Portuguese esports startup Replai has raised USD $1.3M (approx. €1.16M) in a seed funding round. 

Porto-based Replai harnesses artificial intelligence (AI) to create short videos in real-time. The company says the resulting social media ready clips enable audiences to be maximised and more revenue to be generated for sponsors and advertisers.

Investors were led by Lisbon-based Bright Pixel, with contributions from Ideias Glaciares and Clever Advertising. The company says the new capital will be used to expand internationally, with a focus on the United Kingdom and United States. 

Discussing their plans for the company Founders of Replai, João Costa and Francisco Pacheco, said:

“Forecasts show that esports will soon beat traditional sports. However, monetization is still far behind other fields such as mobile gaming – which is expected to top $100b in revenue by 2020, for example. 

“So, our mission is to help esports companies profit from this paradigm shift. This round allowed us, above all, to gather a panel of experts in gaming and technology that will help us take the next step growth-wise as soon as possible.”

While Co-founder of Bright Pixel, Benjamin Júnior, added:

“Replai stands out for their AI technology which enables automatic creation and distribution of short videos, this being a transversal need to any area that uses video as a communication method. 

“Besides the innovative solution, Replai is founded by two young entrepreneurs with a proved record of user acquisition, strong technical know-how and the ambition to grow the business globally. This combination of factors was decisive and provides us confidence in consolidating Replai’s success.”

AYO.NEWS says:

Despite the phenomenal growth of esports, it’s true that many in the sector are still struggling with monetisation, so there’s sure to be a lot of interest in Replai’s offering. Of course, whether or not it will actually deliver on its monetisation promises is another story, but it’s definitely a company to watch.

NO ESCAPE! #replai #goreplai #createdbyreplai #tiktok #foryou #fyp #gaming #tiktokgaming #foryoupage #fornite #fortniteclips pic.twitter.com/HHKkLRfpvc

— Replai (@goReplai) June 24, 2020

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Automobili Lamborghini’s entry into the esports space is proving extremely popular, with last weekend’s 2nd qualifier for The Real Race, attracting hundreds of drivers. 

Sim racers Fulvio Barozzini, who started online racing in 2004 and became a serious sim racer in 2014, and Samir Ibraimi who started competitive sim racing in 2018, have already secured their places in September’s live finals.

They will be heading to the live finals at Lamorghini’s Sant’Agata Bolognese headquarters, in Italy, with Nils Naujoks (aka n1lyn), a former professional sim racer since 2003 and now manager of G2 Sim Racing, French sim racer Arnuad Lacombe, and Matthias Egger, who has competed in the iRacing.com World Championship Grand Prix Series and been sim racing for over 19 years.

Explaining the appeal of The Real Race, and his experience so far, Fulvio Barozzini said:

“I had been playing it (Assetto Corsa Competizione) for 2-3 months and fell in love, definitely the best GT3 class simulator on the market. Suddenly I stumbled on the news that Lamborghini was launching their first eSport event on ACC, with magnificent prizes for the winners, and decided to join immediately! 

“A quick registration, then it was just about entering the Special Event called Lamborghini – The Real Race on Assetto Corsa Competizione and doing my best behind the wheel. Pretty straightforward. The qualifier, in its two sub-phases (hotstint and race), was pretty cool. No flaws on the organization side, tough (but fair) competition and a lot of fast drivers attempting to qualify.”

Three qualifying races still remain, with registrations opening again on 26 June at esports.lamborghini. 

AYO.NEWS says:

It looks like Lamborghini is on to a winner with The Real Race – but that’s no surprise when a brand with the heritage and prestige of Lamborghini partners with a sim race of the quality of Assetto Corsa Competizione!

The sim racing revolution continues…

‘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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Guild Esports has formally launched, with David Beckham and Blue Star Capital as investors.

Guild is developing an esports talent pipeline in the UK, based on the traditional academy model, to enable the most promising players to receive coaching and support from industry leaders. The company is also planning to form a roster of scouts to continually find and sign the best young talent. 

Headquartered in London, Guild Esports is aiming to raise GBP £25, and has so far received investments from both David Beckham, via DB Ventures, and Blue Star Capital.

The company’s management team comprises esports veterans with extensive experience of professional level playing, coaching, and media. Guild Executive Chairman, Carelton Curtis, is well-known in the industry and architect of the Overwatch League and Call Of Duty Leagues. Prior to joining Guild, he held senior esports roles at Activision Blizzard and Red Bull. His expertise complements David Beckham’s position in the world of mainstream sports to create a unique esports proposition.

Over the course of the 2020/2021 season, Guild says it intends to develop into various esports disciplines. Its first team is slated to debut in Autumn 2020, competing in popular titles like Rocket League, FIFA, and Fortnite. 

David Beckham’s move into esports is described as a natural progression, given his extensive experience in developing traditional sports businesses, notably through his co-ownership of Inter Miami CF in the MLS, and his passion for enabling youth talent to achieve excellence. 

London-based artist Fergus Purcell, creator of the iconic identity for skate wear label Palace, will be designing Guild’s brand and developing it for a lifestyle apparel line. Fergus has previously collaborated with high-profile fashion designers including Marc Jacobs, Paul Smith, Alexander McQueen, and music artists like 2manydjs.

Commenting on the news CEO of Blue Star Capital, Tony Fabrizi, said:

“We are very pleased to announce today’s news from Guild regarding its global launch and the association with David Beckham. The team behind Guild is incredibly strong and gives us great confidence that the company has an exciting future.”

