Samsung continues to go all in on Ninja, released a new esports-themed spot based on the mobile version of Fortnite, featuring a young woman who dreams of becoming an esports star. She later plays with rapper Travis Scott before being recruited to the national team to play with Ninja.
NGAGE Esports, owner of Overwatch League’s Houston Outlaws, announced a deal with SquadUP to become the exclusive ticketing provider for company esports initiatives throughout Texas. The partnership will commence immediately with the two organizations working together to build the custom components for ticket sales around NGAGE’s look and branding for the launch of the 2,500 seat Esports Stadium in Arlington later this year. They will also work together on future venues that NGAGE will be managing in 2020.
Fullscreen unveiled 10 new signings from leading creators and brands to the agency, with the combined additions bringing in more than 30 million followers in combined social reach across YouTube, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and Twitch. Names include FaZe Tfue, Nia Sioux, Ireland Boys, Andrea Espada, SLAM, Ivanita, Joel and Lauren, Rikki Rocket, Jonas Bridges and Hollywire to the slate. “As social entertainment is evolving for fans and creators alike, our team is dedicated to building an incredibly diverse roster of emerging and established creators, as well as brands that are at the forefront of creativity and innovation within their categories,” said Beau Bryant, general manager of Talent.
Last week provided a unique opportunity for FanAI to investigate whether or not traditional sports broadcasts would resonate with the esports audience on Twitch. This question has been previously very hard to answer since sports and esports are typically not aired on the same platform. However, on September 27, 2018 the NFL marked their first (legal) streaming of Thursday Night Football on both Twitch and Amazon Prime Video. As others have reported, the broadcast on Twitch earned nearly 130K viewing hours during the 4.5 hours of airtime. FanAI provides a deeper look at how this compares to other audiences on Twitch. As an example, the 2018 FACEIT London Major Finals aired the weekend prior to the NFL stream, providing an opportunity to compare CS:GO viewers with TNF viewers. In total, 1 in 7 people who tuned in to Thursday Night Football also tuned in to the FACEIT London Major Finals. This demonstrates a significant overlap in viewership interests between to very different genres of entertainment. As more sports turn to streaming it will be interesting to see what brands take advantage of this audience overlap, and how these types of trends might extend to other games and other platforms.
FACEIT launched PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds online competitive league, allowing players and organizers the opportunity to create competitions, tournaments, and leagues that feature customization options. “The FACEIT integration offers our community a uniquely competitive framework to play PUBG at a level they haven’t experienced before,” said Hyowon Yoo, Head of Business Development and Operations for NA/EU at PUBG Corporation. “The closed beta proved the value of our partnership, and we can’t wait to watch the competitive scene develop further.”
Now that ESL One New York is wrapped up, Modern Times Group reportedly upped its take in Turtle Entertainment and its ESL division, increasing its investment from 74% to 82.48%, according to TEO.
Google inked a new partnership with Ubisoft to test the company’s new video game-streaming service. The deal will allow select players in the US to stream Assassin’s Creed Odyssey through Google’s Project Stream for free starting Oct. 5. Following the announcement, Ubisoft saw a 1.9% spike in share price, according to Reuters.
Sony confirmed that fan-fest PlayStation Experience will not take place this year. On the PlayStation Blogcast, Worldwide Studios Chairman Shawn Layden stated that the company didn’t have “enough” to bring in the crowds and leave them feeling satisfied with the event.
Walmart is formally launching a retail collectibles space, partnerships with Loot Crate, McFarlane Toys, Funko, and CultureFly for a brand new in-store “collectibles destination,” according to IGN. The report states that Walmart will be the exclusive “brick and mortar retail home of Loot Crate,” with 6 different crates available beginning Oct. 15,
