Attn: Brands and media buyers! Cynopsis Esports, in partnership with the Esports Advertising Bureau and Player 2, is producing the 2018 Esports Upfront presentation on April 24 at Yale Club in NYC. Select brands, agencies and media buyers only will be shown a slate of opportunities for partnerships from around the industry to activate and engage with this key demo, from platforms to leagues to teams to mobile to streaming influencers and beyond! Presenters include Activision Blizzard’s MLG, Counter Logic Gaming, ESP Gaming, Press X, StreamHatchet and with more announced next week! Note: this is NOT a conference, as the event is designed solely to connect buyers with some of the most interesting esports properties in the market. Invitations have been sent out, but if you are from a brand or agency and we missed you, email [email protected] to express your interest. See you there.
DHL locked in a deal to renew its ties with Formula One in addition to becoming the first official partner of F1’s new esports series. “As the first official partner of the F1 eSports Series, we are very pleased to accompany Formula One on its digital journey and to actively contribute to the expansion and emotionalisation of the product range for fans,” said Arjan Sissing, head of corporate brand marketing at Deutsche Post DHL Group.
Astralis inked a partnership with eSports.com in a move to “secure both parties massive and creative exposure and include a range of new ways of activating a partnership deal,” said Jakob Lund, Co-Founder of RFRSH Entertainment, noting “Over the past 16 months, Astralis has grown to become a major eSports brand, and we are continuously investing to develop new and unique content around the brand. This is something we will exploit further with eSports.com who has shown a great commitment to the partnership by contributing to the biggest ever partnership for both Astralis and RFRSH Entertainment.”
Razer announced a partnership with Spanish Team Queso, the first mobile-only esports team. The two-year deal will see Team Queso using the Razer Phone in their competitive games, as well as other Razer peripherals and equipment with the team focusing on Clash Royale, Vainglory, Arena of Valor and Hearthstone.
GDC this week saw Amazon unveil GameOn, a cross-platform, competitive gaming service for developers, allowing them to easily integrate competitions natively into their games on mobile, PC, or console through a set of flexible APIs. In addition, GameOn allows players to win in-game and/or physical prizes fulfilled by Amazon by playing their favorite games. GameOn currently supports leaderboards, leagues, and multi-round competitions and gives developers the flexibility to create custom events such as local and regional competitions. Developers can also enable players and streamers to create their own user-generated competitions and invite participants, allowing players to connect with friends and expand their gaming network. Early adopters include nWay, Game Insight, Millennial Esports’ Eden Games, Umbrella Games, Nazara, Mindstorm, Mokuni, Avix, and GameCloud Studios.
Meanwhile, Facebook is launching a new software development kit for PC gaming that supports both C++ and Unity in addition to offering new features built for community engagement and analytics. In a developer blog, the company announced that new livestreaming API would allow developers to add Facebook streaming functionality to their PC games without any third-party software and will be available for mobile developers in the coming weeks. Meanwhile, app events and analytics will allow, for the first time, PC developers to assimilate custom app events and use Facebook Analytics to better understand the community around their game.
This weekend’s PGL PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds Spring Invitational will beef up its viewer offerings, announcing that – in addition to the primary stream that will include commentary – all 16 participating teams will also have their own streams to allow audiences to pick their own experience. The action starts today on live.pglesports.com.
YouTube’s carriage of the Esports Championship Series this season will come with viewership perks, with 15 million FACEIT points set to be distributed to viewers over the course of the season, according to Dexerto, which can in turn be redeemed for prizes such as Dragon Lore AWPs, gaming chairs, PCs, skins, and even a customized Fiat 500. The season runs through May 10 and is part of the exclusive broadcast between the video platform and FACEIT, with the live finals from June 8-10.