While David Beckham added:

“Throughout my career I’ve been lucky enough to work with players at the top of their game, and I’ve seen first-hand the passion and dedication it takes to play at that level. I know that determination lives in our esports athletes today and at Guild we have a vision to set a new standard, supporting these players into the future.”

AYO.NEWS says:

With so much high-profile talent and expertise already onboard, and the backing of Blue Star Capital, things are looking very promising indeed for Guild! It’s fantastic to see the company has solid plans for building a well-rounded commercial brand, while also investing in the development of UK esports talent. We’re definitely looking forward to seeing what happens with this. 

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Recently launched gaming and esports management company TalentX Gaming (TXG) has appointed Amber Howard as Head of Talent.

A partnership between ReKTGlobal (parent company of Rogue and the London Royal Ravens) and TalentX Entertainment, TalentX Gaming was launched on 5 May 2020, and Howard will now lead the push to attract prominent clients from the esports, gaming, and online entertainment spaces. 

Howard was previously with Abrams Artists Agency (now A3 Artists Agency), where she led its expansion into gaming and esports. She has also worked at Machinima, at IMG as Senior Manager of Talent Relations from 2013 to 2015, and as Talent Relations at NFL Media from 2009 to 2013. 

Welcoming Howard to the company CEO of TalentX Gaming, Jason Wilhelm, said:

“We founded TalentX with a ‘Creator First’ philosophy, and as such, we work hard to ensure that each division is helmed by leaders with a long record of success in their respective fields. We’re excited to have Amber on board to help take our creators – and TalentX Gaming – to the next level.”

While Howard herself added:

“TXG’s commitment to always put its creators first really struck a chord with me and made it an easy decision to join the company. Gamers have been underrepresented for too long even though the talent and esports industries are booming. We have an amazing opportunity to bring more visibility, monetization and growth to this community of creators.

“My recruiting strategy has always been to keep it open and diverse, and to look for and work with creators and brands that break the mold. I envision a deep and balanced roster of creators who represent the diversity of the entire gaming community in gender, accessibility, and culture.”

TalentX Entertainment was co-founded in 2019 by Tal Fishman, better known as YouTube’s “ReactionTime”, and Warren Lentz, and has over 60 creators on its books, including the popular TikTok “Sway House” group (Josh Richards, Griffin Johnson, Anthony Reeves, Bryce Hall, Kio Cyr, and Jaden Hossler). 

AYO.NEWS says:

Howard has an impressive background in talent management, and has been specifically focused on gaming and esports for quite some time, so obviously has a passion for the space. With TalentX’s backing and resources, and experienced people like Howard, we expect it won’t be long before TalentX Gaming has an impressive portfolio of top gaming and esports talent.

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G2 Esports has announced a hardware partnership with NVIDIA, focused on the European region and the organisation’s Rainbow Six Siege team. 

The partnership will see the Berlin-based organisation’s professional players and content creators using NVIDIA’s GeForce RTX line of PC GPUs, and enjoy access to the latest hardware as it is released. 

Discussing the partnership CEO of G2 Esports, Carlos “ocelote” Rodriguez, said:

“NVIDIA and G2 are both committed to helping pro players unlock their potential and improve performance. Our players aim for the highest FPS possible to give them every competitive advantage. They need the smoothest animations and lowest latency to get the best results, and we couldn’t do it without NVIDIA.”

While Marketing Director EMEA at NVIDIA, Oliver Beck, added:

“GeForce RTX hardware provides the best performance; this means maximum frame rates, low latency, and a true competitive edge for gamers. It is an honor to work with the champions at G2 Esports and we are very excited about working together.”

G2 Esports and NVIDIA previously partnered in 2017, and the hardware company will be joining the an impressive roster of commercial partners including AOC, AORUS, BMW, Hdac Technology, Logitech G, Mastercard, Nicecactus, paysafecard, Philips, Secretlab, and Twitch. 

AYO.NEWS says:

Though no further details have been provided about specific activations at this point, we’re curious to see what G2 and NVIDIA have planned regarding the organisation’s highly successful Rainbow Six Siege team. 

Staying with G2 Esports, last week the organisation welcomed Mixwell and Red Bull to its new VALORANT pro team. 

‘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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The Singapore-based Global Esports Federation (GEF) has entered a strategic partnership with Dentsu Inc., to promote the global development and growth of esports. 

Dentsu is a Japanese international advertising and public relations company, headquartered in Tokyo. It is currently the fifth largest advertising agency network in the world in terms of revenue, and 

The partnership will see the GEF and Dentsu, in collaboration with fellow GEF member Japan esports Union (JeSU), develop new marketing programs for esports events. 

Specifically, Dentsu will be harnessing its expertise and experience to work with various game publishers, commercial partners, and international organisations to further enhance the credibility, legitimacy, and prestige of esports. 

Discussing the partnership President of Global Esports Federation, Chris Chan, said:

“We are certain that this strategic partnership will strengthen the future prospects of the GEF, expanding the vital work that the team has already established. We look to Dentsu for their expertise to bring together the best of esports and sport, further fulfilling our mission to elevate esports and the world’s esports ecosystem.”

Last week the GEF announced a partnership with Organización Deportiva Suramericana (ODESUR) aimed at developing a South American esports strategy. 

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