06/14/18: Jersey Mike’s signed on as sponsor of the NA LCS Summer Split

CynopsisESPORTS
It’s Thursday June 14, 2018 and this is your weekly early morning Esports briefing. 

Jersey Mike’s ordered up a new deal that will see the brand sponsor Riot’s NA LCS. The chain will sponsor fan activations for onsite ticket-holders at the NA LCS Arena, as well as a gift-with-purchase promotion designed for Jersey Mike’s customers and LoL Esports fans, who can redeem promo codes for League of Legends in-game items and prizes, such as Hextech chests and keys, loot skins, and RP packages. Additionally, fans can enter a sweepstakes to win an all-expenses-paid trip and exclusive VIP ticket to experience the 2018 NA LCS Summer Finals, taking place at the Oracle Arena in Oakland this September.
 
“As a longtime supporter of traditional sports, Jersey Mike’s is excited to enter the world of esports by partnering with the NA LCS,” said Rich Hope, Chief Marketing Officer, Jersey Mike’s Franchise Systems, Inc. “We believe this sponsorship is a great fit for Jersey Mike’s and LoL Esports fans alike, and look forward to connecting with the passionate League of Legends community each week.”
 
 
COMPETITION and VENUES

With millions of eyes tuned in to the Fortnite Pro-Am tournament at E3 this week, Epic Games used the spotlight to unveil plans for the Fortnite World Cup, designed to support “community organized events, online events, and major organized competitions all over the world.” Qualifiers will launch later this year, with the first Fortnite World Cup running in early 2019, offering both Solos and Duos competition for the previously-announced $100 million prize pool that would be dedicated to the game’s esports tournaments, split between events at different levels of competition around the world. Meanwhile, Epic Games also served up a peek at the ‘Observer Mode’ on the game that could be leveraged for future esports tournaments.
 
Anyway, the $3 million Fortnite Pro-Am Tournament, featuring 50 teams that paired streamers with celebrities, saw not only a reported two-mile line to get in (per ESPN), but also scored nearly two million viewers across multiple channels, according to multiple reports, with Twitch alone drawing 1.3 million, including more than 700,000 on the official Fortnite channel.
 
Intel and ESL unveiled plans to bring Intel Extreme Masters to the Shanghai New International Expo Center on August 3-6, during ChinaJoy 2018. The 72nd global IEM event will feature gripping CS:GO gameplay with eight teams fighting for their share of a $250,000 pool prize. “Thousands of fans have attended esports tournaments throughout Asia, and we hope that after Sydney, the stop in Shanghai is another step towards building up CS:GO as a truly global esports title,” said Michal Blicharz, Vice President of Pro Gaming at ESL. “The passion behind the fans and players will make for an amazing esports experience that ESL looks to create, and we aim to make this event unforgettable.”
 
Bandai Namco booked the Dragon Ball FighterZ World Tour, a new tournament series for the fighting game slated to begin this year. The company posted that play would begin at CEO 2018 in Daytona Beach from June 29-July 1. Registration closes on June 19.
 
Objective unlocked! Entries are NOW open for the 2018 Tempest Esports Business Awards, honoring the industry’s most innovative companies, personalities, campaigns, and executives. With categories that span production, marketing, talent and technology, your team’s work in the space will not go unnoticed. Enter before July 19 to save. Awards will be presented at the Esports Business Summit on Oct. 2.
 
Riot Games unveiled its talent lineup for the EU LCS summer split, with play beginning tomorrow. Hosting duties will fall to Eefje “Sjokz” Depoortere, with Laura “Bulii” Valee as interviewer and Josh “Jarge” Smith as analyst. Color casters will include Christy “Ender” Frierson,” Dan “Foxdrop” Wyatt,” Martin “Deficio” Lynge, and Andrew “Vedius” Day. Handling play-by-play casters include Daniel Drakos, Aaron “Medic” Chamberlain, Devin “Piratechnics” Younge and Trevor “Quickshot” Henry. Additionally, two guests will join on a regular basis.
 
The NHL announced that the 2018 NHL Gaming World Championship Final will be streamed live on Twitch.tv/NHL on June 19 at 4p with the action coming from Esports Arena Las Vegas. Finalists will compete in a round-robin style format to open the tournament with the top two competitors at the end of the round-robin portion then facing off in a best-of-three final to determine the 2018 NHL Gaming World Champion. The World Finals will then be showcased on the NBCSports.com and the NBC Sports app on June 25 in addition to a special one-hour television broadcast on NBCSN on June 28 at 8p. In Canada, Sportsnet will carry the final on its digital platforms on June 25 with a one-hour television premiere on Sportsnet on June 26 at 4p.
 
 
INSIGHTS


In addition to monitoring the platform activity of Twitch, Stream Hatchet tracks gaming live streams on YouTube Gaming, Mixer, Facebook, Periscope and Smashcast. This week, we’re looking at the top 4 western streaming platforms as Twitch disruptors. Here are the insights:
  • Twitch is the most popular western platform, with 79% of the total hours watched, and 66% of the total airtime.
  • Although Mixer has less hours watched than YouTube Gaming, it has more airtime. Perhaps this is due to the simplicity of streaming directly from Xbox.
  • Facebook, the youngest streaming platform, lags behind its competitors with less than 1% of the total airtime, and 1% of the total hours watched.
For more insights, visit our blog at: blog.streamhatchet.com.
 
