Good morning! This is your weekly Esports Brief.

A week dominated by coronavirus headlines was capped on Wednesday by news that E3 2020 had been cancelled. The mega-gaming event had been slated to run June 9-11 in LA, but the ESA noted in the announcement that “Following increased and overwhelming concerns about the COVID-19 virus, we felt this was the best way to proceed during such an unprecedented global situation. We are very disappointed that we are unable to hold this event for our fans and supporters. But we know it’s the right decision based on the information we have today.”

The team is reaching out directly to exhibitors and attendees with information about providing full refunds.

Meanwhile, after the news went official, some anchor exhibitors announced the plans to delivered updates to the community. Microsoft’s Phil Spencer stated on Twitter than fans could expect an “Xbox digital event” to make up for the change, while Ubisoft announced that it is “exploring other options for a digital experience that will allow us to share all the exciting news we have planned.”

Let’s dive into other event casualties as a result of coronavirus precautions…

· Overwatch League is cancelling all league events scheduled for March and April. In a statement, the league said that “Concurrently, we are working hand-in-hand with our teams to see that all matches are played when it’s safe and logistically feasible, staying as close to our originally planned schedule as possible. We are considering the various options available to esports in this effort, so that all teams – including those previously impacted by scheduling changes in China – can get back to doing what they do best.”
· ESL is shifting the upcoming season of the CSGO Pro League from LAN to online in addition to moving the live event finals from Denver to a studio location in Europe.
· With SXSW cancelled, eMLS Cup, which was scheduled to take place in Austin on March 21, has been postponed
· Riot Games is shifting the 2020 Mid-Season Invitational from May to July while also moving dates for the League Summer Split due to coronavirus concerns. MSI will now run July 3 to 19. The Summer Split will begin before MSI in May.
· The virus also caused the delay of the SMITE Pro League’s new season by at least three weeks, according to organizers.
· Electronic Arts announced the postponement and cancellation of several Apex Legends Global Series and FIFA Global Series events
· NetherRealm Studios blocked a live audience at Final Kombat, a key Mortal Kombat 11 event in Chicago.
· The Pokémon Company announced that it would postpone the Pokémon European International Championships, which were set for Berlin on April 17-19.
· A $250,000 Hearthstone Masters Tour event, slated to be played offline in LA on March 20-22, will now become an online competition.
· Newborn CS:GO league FLASHPOINT was set to open play on March 13, but will now host play completely in a Los Angeles studio while an April playoff event in Stockholm was cancelled.
· The League of Legends European Championship will move its spring split final scheduled for April 25-26 to Berlin.
· Bandai Namco will make changes to the schedule for both the Tekken World Tour as well as the SoulCalibur World Tour.
· TwitchCon Amsterdam has been cancelled.
· Psyonix announced that the company was cancelling the Rocket League Season 9 World Championship live event scheduled from April 24-26 in Dallas.

In better news, Epic Games is starting to shore up its esports events for 2020 and announced that the Fortnite Champion Series will be returning with a Duos tournament starting March 20. “In this season of FNCS, there will be two tournament tracks: one for players on PC, and one for players on console and mobile,” the company announced on its site. “Each track will have equal prizing and their own champions. Keep in mind, and this is mission critical, your Duos partner needs to be in the same platform group. This means that PC players cannot partner with console and mobile players.” Top scoring Duos per server region will then move through to the Season Finals.

The launch of Flashpoint is taking its players to a whole new level with the new league hiring a former WWE writer to crank up the personalities who will be competing, according to Dexerto. “We’re going to do some media training with the players, and we have a former WWE writer who’s going to be talking to the players and his job is to work with the players to develop their personalities in the same way that he literally worked with WWE wrestling,” Christopher ‘MonteCristo’ Mykles stated.

