W Series, the Formula 3 all-female motorsports championship, will be an entirely virtual affair this year, as all 8 real-world races are cancelled due to the COVID-19 crisis. 

After consulting with Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA), Formula 1, German Touring Car Masters (DTM), and its partners and suppliers, organisers of W Series made the decision to cancel this year’s real-world racing, and instead entertain fans through a its new W Series Esports League. 

A 10-circuit calendar, run in partnership with peripherals brand Logitech G, Logitech-owned esports community and news outlet Beyond Entertainment, and sim racing software iRacing, the 2020 W Series Esports League will feature digital models of the Tatuus Formula Renault 2.0 car – which is said to be similar in terms of performance to the W Series Tatuus Formula 3 car. 

All 18 drivers who qualified for the real-world W Series this year will be taking part in the new esports league. Three drivers from the 2019 competition will also be joining the new virtual series. 

AYO.NEWS says:

Given the fact that international travel is likely to remain hamstrung by the COVID-19 triggered flight restrictions for some time yet, it’s not surprising to see the W Series cancel its real-life races and migrate to the virtual world. At the end of May we saw the famous Isle of Man TT motorcycle event also ditch real-life races in favour of virtual ones. 

In addition to real-world events moving to the virtual world, we’ve also seen a slew of new sim racing competitions announced recently, driven by the massive profile boost the genre has received during the COVID-19 lockdowns. 

As we reported just yesterday, London-based esports tournament organiser Gfinity has partnered with Abu Dhabi Motorsport Management (ADMM) to create a new sim racing championship, while earlier this week real-world Formula 1 drivers Fernando Alonso and Rubens Barrichello announced they would be racing for the new FA/RB Allinsports team in the Le Mans Virtual. 

And, at the end of last week, prestigious Italian supercar manufacturer Lamborghini officially entered the world of esports, partnering with Assetto Corsa Competizione by Kunos Simulazioni to launch the one-make series The Real Race. 

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ESL Meisterschaft has named non-alcoholic beer brand Bitburger 0.0% as its exclusive refreshment partner. 

For the past two years Bitburger 0.0% has sponsored the ESL One Hamburg event, and has now expanded the partnership to cover the ESL Meisterschaft German National Championship league for Dota 2 and Warcraft III: Reforged competitions. 

Bitburger branding started appearing on ESL Meisterschaft streams on 19 May, and it will also be sponsoring the pre-match segment at the grand finals. Of course, players, talent and crew at the ESL studio will also be kept supplied with beer. 

Commenting on the partnership Head of Sponsoring at Bitburger, Marco Boor, said:

“Esports is an extremely dynamic, growing sport, and from our point of view a sponsorship topic of the future. As a modern company, we always rely on innovative developments and technologies. That is why we got into esports at an early stage and are now very happy to further expand our partnership with ESL.”

While SVP Global Brand Partnerships at EMEA at ESL, Stephan Schröder, added:

“We are very proud to have a top premium brand to this extent on board with Bitburger 0.0%. This is further evidence of our efforts to develop and expand engagements with fantastic partners. Especially in these difficult times, it is great to see that strong brands like Bitburger 0.0% continue to see the opportunities in our competitions.”

AYO.NEWS says:

Well, it certainly makes a change to the energy drink sponsorships we normally see, and we’re sure it will go down well with players, casters and crew. The fact that Bitburger have decided to expand their partnership with ESL also suggests they are happy with their esports efforts so far, which bodes well for the future. 

Unfortunately, here at AYO.NEWS we haven’t had the pleasure of trying Bitburger… but we’re always happy to receive samples 🙂

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North American esports organisation Evil Geniuses has announced a partnership with LG Electronics USA. 

The multi-faceted integrated marketing partnership makes LG UltraGear™ the Official Gaming Monitor of Evil Geniuses, and will see the monitors installed and used throughout the competitive practice and streaming rooms at the EG training facilities in Seattle and Los Angeles. 

LG UltraGear monitors will also feature in EG’s digital content, and players will be highlighting key features of the monitors through exclusive online LG UltraGear streams. LG will also be systematically matching their monitor products to uniquely fit the needs of Evil Geniuses’ day-to-day business across content development/editing, team operations, and the EG business staff. 