 
ACTIVATION

Overwatch League squad LA Valiant, owned by Immortals, and Lionsgate announced a cross promotional partnership for the comedy film “Uncle Drew” from Lionsgate’s Summit Entertainment label. The deal, a first in esports, will see members of the Valiant sport “Uncle Drew” branded jerseys through the Overwatch League playoffs. “This collaboration with two of our partners, Lionsgate and PepsiCo, arms us with the resources, IP, and creative thinking to continue our goal of leading the esports world in innovation,” said Ari Segal, President & COO of Immortals and the LA Valiant. “This partnership will integrate a major motion picture with a top esports team and its fan base in a deep and contextual way that’s never been attempted previously in this space.”
 
ELEAGUE and The Kraken Black Spiced Rum inked a new marketing partnership, with the rum brand now the first Official Distilled Spirits Partner of ELEAGUE. The partnership spans across all ELEAGUE owned and operated platforms on television, digital and social.As part of the agreement, ELEAGUE also introduced the “ELEAGUE KRAKEN Boss Battle,” a feature where pro players and fans can compete against one another in front of a live audience. ELEAGUE will also launch a custom branded website, which will house exclusive recap videos and a leaderboard of the top 5 competitors.
 
Intel announced plans to broaden its ties with ESL, reaffirming its support for the grassroot Go4 tournaments on ESL Play and increasing the haul from $30,000 to $50,000. In addition, Intel offering additional rewards to all competing players thanks to the Intel Go4 Challenge and a slate of raffles.
 
BEDGEAR unlocked a partnership with NBA 2K team Mavs Gaming, expanding on its two-year run as the Official Performance Sleep Partner of the Dallas Mavericks. BEDGEAR outfitted the Mavs Gaming apartment with a personalized Performance Sleep System for each player.
 
Esports Arena, GameSpot and Jack in the Box hamburger chain teamed up for a first-of-its-kind experience at E3 featuring the event’s debut of Esports Arena DRIVE, North America’s first mobile esports touring arena at Microsoft Square at LA Live. The GameSpot Battle Rig Fueled by Jack in the Box – an 80-foot, 18-wheel, 35-ton semi-trailer – is showcasing three days of Battle Royale solo, duo and squad competitions on the Esports Arena DRIVE stage with participants competing for prizes and giveaways. Various celebrity meet-and-greets and autograph sessions will also take place at the truck each day.
 
AOC, specializing in high performance gaming monitors, debuted their global esports sponsorship program in North America by partnering up with G2 Esports. “We are really thrilled about our partnership with G2 Esports”, said David Ray, Director of Marketing for North America, AOC. “Working with top-notch esports teams inspires us in the way we think about product design and helps us identify which feature sets suit the respective genre or title best. G2 provides superb training facilities and excellent conditions for their players, and we’re looking forward to living up to those standards with our premium AGON series.”
 
Evo 2018, running Aug. 3-5 from Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino in Las Vegas, will have a new presenting sponsor, with Cygames, producers of the Shadowverse digital card game, signing on. Plans include a booth at Evo 2018 to showcase Cygames Beast and Shadowverse game. “We are thrilled to partner up with Cygames for Evo 2018,” said Director of Global Business Development, Mark “MarkMan” Julio. “The Cygames brand across their products and their Cygames Beast gaming team are synonymous with quality and care. We’re excited to have new layers of support for players, the community, and the overall event from such a prestigious company.”
 
A CYNOPSIS MESSAGE
brands.media.tech.teams.together.
October 1-3 | Caesars Palace, LV
 
Meet the top partners from key Esports segments including distribution, leagues, venues, streaming, licensing, consulting, agencies and more. Booths and sponsorships are limited, so don’t get shut out – lock in now for prime locations & activations!
 
Contact us today – we look forward to working with you!
Chris Florio | 908-376-8701 | Andrew Katz | 203-899-8447
 

CONSUMER SNAPSHOT

Sponsors of the Inaugural Season of the Overwatch League have seen significant growth to their social media feeds coming from the Overwatch fan base. OMEN by HP and Sour Patch Kids had the smallest following of any of the sponsors before the start of the league and saw the largest percent growth. The sponsors collectively gained tens of thousands of new followers. This is significant for non-endemic brands like T-Mobile and Toyota who are looking to draw the younger esports consumers to their marketplaces.

