop’s affinity for video games is not a new found love as these
artists have included video games in their rhymes since the late 80s.
Entertainers such as Drake and The Weeknd are already tapping into the
cash flow of esports. Drake invested in esports company 100 Thieves in
October of 2018, and last month The Weeknd invested in OverActive Media,
the parent company of the Overwatch League franchise Toronto Defiant.
Also, Sean “Diddy†Combs put several coins into high school esports
initiative PlayVS in November 2018, following a $30.5 million Series B
funding round. Play VS gives high school students access to competitions
and scholarships.
Other rappers including XXXTentacion, Lil Pump, 21 Savage, Lil Yachty
and Trippie Redd have played games, primarily Fortnite on Amazon owned
Twitch. When Drake and Tyler “Ninja†Blevins teamed up to play Fortnite
back in March of 2018, the stream broke records.
Gaming Clout
Between the high viewership numbers
and the billions of dollars at stake, these numbers have even captured
the attention of the NBA. Last year, they held a draft for the launch of
their new esports league, selecting 102 professional players in a ceremony that matched its traditional basketball draft.
Also, esports isn’t slowing down any time
soon and the industry is ripe for cultivating and investing in
up-and-coming talent. More than 50 colleges have esports programs and
offer scholarships for players. Not to mention that video games have out
earned all of Hollywood’s offerings and all record label projects
combined over the last eight years and counting.
Hip hop’s impact on video games through esports has played a major
role in various marketing campaigns to reach new markets. For example,
following a partnership with esports group Mousesport, German
streetwear chain SNIPES released a video featuring rapper Rick Ross
alongside the announcement of its new collection.
Sneaker culture has long been connected to hip hop and is now being
intertwined with esports. In summer 2018, Drake’s 100 Thieves entered
into a partnership with streetwear and sneaker reselling platform
StockX. These professionals are on the path to become celebrities in
their own right and will probably start signing major sneaker deals of
their own.