The Roland-Garros eSeries by BNP Paribas is teaming up with Team Vitality for its third outing. With the support of Team Vitality’s champion gamers, the world’s leading eTennis players will compete during the French Open in June. “Following the two previous editions of the Roland-Garros eSeries by BNP Paribas, we are looking to go even further in bringing sport and eSports together by calling on prestigious high-profile partners such as Team Vitality,” said Stéphane Morel, deputy CEO of the French Tennis Federation’s Marketing and Business Development Department.

The Call of Duty League recruited new partnerships with Twitter and the U.S. Army for its inaugural season. The multi-year with Twitter sees the platform serve as the source for Call of Duty League highlights and community engagement throughout the next three seasons. Call of Duty League will also leverage Twitter’s conversational products for fan predictions & cheering, along with their recently launched Topics and Lists functionality. Twitter and Call of Duty League have also launched team hashtag emojis for the entire League, allowing fans to share their fandom across the platform. Meanwhile, U.S. Army will be featured in League broadcasts throughout the season as the sponsor of a special segment dubbed “Tactical Play.” Additionally, the U.S. Army Esports Team will participate in Call of Duty Challengers LAN competition. U.S. Army will also be the presenting sponsor of a forthcoming collegiate duos competition tournament series.

FaZe Clan is expanding its alliance with energy drinks brand G FUEL in a move that will see the pair continue to collaborate on content creation, merchandise, and retail distribution of collaborative drink, FaZeberry. The expansion will result in “deeper integration” of FaZe Clan’s personalities for the energy drink brand, with Soleil “Ewok” Wheeler, Kyle “Mongraal” Jackson, Josue “Sway,” and Nate Hill acting as exclusive G FUEL brand ambassadors.

Misfits Gaming named Matrix Keyboards as its official keyboard and keycap provider for 2020. The deal also includes the company’s Overwatch League franchise Florida Mayhem and Call of Duty League franchise Florida Mutineers.

Kwik Trip and Sprite teamed up to serve as official partners of Bucks Gaming, the Milwaukee Bucks’ NBA 2K League team, for the 2020 season. Kwik Trip will provide the team with Sprite brand beverages at its downtown performance center and will receive virtual courtside signage during all Bucks Gaming regular-season home games. As part of the partnership, Bucks Gaming fans will have the chance to win a unique, behind-the-scenes trip to New York City for a regular-season Bucks Gaming matchup in July, where they’ll receive a VIP experience and meet Bucks Gaming players.

The Electronic Gaming Federation will see Acer provide Predator gaming systems to the EGFC regional competition, the New Jersey Army National Guard 2020 MAAC Esports Championships, running March 13-14 in Atlantic City. Acer’s Predator brand will power the MAAC Esports Championships event, supplying all gaming equipment including PC’s, high end monitors and peripherals. Additionally, Acer will present the Predator MVP award across the four different titles of the competition: League of Legends and Overwatch, as well as Rocket League and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate (SSBU), which are EGFC regional championships.

Beasley Esports named James Campbell as the new host of the company’s nationally syndicated radio program, CheckpointXP. The show, heard on 70 radio stations across the United States and Canada on the Sun Broadcast Group Network, is also featured on CheckpointXP.com, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts and Spotify. Campbell, best known as the longtime producer of the popular Dave & Chuck The Freak morning show, currently heard in Detroit, Boston, Ft. Myers, and Tampa. The revamped esports and gaming pop culture program line-up will also feature Co-hosts Robbie Landis and Ric “Weird Beard” Hogerheide.

Top-tier streamer Pokimane locked in a multi-year deal to remain with Twitch. Her deal was negotiated via United Talent Agency and financial terms of the deal weren’t released. Imane “Pokimane” Anys boasts more than 3.9 million followers, streaming since 2013. “Since I began my gaming career on Twitch six years ago, the platform has given me such an incredible opportunity to create content and connect with people around the world,” Anys said in a statement, per The Verge. “The community of streamers on Twitch, as well as the community I’ve built around my channel, both mean so much to me. I want to continue to make a lasting impact on the world of live streaming, and I truly believe there’s no other place that has the infrastructure and tools that will allow me to do so.”

