North American esports organisation Dignitas has partnered with RESPAWN, Razer’s mental performance drink brand. 

The agreement will cover the development of new products, lifestyle and video content, and digital events. RESPAWN will also be presenting partner of Dignitas’ League of Legends content series, Odyssey, and its branding will feature on the team’s uniforms and jerseys. 

Discussing the news CEO of Dignitas, Michael Prindiville, said:

“Our increased focus on technical performance and development creates a unique synergy with RESPAWN’s core mission. We are eager to begin working together to provide our players and fans original creative content and the energy and focus they need to perform at the highest level.”

While Senior Product Marketing Evangelist at RESPAWN, Sean Driscoll, added:

“RESPAWN adds another layer of performance to gaming by helping competitors’ own focus and agility. Athletes from the championship-winning Dignitas organization are a perfect way for us to reinforce our products’ efficacy while working to create the next big thing.”

HBSE-owned Dignitas also has commercial partnerships with Champion, HyperX, Raynor Gaming, Verizon, and Vie.gg. 

Staying with Dignitas, earlier this month the organisation also named Susquehanna International Group, LLP (SIG) as its exclusive global quantitative trading firm and trading technology sponsor. 

AYO.NEWS says:

Professional esports players and serious gamers alike are under intense mental pressure, so RESPAWN’s product has found a ready market, and this partnership is sure to gain the brand a lot of extra global exposure. I wonder if RESPAWN would help a content writer?

‘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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Electronic Arts (EA) and LaLiga have renewed their partnership for another ten years. 

The renewed agreement means EA SPORTS will remain the exclusive Official Video Games Partner of LaLiga, and will see the two organisations expand their efforts to create world-leading football entertainment. 

Both parties have also committed to grow fandom and esports participation through eLaLiga Santander – LaLiga’s official esports competition. 

According to EA, its EA SPORTS FIFA 20 for console and PC is the most-played game franchise in history, with unique players increasing 10% year-over-year, and daily active players reaching an all-time engagement high. 

More than 12 billion minutes of EA SPORTS FIFA content have been viewed on Twitch since launch – to put it in perspective, that’s the equivalent to more than 133 million real-life football matches. 

Discussing the partnership Executive Vice President & Group GM, EA SPORTS, Cam Weber, said:

“Our vision is to grow the love of sport through our games and services, and with strategic partnerships with iconic organizations like LaLiga, we’re uniquely positioned to deliver unrivaled authenticity and innovation in the years to come.

“Our joint commitment will enable both immediate impacts for the next EA SPORTS FIFA experience, and long-term opportunities to continue to strengthen LaLiga fan engagement over the next decade.”

While President of LaLiga, Javier Tebas, added:

“This renewal enables us to grow the reach and popularity of LaLiga to more and more fans around the world that play EA SPORTS FIFA every day.

“We have built a collaborative partnership with EA SPORTS for more than 20 years that has seen both organizations become leading international brands. Our new agreement signifies our commitment to maintain this growth and create the best entertainment for football fans worldwide.”

LaLiga is one of the most popular leagues selected in online play, and has the biggest in-game fanbase across 70 nations worldwide, with LaLiga clubs used in more than one billion matches. 

AYO.NEWS says:

With the FIFA franchise such a commercial success it’s not surprising that LaLiga has renewed its deal with EA, but 10-years is a long time, and demonstrates just how much faith all parties have in the future of the video game and it’s growing esports ecosystem.

The COVID-19 crisis has also helped push FIFA to the forefront of esports betting, with Isle of Man-based Luckbox adding support for the title at the end of May, and other operators, like LOOT.BET reporting a significant increase in betting on the game.

‘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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CORSAIR-owned gaming controller maker SCUF Gaming has released an official Call of Duty League controller collection.

SCUF has partnered with Call of Duty League (CDL) to create a range of official League controllers featuring team colours and logos, to commemorate the inaugural season of the league. 

Discussing the partnership Founder and CEO of SCUF Gaming, Duncan Ironmonger, said:

“SCUF Gaming has a long history with the highest levels of competition in Call of Duty, and we’re proud to launch this collection so fans can support their favorite team. While the designs capture all of the excitement and passion of each franchise, SCUF features and functionality unlock the true potential of every competitor and gamer.”

Immortals Gaming Club has also announced SCUF Gaming as an official partner of its Call of Duty League franchise, OpTic Gaming Los Angeles. The organisation first partnered with SCUF way back in 2013, to create customised controllers for its console-based players. The partnership was extended in 2018 to cover OpTic Gaming’s Call of Duty and Gears of War teams, and content creators. 

Chief Commercial Officer at Immortal Gaming Club, owner of OpTic Gaming Los Angeles, John Tuck, said:

“OpTic Gaming believes that in-game performance comes from having the best tech. SCUF Gaming’s in-depth knowledge makes them the perfect equipment partner for OpTic’s elite roster of professional players.”

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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. 

‘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. 

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