The LG UltraGear logo has also been incorporated into EG’s recently unveiled 2020 player jersey design, which celebrates individuality by incorporating details unique to each player. 

Discussing the partnership chief gaming officer at Evil Geniuses, Phil Aram, said:

“This partnership with LG UltraGear is a testament to delivering ‘best-in-class’ across all aspects of our organization. EG’s insatiable desire to outperform ourselves continually fuels us to be in top form competitively, and with LG UltraGear, we have a partner that’s hand-in-hand with us in sharing that mindset.”

While head of home entertainment marketing, LG Electronics USA, Michelle Fernandez, added:

“This is the perfect partnership of industry-leading gaming technology and world-class esports professionals.

“Evil Geniuses features some of the most talented and accomplished esports competitors in the world. LG UltraGear delivers the performance the world’s top professionals and all serious gamers need to gain that edge and win.”

AYO.NEWS says:

A gaming monitor partnership makes sense for any esports organisation, and LG’s products are some of the most impressive available, so we’re sure Evil Geniuses players will be happy. 

Staying with LG, a couple of weeks ago we reported the company’s UK arm had launched a dedicated esports gaming channel in partnership with Kairos Esports. 

‘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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North American esports organisation Cloud9 has announced a strategic partnership with Australia-based Guinevere Capital, Excel Esports’ majority shareholder. 

The agreement, which is already in effect, has seen Guinevere Capital assume logistical control of Kings Row LLC, the Cloud9 subsidiary that operates Overwatch League franchise London Spitfire, and Contenders team British Hurricane. 

Guinevere Capital has brought onboard Duncan McMonagle (formerly with Minute Media) and Jason Spiller (formerly with Microsoft and OMEN by HP), to help forge commercial partnerships and connect with the UK community, as it looks to build strong foundations for London Spitfire in 2021.

Discussing the partnership President of Cloud9, Dan Fiden, explained:

“When Cloud9 made the decision to invest in Overwatch League, we knew taking on live events, marketing, and commercial operations in the UK would be a challenge. When we connected with the team at Guinevere, their backgrounds in traditional sports, media, and esports in Europe, this convinced us that they’d be the right partner to build the business with. Local support will ensure the team grows from a commercial and community standpoint.

“The city-team process has been very successful in generating local fan bases that go beyond esports. It’s important for us to work with a partner that understands the city-based structure and how to maximize the potential this can offer. For London Spitfire to develop strong connections to fans and partners having local support is vital.”

While Managing Director of Guinevere Capital, David Harris, added:

“There is huge potential in the UK esports scene which is still under-developed when you compare it to the rest of the world. For Guinevere, the opportunity to work with London Spitfire will allow us to work across two major British brands, cementing ourselves within the region. My background is in traditional sports which has a great deal of synergy with the vision behind city-based esports teams and structures.

“My ambition is to help develop the UK and European esports ecosystem and to help organisations such as London Spitfire and British Hurricane, two immensely talented teams, stand out from the crowd, have their voice heard amongst the community and to gain the attention of brand partners.”

Guinevere Capital has extensive esports ties – in addition to Excel, its portfolio also includes the Esports High Performance Centre, along with Oceanic esports brands LG Dire Wolves, Sydney Drop Bears, N8 Esports, and Superstaellar. 

AYO.NEWS says:

Guinevere Capital has gained extensive experience of running successful esports operations in Australia and the UK, so if Cloud9 has been struggling to connect with the UK scene, this strategic partnership makes a lot of sense. 

Staying with Guinevere Capital, last week we reported Excel Esports had extended its partnership with PC manufacturer Chillblast. 

‘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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London-based esports tournament organiser Gfinity has partnered with Abu Dhabi Motorsport Management (ADMM) to create a new sim racing championship.

The five-year deal will see the creation of the jointly-owned Esports Racing Championship (ERC), which will feature a “unique format”, previously unseen in sim racing. 