Ginx Esports TV landed another country under its umbrella, lining up a deal to launch on Hot Telecommunications in Israel. “With the growth of competitive gaming internationally, the appetite for an esports TV channel has never been greater. Hot’s cutting edge multi-media network will enable us to deliver the best esports content to a new audience, perfectly aligned with the millennial profile of esports fans,” said Michiel Bakker, CEO of Ginx Esports TV.
Immortals are betting on the growth of mobile esports, opening a new mobile division, “Immortals Mobile,” and picking up a roster for Arena of Valor. Immortals CEO Noah Whinston said, “Mobile games represent the fastest growing segment of the gaming industry, and mobile esports are poised to benefit from that explosive growth. Today’s announcement is another significant milestone for Immortals, and we are very excited to work with one of the industry’s top mobile game publishers in Tencent to deliver phenomenal mobile gaming experiences to our fans.” To lead the division, Immortals named former Apple executive and experienced mobile esports coach, manager, and caster Jeff “SuiJeneris” Chau as GM of Immortals Mobile
Team Dignitas announced that it has re-signed its SMITE team for 2018. The team retains its five high-profile European players, who return to competition today with a doubleheader against mousesports and Obey Alliance to start the SMITE Pro League Season 5.
In college news, Ashland University announced that its new esports program would be joining the National Association of Collegiate Esports as one of its member institutions. Ashland is offering scholarships of up to $4,000 for esports players who meet the competitive and academic requirements of the program and plans to field teams in League of Legends and Overwatch, but is also looking to pursue competing in other titles, such as Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, Rocket League, Hearthstone and Starcraft.
After unsuccessfully seeking a takeover of Ubisoft, Vivendi has now sold its entire stake in the company, which represented 27.3% of Ubisoft’s capital. The main buyer of the shares was Guillemot Brothers SE in addition to the Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan and Tencent, which purchased 5%. “The evolution in our shareholding is great news for Ubisoft,” said Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot in a statement. “It was made possible thanks to the outstanding execution of our strategy and the decisive support of Ubisoft talents, players and shareholders. I would like to warmly thank them all.”
PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds director Brendan Greene was tapped to deliver the opening “Storytime” keynote at PAX East 2018 this year. The event runs April 5-8 in Boston. In addition to Green’s keynote, that Thursday will also feature a lineup of panels from the likes of Blizzard, Markiplier, Acquisitions Inc. and more. “Brendan Greene’s story is a fascinating one, and PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds is only the latest chapter,” said Jerry Holkins, co-founder, Penny Arcade. “At four full days, this year’s PAX East 2018 is shaping up to be the biggest one yet, and we couldn’t be more thrilled to have the founder of the Battle Royale phenomenon kick off the festivities.”
Timed to GDC, Snap Inc. unlocked new capabilities and partnerships targeted to the game development and creative communities. The company announced that the team behind Lens Studio, Snap Inc.’s Camera Platform for augmented reality creation and distribution, has partnered with Allegorithmic, Klei Entertainment, and StudioMDHR to make AR creation simpler and more accessible and to showcase how the game development “can bring their favorite characters and worlds to life in AR on Snapchat.” Offerings include the Allegorithmic x Lens Studio, a new “Interactive Path” template, and a 2D “Cuphead” Lens:Lens Studio Session
After launching last week through a series of closed invites, Fortnite iOS has reportedly already notched $1 million in in-app purchases within the first 72 hours of release. The game also led iOS app charts in 47 countries with its first 24 hours after launch.
Tribeca Games will present three headline events at the 17th Tribeca Film Festival, presented by AT&T, on April 27-28 in New York City. Celebrating the artistic and technical achievements in video game today, the program includes a special gameplay session of the eagerly anticipated Shadow of the Tomb Raider followed by dialogue with the game’s creative team, an in-depth look at the latest God of War for Playstation4 with Creative Director, Cory Barlog, and a first-of-its-kind all-city League of Legends amateur esports tournament in conjunction with Super League Gaming. Additionally, the Festival will reveal three new games created by NYC-area developers participating in the IBM “Acceleration” Game Jam.
