COMPETITION

At long last, Overwatch 2 will be opened to Overwatch league teams, who will receive beta access within the next two weeks ahead of the 2022 season. Dexerto reports that it remains unclear whether the release will be exclusive to the Overwatch League teams or tied in to the release of the beta to the wider community. The 20 Overwatch League teams have been practicing for the 2022 season via custom-made modes, created in the game’s Workshop to practice for the new 5v5 competitive setup. The new season starts on May 5.

ESL Gaming laid out plans for ESL Impact, the new Counter-Strike: Global Offensive circuit for women, offering a prize pool of $500,000, and sporting 24 teams from three regions (Europe, North America, South America). The season will begin on March 17 and run for six weeks with games on Thursdays and Fridays. Eight teams will compete in each region and the top two teams from each (plus two wildcard teams) will compete in the global finals at DreamHack Dallas, taking place in June.

Ubisoft confirmed that the August 2022 Rainbow Six Major, which was slated to take place in the United Arab Emirates, will now be relocated after a bevy of negative feedback from the community. The publisher stated that the tournament will now be moved to another Rainbow Six Esports region after first announcing UAE on Feb. 20. The announcement drew criticism from the Rainbow Six community, citing human rights abuses and the nation’s laws against LGBTQ+ people.

Saturday sees the NBA 2K League Draft, held virtually on 6p and livestreamed on the NBA 2K League’s Twitch and YouTube channels ahead of the league’s fifth anniversary season. All 24 NBA 2K League teams, including the league’s expansion team representing Mexico, DUX Gaming, will complete their five-person rosters during the three-round draft. The Gen.G Tigers of Shanghai will have the first overall pick with Cavs Legion GC selecting second and Bucks Gaming picking third

BLAST entered into a year-long partnership with Fortnite to produce and deliver all FNCS events in 2022 that will see BLAST operate the entire FNCS Chapter 3 broadcast schedule during each Fortnite season. Leo Matlock, MD for Development at BLAST, said: “This kind of collaboration with publishers has become a huge area of growth and focus for BLAST as a business over the last 18 months. The fact that one of the world’s leading game titles has entrusted its 2022 competitive scene to us is testament to the world-class output we’ve created during this period, and we believe we’re just at the beginning of our journey.”

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Allied Esports and NASCAR renewed their partnership to bring the eNASCAR Arcade on the Allied Esports Truck to 17 race weekends across the 2022 NASCAR Cup Series schedule starting at the DAYTONA 500. eNASCAR Arcade activations will again provide attendees with a racing experience via iRacing simulators on the truck’s main stage. Select eNASCAR Arcade stops will also include driver appearances, live radio and TV hits featuring NASCAR talent, prizes and giveaways.

Indiana Esports Development announced that The Esports Combine, in partnership with Horizon League, will return in-person on March 7-8 at Indiana Farmers Coliseum and Event Center. The event will serve as a collegiate recruiting event for esports athletes and will feature an NBA 2K showcase. The combine also features educational roundtables and panel discussions.

SPONSORSHIP & ACTIVATION

The Minnesota Twins unlocked a deal with Wisdom Gaming that will see the MLB franchise become the official spring 2022 sponsor of Minnesota Varsity League, Wisdom’s academic level esports organization. The partnership marks the first title one sponsor for MNVL, whose spring season kicks off March 21, culminating with the State Finals in June. The Minnesota Twins join current partners Torrent, MN Rokkr, GWOOP, and LeagueSpot. “We are excited to be partnering with Wisdom Gaming to sponsor the MNVL Spring 2022 season,” said Chris Iles, Senior Director, Brand Experience and Innovation for the Minnesota Twins. “The commitment that Wisdom has put forth with MNVL is an incredible testament to the innovation that exists within esports, and the Minnesota Twins are proud to foster this spirit – and its ability to empower the full potential of our youth – within our state.”

