North American esports organisation Cloud9 has announced a partnership with Danish audio company EPOS. 

The deal makes EPOS Cloud9’s official audio partner, and will involve collaboration on “technology initiatives.” 

Commenting on the partnership Cloud9 CEO & Co-Founder, Jack Etienne, said:

“I see a lot of what we’ve built with Cloud9 in EPOS. Their pursuit of excellence knows no bounds and it’s clear they’re always looking for ways to innovate. We’re excited to be partnering with them and eagerly look forward to the next evolution in our performance.”

While Head of Global Marketing, Gaming, at EPOS, Maja Frølunde Sand-Grimnitz, added:

“At EPOS, we strive to unleash human potential and lift gaming into a whole new dimension through powerful audio solutions and are delighted to be working with a respected esports organisation like Cloud9.

“As a business, we bring 115 years of audio expertise to the Cloud9 partnership and aim to enhance their activities by delivering our state-of-the-art audio equipment to ensure a high-end audio experience for all involved.”

EPOS’ esports sponsorship portfolio also includes partnerships with German organisation SK Gaming, Danish organisation North, and Australia’s premier League of Legends tournament, Riot Games’ Oceanic Pro League. 

Cloud9 also has commercial agreements in place with major brands including AT&T, BMW, PUMA, Red Bull and Secretlab. 

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Argentine esports organisation 9z Team has secured a sponsorship deal with gaming peripherals brand Logitech G. 

The partnership will see Logitech G supply 9z Team players and streamers with its products. 

9z Team currently competes in Valve’s Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, Riot Games’ League of Legends and VALORANT, Epic Games’ Fortnite, PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds, and Tencent’s PUBG Mobile. 

The organisation also has commercial partnerships in place with streaming platforms Claro and Nimo TV, GIGABYTE’s gaming brand AORUS, apparel brand BLK, and energy drink brand Red Bull. 

PRESENTACIÓN OFICIAL: LOGITECH G

Oficialmente damos la bienvenida a un nuevo sponsor a la familia.

¡BIENVENIDO @LogitechG!

Junto a ellos nuestros jugadores y streamers estarán equipados de la mejor manera siempre #TodoVioleta💜 #KeepPlaying #PlayAdvanced pic.twitter.com/NfalddFruM

— 9z Team (@9zTeam) September 1, 2020

Staying with Logitech G’s global efforts, at last month’s ChinaJoy Expo, the company announced it was teaming up with Bilibili Esports to create “in-depth esports content for young audiences.” 

AYO.NEWS says:

A peripheral sponsorship is hardly something new in esports, but it’s interesting to see Logitech add another Latin American organisation, and demonstrates how important the market is becoming. 

‘AYO.NEWS says’ features the opinion of the author and does not necessarily reflect the views of Pentagon Digital Limited or its affiliates or associates. 

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SportQuake is the latest sports agency to enter esports, with the launch of EsportQuake. 

The agency, which until now specialised in football partnerships, says it will take the same “unique 360 approach” to esports, working across all global esports properties to help brands capitalise on opportunities. 

SportQuake has an impressive track record, having facilitated deals between Shopee and Cristiano Ronaldo, FBS and FC Barcelona, eToro and the Premier League, Hotels.com and Tottenham Hotspur, and Fun88 and Newcastle United. 

According to the London-based agency, since 2006 it has invested over £377m GBP on behalf of brands, negotiating more than 100 contracts. Today it also has offices in Madrid, Beijing, and Hong Kong. 

Discussing the move CEO of SportQuake, Matt House, said:

“We’re setting up Esportquake to help brands plan and buy Esports better. The Esports ecosystem offers brands some amazing opportunities but it’s big, it’s new, it’s complicated, it’s evolving very fast and there’s a huge lack of buy side expertise.

“Esportquake will fill this gap providing brands interested in reaching Esports audiences effectively and at the right price with all the rigour and services they would use when buying traditional sports and media.”

AYO.NEWS says:

With esports continuing to explode, we’re seeing a flurry of traditional sports, talent, and marketing agencies either enter esports for the first time, or double down on their esports efforts with dedicated divisions. 

Last month we saw Lagardère Group’s global sports business agency SPORTFIVE launch a new international esports unit, and international modelling agency Ford Models launch an esports and gaming division, while in July, Gary and AJ Vaynerchuks VaynerSports announced a dedicated gaming and esports division, VaynerGaming. 