EA Sports announced that UFC President Dana White will be a “free downloadable fighter” in the “UFC 3″ video game. “UFC 2″ featured Mike Tyson, Bruce Lee and color commentator Joe Rogan as playable characters
POWER PLAYERS – Jud Hannigan
Tonight’s opening of Esports Arena Las Vegas marks the latest step for Allied Esports’ investment in venues, which also includes the new Esports Arena Drive, an 18-wheel, 35-ton semi-trailer mobile arena that features a competition stage and full production facility, including an interactive caster studio, social media center and VIP lounge. The Vegas arena spans 30,000-square feet and consists of three connected spaces: the Main Hall, featuring the main competition stage, gaming stations, a two-story video wall, upper- and lower-level VIP rooms, two bars, and production facilities; The Dome, which houses an interactive history of gaming display, a 360-degree videoboard, and a gaming inspired chandelier; and the Front Lobby, featuring additional gaming stations, a streaming booth and a virtual reality experience.
Cynopsis Esports asked Jud Hannigan, CEO of Allied Esports, about the launch and the future of venues in the esports community.
Hannigan on the debut of Esports Arena Drive at Daytona: Esports Arena Drive got off to a fantastic start at the Daytona 500 with its 100 thousand-plus fans in attendance and in alliance with International Speedway Corporation and 704Games. The partnership created a three-day NASCAR Heat 2 competition and included races on site with driver Jeffrey Earnhardt as well as appearances by Motor Racing Network Commentators Dave Moody and Alex Hayden, who called the esports action on stream from our talent desk in front of the crowds on the final day.
On building in Las Vegas: There’s been a tremendous interest since we announced we were building Esports Arena Las Vegas almost a year ago. From time to time throughout the construction process we’ve benefitted from touring local esports communities, business partners and media throughout the space and watching them light up as we shared our vision for what it would become. That’s made us realize that there’s no substitute for seeing the space for yourself and we’re thrilled to open the doors today and begin to translate that experience into our broadcasts.
On tournament partners: We welcome working with all publishers and tournament organizers, which is key to our business and content strategy. We are also very proud to have been selected to host the finals of the 2018 NHL Gaming World Championship in June. With Esports Arena Las Vegas being Allied Esports’ championship destination, many of our own global events will culminate here in Las Vegas. An example of that is the new global circuit we’re launching this weekend called Smash Masters League featuring Super Smash Bros for Wii U.
On challenges: Much like in the entertainment industry, our biggest challenge is ensuring we are providing a compelling offering that keeps guests coming to the venue day in and day out. With a publisher and game-agnostic approach, we are confident we can overcome that by providing fresh, innovative and consistent tournaments and content through our own productions as well as through that of our partners.
On the future of venues: We expect our property network to continue to grow as we develop what will ultimately become a market-based ecosystem for esports and serve as the hub of our content creation. Our third arena in North America opens in Oakland on April 7 and our team in Germany are actively seeking locations in Hamburg to develop our first brick and mortar arena in Europe. In addition, we recognize that more companies are becoming attracted to the esports venue concept and are developing a program that offers inclusion into the Allied Esports Property Network.
Activision Blizzard is tapping the talents of the NBA, NBCU and Prudential Center as the company looks to expand its esports presence. The company added NBA Senior VP/Team Marketing & Business Operations Brandon Snow as CRO; Devils, Prudential Center Chief Marketing & Innovation Officer Daniel Cherry as CMO; and NBCU VP/Revenue Analytics & Strategy Marc Kolin will become VP/Finance & Strategy. “We’re committed to maintaining the highest degree of excellence and professionalism in our operation, as well as creating value for our fans, players, and partners with every aspect of our leagues, and the addition of Daniel, Marc, and Brandon to our management team reflects the depth of that commitment,” said Pete Vlastelica, president & CEO of Activision Blizzard Esports Leagues and Major League Gaming.