DreamHack and ESL announced that Telia Finland has acquired media rights for the ESL Pro Tour, which will feature an aggregate prize pool of more than $5 million for 2020 from competitions across five continents. “The Finnish CS:GO community is one of the most dedicated in the world which makes it even more exciting to bring them closer to their favorite teams as Telia Finland now will broadcast the ESL Pro Tour,” said DreamHack co-CEO Marcus Lindmark.

TEAMS

TSM entered a new partnership with Stream Hatchet in a move to access insights to video game streaming analytics. Stream Hatchet’s cross-platform measurement technology will help TSM to optimize their live streaming campaigns, providing comprehensive and critical reporting to brand partners and sponsors. “We couldn’t be more excited to work with TSM. Their key influencers and esports teams rank as some of the highest amongst competitive game streaming properties globally,” said Jake Phillips, Chief Revenue Officer of Stream Hatchet. “Stream Hatchet will report on KPIs, providing TSM with the solid performance measurement and metrics the need and want to strategically guide, differentiate, and optimize their business.”

Cloud9 is extending its partnership with Puma with its third product release that will include 22 new items for both men and women. Pricing will span $14-$90 with merchandize available on Puma and C9’s websites starting today. The list of products featured in the lineup includes leggings, hoodies, shirts, shorts and more.

Activision Blizzard is shoring up its own take on the battle royale genre, announcing that Call of Duty: Warzone will be available to play starting today. The “new and massive combat experience” will allow up to 150 players in a free-to-play experience. The game features two modes and is based in Verdansk, described as “an expansive city with multiple named zones and well over 300 points of interest. Each zone features distinct landmarks like the Gorengard Lumber Yard or the Gora Dam; the zones take place across different environment types like cities and rural areas for unique engagements.”

The NFL has entered into a new multiyear partnership with video game publisher 2K Games to develop multiple titles, described as “non-simulation football game experiences.” Current projects are already in early development and are expected to launch sometime in 2021. “We’re thrilled to be back in business with the NFL in a partnership that will span multiple video games centered on fun, approachable and social experiences,” David Ismailer, president of 2K, said. “It’s exciting to bring together 2K’s expertise in creating award-winning sports games with the NFL’s renowned status as a world-class entertainment and sports organization.”

Skillz unveiled its list of the top mobile esports athletes of the decade and in 2019, with seven of the top winners women, including the #1-ranked HestiaX, who ranks sixth on the list of the world’s top-earning esports players across the entire industry. “The growth of esports prizes and prestige reflects a new digital age where billions of people are playing mobile games,” said Andrew Paradise, CEO and founder of Skillz. “The top 10 mobile esports athletes of 2019 have tripled their earnings, winning $24 million compared to the $8 million of 2018’s top players – a testament to the growth of Skillz and esports as a whole.”

Kronoverse locked in a deal with ESL to develop and scale Kronoverse’s upcoming CryptoFights game and the entire Kronoverse gaming platform. “ESL knows what it takes to succeed in the ever-growing esports industry as the oldest and most successful esports company in the world,” says Adam Kling, CEO and founder of Kronoverse. “We’re confident our partnership with ESL will enable us to fully develop the Kronoverse platform. This includes everything from attracting more indie game developers to solving problems in competitive gaming such as cheating.”

ROSTER MOVES

Daniel Alegre is heading to Activision Blizzard, where he will serve as its new president and chief operating officer. He previously served at Google in various roles for 16 years and will begin his new role on April 7.

Jen Neale is joining The Story Mob as Communications Strategist. She comes to the international esports consultancy from Immortals Gaming Club. Neale worked at IGC since 2017, where she was the Public Relations and Communications Manager. Prior to joining Immortals, Neale brought a background in traditional sports, including as a freelance writer for The Associated Press, and as a NHL Reporter/Managing Editor for Yahoo.