Meanwhile, esports companies have also been beefing up their own commercial capabilities, acquiring media and marketing agencies. A couple of weeks ago, ReKTGlobal, parent company of Rogue and London Royal Ravens, acquired New-York based Fearless Media. 

‘AYO.NEWS says’ features the opinion of the author and does not necessarily reflect the views of Pentagon Digital Limited or its affiliates or associates. 

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ESL Australia and Chinese developer NetEase are teaming up to mark the launch of MARVEL Super War. 

The Aussie branch of ESL will be operating two online tournaments to celebrate the launch of the mobile MOBA title MARVEL Super War in Australia and New Zealand, while NetEase will provide dedicated Australian servers. 

Commenting on the partnership Publisher Development Lead at ESL, Ben Green, said:

“To be able to collaborate with NetEase on such a well-known IP is a massive opportunity for us here at ESL. We are aiming to fill in the gaps in the mobile esports ecosystem that may have previously been missing, and are giving players across all platforms the opportunity to get their start in mobile esports.”

ELS Australia will also be working with local creators on a range of content to mark the launch. MARVEL Super War is currently available to download in Thailand, the Philippines, Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Macau, and India. 

AYO.NEWS says:

It’s great to see a new title get off to such a promising start and, given the current hostility between the Australian and Chinese governments, it’s good to see the esports and video gaming industry once again rising above the pettiness. 

As we reported earlier today, the Indian government has just banned over 100 apps associated with Chinese companies, including the hugely popular PUBG Mobile, citing security concerns. 

‘AYO.NEWS says’ features the opinion of the author and does not necessarily reflect the views of Pentagon Digital Limited or its affiliates or associates. 

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FACEIT has partnered with the Unified Collegiate Esports Association to host varsity Rocket League, CS:GO, and Overwatch leagues. 

The competitive online gaming platform and international tournament organiser has teamed up with the Unified Collegiate Esports Association (UCEA) to host leagues for the 2020-21 school year. 

Things will kick off this Autumn with Rocket League, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, and Overwatch, with more games planned for Spring 2021. The leagues will be open to all UCEA member institutions – all of whom are verified varsity programs.

Discussing the project Head of Collegiate Esports, FACEIT, Duran Parsi, said:

“We’re hugely impressed by UCEA and the systems they’ve put in place for the Fall leagues. Their partner institutions are home to some of the best collegiate esports players in North America, and we’re thrilled to have this influx of new talent on the platform.

“The FACEIT collegiate esports division was founded to support and help develop grassroots esports through collegiate programs around the world, and this partnership is a shining example in North America.”

While Chief Executive Officer of UEA, Ramsey Jamoul, added:

“Bringing our collegiate leagues to FACEIT will be highly impactful for our players, giving them access to more prestige, awareness, and a supportive platform. As we host our inaugural season, FACEIT ensures we can offer outstanding value and competitions.”

AYO.NEWS says:

The growth of collegiate esports in the United States is impressive, and helping to establish a sustainable pipeline of talent and skilled professionals for the industry as a whole. Other countries should be taking note. 

‘AYO.NEWS says’ features the opinion of the author and does not necessarily reflect the views of Pentagon Digital Limited or its affiliates or associates. 

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PUBG Mobile has been banned in India as tensions with China continue to escalate.

Despite being hugely popular, the government has banned PUBG Mobile along with more than 100 other mobile apps, saying they were “prejudicial to the sovereignty and integrity of India, Defence of India, Security of State and Public Order.” 

The Indian Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology claimed the banned apps were “stealing and surreptitiously transmitting users’ date in an unauthorised manner to servers which have locations outside India.” 

PUBG Mobile was at the heart of the Indian gaming and esports scene, with the country racking up more than 175 million downloads of the game, and Tencent establishing a regional esports initiative for the title. 

AYO.NEWS says:

Given the popularity of PUBG Mobile in India, this ban is going to hit the country’s esports scene hard. But, it also has much bigger, and more ominous implications that go far beyond India. Though some would argue that banning Chinese apps and games is basically just a form of economic warfare, it’s perfectly possible that the Chinese state is indeed using harmless looking apps for nefarious purposes. 

Last month US President Trump issued executive orders to ban Chinese apps TikTok and WeChat, causing Tencent Holdings to lose nearly $54 billion USD in market capitalization. And, in July, the UK banned the use of equipment from Chinese tech giant Huawei in the country’s high-speed wireless infrastructure, citing serious security concerns. 

‘AYO.NEWS says’ features the opinion of the author and does not necessarily reflect the views of Pentagon Digital Limited or its affiliates or associates. 

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