RuHub has acquired Russian broadcasting rights for Counter-Strike: Global Offensive league FLASHPOINT.

The deal, which is the first media rights agreement for the league, will see ESforce Holding-owned RuHub broadcast the action on its Twitch channel.

The inaugural season of the team-owned league, which features a $1m prize pool and runs from 13 March to 19 April, will launch tomorrow at the company’s Los Angeles studio.

Originally it had been planned to hold playoffs in Stockholm, but this has been changed due to the escalating COVID-19 (coronavirus) crisis. Instead, the entire competition will now be hosted at the Los Angeles studio.

So far, FLASHPOINT has confirmed eight founding teams: Cloud9, c0ntact Gaming, Dignitas, FunPlus Phoenix, Gen.G, Immortals Gaming Club (owner if MIBR), OverActive Media (owner of MAD Lions), and Team Envy.

Last week, betting operator Pinnacle was confirmed as the first official sponsor of FLASHPOINT.

AYO.NEWS says:

So far this year we’ve seen quite a few broadcasting rights deal, especially from ESL, which has sold Pro League rights to TV2 Denmark, Maincast (CIS), ProSiebenSat.1 (DACH), and Telia (Finland), so we expect to see more from FLASHPOINT too.

AYO.NEWS says features the opinion of the author and does not necessarily reflect the views of Pentagon Digital Limited.

All original content featured on this site is © Pentagon Digital Limited, 2020.

Activision Blizzard has cancelled all Overwatch League homestand events, globally, until at least the end of April, in response to the snowballing COVID-19 (coronavirus) crisis.

Scheduled Overwatch League matches will still be played, and broadcast, in March and April, but they will not be in venues with live audiences.

Paris Eternal’s April homestand had already been cancelled due to the current French government ban on events with more than 1,000 attendees.

An official statement from Activision Blizzard said:

“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.”

AYO.NEWS says:

Of course, the great thing with esports is they can still be played between players internationally, even when physical travel is halted. However, the cancelling of live fan events is sure to have a substantial financial impact on esports businesses, and with the crisis rapidly escalating, it looks like things will be getting a lot worse before they get better.

AYO.NEWS says features the opinion of the author and does not necessarily reflect the views of Pentagon Digital Limited.

All original content featured on this site is © Pentagon Digital Limited, 2020.

Jen Neale has been appointed Communications Strategist at esports consultancy The Story Mob, after leaving Immortals Gaming Club (IGC).

With IGC since 2017, Neale was the organisation’s Public Relations & Communications Manager, and later also Executive Assistant to the Chief Executive Officer. At IGC she managed communications for several company brands, including Immortals, Los Angeles Valiant, MIBR, and OpTic Gaming Los Angeles.

Before joining IGC, Neale worked in traditional sports, writing freelance for The Associated Press, and with Yahoo as an NHL Reporter/Managing Editor.

Since being founded by Anna Rozwandowicz, Kalie Moore, and Nicola Piggott, in 2018, The Story Mob has attracted many major clients including BITKRAFT Esports, ESL, Riot Games, Fnatic, Team Liquid, Red Bull, Kinguin, and Misfits Gaming.

The agency now has offices in Amsterdam, Berlin, and Los Angeles.

Illustrating its intimate knowledge of what makes the esports industry tick, in September last year The Story Mob published its second guide, Beautiful Weirdos: Telling the Stories of Esports Heroes.

AYO.NEWS says:

The Story Mob is a great example of the new breed of marketing and PR agencies that are genuinely in-tune with the esports ecosphere, and able to effectively communicate stories and messages to the unique communities that make up the sector. We’re sure Neale will bring a wealth of knowledge and skills to the Mob, and wish her the best of luck!

AYO.NEWS says features the opinion of the author and does not necessarily reflect the views of Pentagon Digital Limited.

All original content featured on this site is © Pentagon Digital Limited, 2020.

Riot Games has postponed the League of Legends 2020 Mid-Season Invitational (MSI) due to the rapidly worsening COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic.

The developer has pushed the MSI back from May to July, and summer split time for several regional competitions have also been altered to in response. Riot also announced the annual inter-regional Rift Rivals competition has been cancelled.

Explaining the move Global Head of League of Legends Esports, John Needham, said:

“After discussing with our leagues and other stakeholders, we’ve made the decision to move our annual mid-year global tournament event from May to July this year. Shifting the tournament to the summer offers the best chance to see travel restrictions lifted, allowing teams from leagues around the world to travel and compete safely.”

AYO.NEWS says:

Events across the esports, sports, gaming and tech sectors are falling like dominoes as the COVID-19 virus gains a foothold in Europe and North America. However, organisers of some events, like ESI New York, are saying they intend to press ahead despite the obvious risks.

Earlier today we reported that attendees at recent blockchain events in London and Paris are being urged to get tested after a delegate announced he had been infected with COVID-19.

AYO.NEWS says features the opinion of the author and does not necessarily reflect the views of Pentagon Digital Limited.

All original content featured on this site is © Pentagon Digital Limited, 2020.

Florida-based esports organisation Misfits Gaming has partnered with keyboard and keycap provider Matrix Keyboards.

The year-long deal will see Matrix supply custom keyboards for each of Misfits Gaming Group’s properties, including Overwatch League team Florida Mayhem, and Call of Duty team Florida Mutineers.

A jersey sponsorship covering players in North America is also included in the agreement.

Commenting on the partnership CEO and Co-founder of Misfits Gaming Group, Ben Spoont, said:

“Choosing to work with Matrix Keyboards was a no brainer after learning more about their teams’ commitment to high-quality peripherals built for esports athletes. I can’t wait to reveal some of the custom Misfits, Mayhem, and Mutineers products we’ve been working on and get them in the hands of our fans!”

While a Matrix Keyboards spokesperson added:

“Teaming up with Misfits Gaming Group is something we are very excited about as we believe this to be a big step in innovating team and player branded products, and we couldn’t be more thrilled to start that with some of the top pros and teams across various gaming platforms.”

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Despite COVID-19 rapidly gaining a foothold in the United States, including New York, and many experts predicting the country is just weeks behind Italy, organisers say ESI New York is expected to go ahead on 27-28 April.

Organisers released a statement saying they are “closely monitoring the Coronavirus” and are in constant discussions with the venue and key partners, but said there are “no plans to change the current roadmap” and that the event is anticipated to go ahead as planned.

Managing Director and Co-founder of Esports Insider, Sam Cooke, went as far as saying:

“Of course with regards to COVID-19 we’re making sure we’re following all expert advice and constantly monitoring its progression, but we’re committed to delivering an extraordinary event, and so far there’s been no indication we will make any changes to the conference.”

AYO.NEWS says:

Quite frankly, given how events are unfolding, this is unbelievable. Only yesterday Governor Andrew M. Cuomo ordered the National Guard to deploy into the New York suburb of New Rochelle, to set up the country’s first ‘Containment Area’, and the general consensus is that things are going to “go Italian” real quick over the coming weeks.

Something tells us either Sam Cooke and co. haven’t been paying enough attention to non-esports news, or they are waiting until ordered to cancel so that insurance pays up. Either way, if we had to bet on this, we’d put money on it being postponed like so many other events.

Earlier today we confirmed that SBC Events has postponed both CasinoBeats Malta and Betting on Sports America. 

AYO.NEWS says features the opinion of the author and does not necessarily reflect the views of Pentagon Digital Limited.

All original content featured on this site is © Pentagon Digital Limited, 2020.