The races will be hosted by Gfinity and the company’s proprietary technology, Race Control, will be used for in-race adjudication and data feeds, “delivering new levels of insight to fans about driver and car performance.”

There will be two ERC seasons per calendar year, with the first starting sometime this year, and ADMM’s marketing and social media teams will work together with the Gfinity Digital Media group to build new channels and a global community of gamer racing fans under the ERC brand. 

ERC will be supported by the 100% Arabic language site www.RealGaming101.me, which provides content for the more than 93 million gaming fans in the MENA region, and was created by Gfinity and YaLLa Esports in April this year.

Discussing the news CEO of Abu Dhabi Motorsport Management, Al Tareq Al Ameri, said:

“ADMM has a strategic focus to develop and invest in premium racing ventures and virtual racing is an important pillar in this vision. The Esports Racing Championship will welcome the very best teams and drivers from around the world to compete on a global stage at the highest level.

“Gfinity is the right partner for this championship with a shared passion and vision and has proven experience of executing world class esports programmes. We look forward to sharing more information about this and other esports initiatives that ADMM and Gfinity will be creating together.”

While CEO of Gfinity, John Clarke, added:

“Motorsports is a key pillar of our strategy and we are excited to be entering into a long-term partnership with Abu Dhabi Motorsport Management. We have a shared passion for the Esports Racing Championship and a desire to build a product that will sit alongside the biggest brands in motorsport. There are millions of gamers that love racing.

“We have created a format that will excite and draw them into the ERC, giving sponsors and advertisers the opportunity to engage with this typically hard to reach audience.”

Gfinity also hosts the F1 Esports Series since it launched in 2018, and recently extended its partnership with Formula 1 through 2022. The company has also hosted the Forza Racing Championship. 

AYO.NEWS says:

Considering the experience and calibre of both Gfinity and Abu Dhabi Motorsport Management, we’re expecting big things from the ERC, and we’re curious as to what the “unique format” will be. 

Out of all esports, sim racing has perhaps benefited most from the COVID-19 crisis, as it proved relatively easy to transition real-world events to the virtual world – with a similar, if not superior, viewing experience for fans, an existing highly accurate virtual world, and plenty of real-life drivers and teams willing to support it. 

Earlier this week we reported how real-world Formula 1 drivers Fernando Alonso and Rubens Barrichello will be racing for the new FA/RB Allinsports team in the Le Mans Virtual, while last week we revealed Lamborghini is entering esports through a partnership with Assetto Corsa Competizione by Kunos Simulazioni. 

‘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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Malta-based gambling online operator Esports Entertainment Group (EEG) has set up a subsidiary in the United States. 

EEG says its new subsidiary, GMBL New Jersey Inc., will apply for its New Jersey license in the “near future”, and will then aim to secure gambling licenses across the United States. 

On 9 April this year, EEG was listed on the NASDAQ with an initial public offering that had generated around USD $2,750,000 in warrants and common stock as of 31 May 2020. 

Commenting on the news CEO of Esports Entertainment Group, Grant Johnson, said:

“Today’s announcement marks yet another significant milestone and provides the market with even greater insight as to our growth strategy,” said Grant Johnson, CEO of Esports Entertainment Group.  “The US market represents a very big opportunity for us and thanks to the continued support of our valued shareholders, we intend to aggressively pursue it in 2020 and beyond.”

EEG operates the VIE.gg online esports betting platform, which supports fantasy, pools, fixed odds betting and 18+ gaming, and can currently accept wagers in more than 149 jurisdictions globally, including Canada, Japan, and South Africa. 

Despite New Jersey having been one of the states driving post-PASPA gambling legislation progress, it has lagged far behind its arch rival, Nevada, when it comes to esports betting. 

As we’ve been reporting, recently, especially during the COVID-19 lockdowns, the Nevada Gaming Control Board has authorised wagering on a range of esports, including Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, Call of Duty, Dota 2, iRacing, and Overwatch.

AYO.NEWS says:

Staying with EEG, yesterday we reported the company had appointed former Wehype Global Sales Director, Magnus Leppäniemi, as new Vice President of Marketing and Head of Esports at VIE.gg. 

‘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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