FTX US forged a new partnership with Nerd Street, that sees FTX US become a partner and the presenting sponsor for the upcoming Nerd Street Championships this summer. FTX US will also be a presenting sponsor of Nerd Street’s national schedule of weekly community events at their nine owned-and-operated esports venues. In addition, FTX US will power Nerd Street’s ability to accept crypto payments, offer crypto payouts to its users, and empower additional future blockchain-related features.

ESL Gaming announced a partnership with German dairy brand Müllermilch to become a premium partner of ESL Meisterschaft this year. Fans and participating teams at the event will receive a range of Müllermilch products. In addition, Müllermilch will also join the partnership roster for IEM Cologne taking place in July 2022.

PLATFORMS

Twitch revealed its plans for TwitchCon in 2022, locking in locations and dates for the return of its events in both North America as well as Europe. The first event will be held in Amsterdam on July 16-17, while the event comes back to San Diego from Oct. 7-9. This will mark the first in-person TwitchCon since September 2019, when the convention was held at the San Diego Convention Center.

Riot Games launched a new logo and media site, with the new visual branding slated to be first out of the gate as a larger Riot Games brand redesign takes place during 2022. “As Riot enters its second decade, we felt the timing was right to update and expand the Riot Games visual system to set us up for success long-term,” the company said in the announcement, adding “The change to the logo was an output of building a more cohesive visual system including the creation of additional unique assets (like typography) that will help players recognize us more easily where we show up. “

ESPAT and ESL Gaming cemented a new partnership that will see Intel Extreme Masters (IEM) and ESL Pro League images from the ESL Pro Tour for CS:GO distributed on the ESPAT platform for editorial use. ESPAT will work with ESL Gaming’s photography team to capture and distribute key photographic moments on broadcast, at the Arena and behind the scenes across IEM calendar events and throughout the ESL Pro League season. In addition, ESPAT will become the home to the ESL image archives. The exclusive partnership kicks off with IEM Katowice 2022 this week. “ESL Gaming is one of the preeminent organizations in the world of gaming and esports, with unparalleled global reach,” said ESPAT CEO Matt Hill. “ESPAT is proud to call ESL a partner, and together we look forward to driving innovation within gaming content creation. Our licensing and technology solution will help scale the accessibility of premium ESL imagery while generating new ways for photographers and creators to monetize their platforms. We’re excited to enhance our service of the CS:GO community beginning with IEM Katowice 2022.”

ESL Gaming also forged a deal with Bayes Esports to extend their strategic partnership until 2023. In 2022, ESL Gaming and Bayes Esports will focus on the extension of content by adding additional game titles, as well as the optimization of coverage by achieving a near 24/7 availability of content. Furthermore, they will explore possibilities for data-driven content and marketing solutions for existing and new partners of ESL Gaming.

ONE Esports announced its partnership with player analytics platform, Mobalytics, to create a series of multi-platform content to help players improve their performance in esports. As part of the partnership, ONE Esports and Mobalytics will collaborate to create unique content pieces to be published on oneesports.gg and mobalytics.gg, as well as across both companies’ social channels. “ONE Esports has an expertise in producing engaging content and reaching large audiences through our platform, and this partnership with Mobalytics will help strengthen the bonds that we have with our fans who want to enhance their in-game competitiveness,” said Carlos Alimurung, CEO, ONE Esports. “Mobalytics’ insightful analytics is a great complement to ONE Esports’ captivating storytelling capabilities, and we look forward to helping gamers win more frequently and decisively.”

TEAMS

FaZe Clan is working with the LA Kings for a second merchandise collaboration. The limited-edition FaZe Clan x LA Kings capsule, which consists of red and black lace up hoodies featuring repurposed retro Kings prints, will only be available to purchase in person at the LA Kings vs San Jose Sharks game on March 10th at the Crypto.com Arena. FaZe Clan and the LA Kings will also offer ticket bundles and ticket giveaways.

CSM Sport & Entertainment secured global gaming and esports brand Evil Geniuses as its newest client. As the new agency of record of sponsorship sales for Evil Geniuses, CSM will assist the company in identifying, developing and securing commercial partnerships with high-profile brands that will further expand Evil Geniuses brand recognition with global audiences.