 
 
PLATFORMS


Cloud9 will partner with mobile entertainment network Mammoth Media to serve not only as the presenting sponsor for matches played by the Cloud9 Academy team during the North America League of Legends Academy Summer Split, but also to serve up the first-ever broadcast of the North America League of Legends Academy Series. Fans will be able to tune-in to watch the series during Cloud9’s Twitch broadcast with a chance to win cash prizes by playing esports-themed trivia on Mammoth Media’s newest entertainment destination, Arena. Every Thursday prior to the day’s LCS Academy match, Cloud9 will host an exclusive pre-game show on Twitch where they will provide highlights, interviews, as well as kick off a live trivia game on Arena where players can choose their mob and battle to win money. During the game, viewers on Cloud9’s Twitch channel will see Cloud9’s own casting talent, including former players, staff members, and friends of the C9 family. In addition, in the post-match wrap-up show, Cloud9’s Academy team will join viewers during the second Arena trivia game for some head-to-head competition.
 
Counter Logic Gaming is bringing in web publishing platform Squarespace as an official partner, in an alliance that will include the launch of CLG’s new website, built using Squarespace, and the start of the 2018 LCS Summer Split. Squarespace will be the first partner to be featured on the shoulder jersey patch of all of CLG’s teams. “We are excited to partner with the cutting-edge website publishing platform Squarespace that aligns so well with CLG,” said Nick Allen, COO of Counter Logic Gaming. “Squarespace enables millions of people to pursue their dreams and create a home for their online identity – a mission that we know resonates with the entire esports industry. We’re thrilled to begin this partnership and look forward to developing it throughout the upcoming year.”
 
Microsoft’s live game streaming service Mixer has hit the 20 million monthly active user benchmark, up from 10 million six months ago. At E3, Microsoft stated that most of the growth came from mobile users.
 
 
INDUSTRY

E3 2018 closes its doors this evening after visits from more than 60,000 attendees from more than 100 countries attending this year’s event. More than 200 exhibitors, including 85 companies that are exhibiting for the first time at E3, took part. “Gamers are the heart of E3, whether they are on the show floor playing just-announced titles, watching from home, or participating in E3 Coliseum panels with their favorite industry creators,” said Michael D. Gallagher, president and CEO of ESA. “E3 is a celebration of the gamer and a showcase for the companies and entrepreneurs that work every day to surprise and delight the passionate fans who drive the innovation, creativity, and momentum of a global industry projected to surpass $138 billion in 2018.” The bevy of announcements this year included (but are certainly not limited to) The Elder Scrolls VI from Bethesda Softworks, Assassin’s Creed Odyssey from Ubisoft, Halo Infinite from Xbox, Shadow of the Tomb Raider from Square Enix, and more.
 
One announcement saw Microsoft unveil five new internal studios, including The Initiative, a new Santa Monica, California-based studio is being headed up by Darrell Gallagher, former studio head at Crystal Dynamics, Pickups also included Undead Labs, Playground Games, Ninja Theory, and Compulsion Games. “We are committed to building an industry leading first-party studios organization. And as you saw earlier, we are making one of our greatest single year investments in teams by adding five new creative studios,” Xbox chief Phil Spencer said at the end of the Xbox press conference. “We have committed our team, our company, our technical resources, so we can declare to you today, and next year, and all of the years after that, you will always experience the best of gaming on Xbox.”
A CYNOPSIS MESSAGE
CALL FOR ENTRIES NOW OPEN
Presented by Cynopsis, Chief Marketer and Event Marketer
The Tempest Awards celebrate the brands, teams, leagues, players and business leaders driving the competitive gaming industry, with categories that span production, marketing, talent & technology.
 
Winners will be announced live on stage during the Esports Business Summit at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas Tuesday, October 2.
 
 

ON THIS DAY in 2010: Microsoft reveals details for Kinect.
 
Trivia: What is the name of Bowser’s daughter in the Mario franchises? (Email [email protected] with your answer and be sure to include your name, company and city.)
 
Answer to Our Last Sports Trivia Question: Which musician appears on the cover of Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock? Answer: Slash. Kudos: Luke Watson-Essential TV/NY; Jorge Tatto-Wasserman/Toronto; Allison Weiner-MMSI/Warwick; Joey Olseon-Lowe’s/DC; Daniel Hanson/Vail; Tom Moore-Kalt Productions/LA; David Westberg-SAG-AFTRA Federal Credit Union/Burbank
 
Later — Chris
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JOB OPENING: DIGITAL PRODUCERS (PART TIME)/CharmTV/Baltimore: CharmTV is recruiting digital producers that have experience in content marketing and storytelling for digital and social platforms across various genres. Resumes and portfolios should be sent to [email protected] (6/16)

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JOB OPENING: PRODUCER/Spectrum TV/Columbus OH: Produce assigned newscasts & news inserts making decisions on story lineup, video/audio elements, graphics and timing to construct show. 3+ yrs TV news exp. Full info/apply HERE REQ 219283BR (6/15)

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Creating and implementing a broad variety of high quality artwork for use in our games and media.
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Ensure that Madden Ultimate Team (MUT) is a cohesive, accessible user experience with consistent interactions and visual identity.
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Designers manage the design and development process for multiple casino slot games from concept through Regulatory approval.
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Put your experience in Selenium, Python, JavaScript, React, Node.JS and other tools/frameworks to good use on a daily basis.
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