Complexity Gaming is announcing the Complexity Stars HBCU Rebirth Rumble, a $10,000 Warzone tournament hosted by Complexity Stars athlete and 2x NBA Champion J.R. Smith. In celebration of Black History Month, HBCU students will have an opportunity to play alongside athletes and Call of Duty influencers in the 3-vs.-3 Warzone competition on February 28. Confirmed participants include Complexity Star athletes – Leonard Fournette, Sean O’Malley, Megan Anderson, and Edwin Rios – and Warzone players and creators – Tommey, Swishem, iSmixie, and JaredFPS.

INDUSTRY

Capcom took a step forward at the Capcom Pro Tour 2021 Season Final, announcing Street Fighter 6 with a sneak preview, in addition to the reveal of Capcom Fighting Collection. The teaser trailer featured staple fighter Ryu getting ready to grapple with newcomer Luke.

On the flip side, Bloomberg broke that in 2023, there will be no new Call of Duty games released, ending an annual streak that spanned nearly two decades. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 will still launch in 2022 as planned, while Call of Duty 2023, developed by Treyarch, will now be released late in 2024. Other CoD content will be unveiled, however.

A new report from Future Publishing shows that the lasting impact of the Covid-19 pandemic has led to greater time spent gaming, with 68% of adults reporting that their play time has increased. The Gaming Now + Next report highlights that time spent playing video games had significantly increased among women more than men (41% vs 37%). “We have studied consumer behavior in gaming to help us react quickly to the changing demands of our 38 million monthly global gaming readers. It’s clear gaming has become a powerhouse of the entertainment industry and Future’s audiences are spending more time with gaming in the wake of disruption stemming from the pandemic,” said Jason Webby, North American CRO at Future.

1,000 Dreams Fund, a national nonprofit that “supports the dreams of talented young women in need with scholarships, mentorship and other critical resources,” revealed the return of the BroadcastHER Academy, an esports and gaming fellowship program for women who are interested in pursuing careers in the esports industry. Partners include Allied Esports and HyperX. Both partners have sponsored the fellowship program since its launch in 2019.

The University of California, Irvine became a founding member of Voice of Intercollegiate Esports in a move to take an active role in shaping the higher education esports ecosystem. As a member of VOICE, UCI will join other collegiate esports leaders in conversations about issues in the esports environment. UCI Chancellor Howard Gillman will head the organization’s President’s Council, convening key people from many of the top academic institutions to address the rapidly growing esports landscape.

The South by Southwest Gaming Awards announced that this year’s virtual Ceremony will be co-hosted by Jana Morrison and Samantha Aucoin, the leads of Syfy’s Astrid & Lilly Save the World. Produced by Georgia-based Peach Maria Productions, executive produced by Laurie Lockliear, the Awards will stream for free as part of SXSW Online on March 12 at 7p.

ROSTER MOVES

Skillshot Media and Ghost Gaming are joining forces to launch Resurgens Gaming, designed to become “the southeast’s largest gaming media platform.” As part of the new partnership, Resurgens Gaming will establish its headquarters at Uptown Atlanta, the one-million-square-foot mixed-use development that is undergoing redevelopment and emerging as a regional esports gaming hub. The two independent companies have merged under an Atlanta ownership group but will continue to operate under their existing and separate brands. Under the Resurgens Gaming ownership group, longtime gaming executive Todd Harris has been named CEO of both Ghost Gaming and Skillshot Media. Nabil Ismail, an executive at Hi-Rez Studios for 11 years before co-founding Skillshot, will become President of Skillshot Media.

TSM has announced the addition of Matthew Boyd as its new Head of Research and Insights and Chris Insolera as Vice President of Sales for the org. Boyd and Insolera’s roles at TSM will include propelling growth of TSM’s existing commercial roster in addition to managing the org’s strategic long-term initiatives.