China has cancelled all international sporting events for the rest of 2020 due to the continued COVID-19 threat, while worrying reports have begun to surface from neighboring Kazakhstan.

According to the Associated Press, the only exception will be the trials for the 2022 Winter Olympic Games in Beijing and neighboring Zhangjiakou. 

The order will affect at least six WTA tennis events and four ATP tournaments, two major golf events in the form of the men’s HSBC Champions and LPGA Shanghai, the Asian sport climbing championships, the badminton World Tour Finals, and two cycling stage races. 

It also means there’s no chance of salvaging the Shanghai Grand Prix this year, which was postponed in April. 

Regarding esports, the order could also impact the League of Legends World Championship, which had been scheduled to take place in Shanghai later in the year. 

Another, deadlier virus in Kazakhstan?

Meanwhile there are concerning reports starting to emerge from neighboring Kazakhstan.

Over the last few days, social media reports have suggested a new “unknown” type of pneumonia, that is significantly deadlier than COVID-19, has infected tens of thousands, and killed around 600 in the space of just a week. 

Yesterday, a statement on the website of the Chinese Embassy in Kazakhstan appeared to confirm the outbreak., though the Kazakh government has denied the outbreak, calling the reports “fake news.”

AYO.NEWS says:

As we explained earlier this week, there seems to be a massive reality disconnect going on in many places, but particularly Europe. This is partially attributable to the fact that European nations, on the whole, have managed the initial COVID-19 wave better than most places. But, globally, the pandemic is actually accelerating, and even in countries that had begun to lift lockdowns, restrictions are being reimposed. 

Whether the Kazakhstan reports turn out to be true or not, one thing is clear; the crisis is far from over, and it is way too early for betting operators and industry event organisers to act like things are “back to normal.” 

‘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

Spanish esports organisation Team Heretics has teamed up with UNICEF Spain. 

The partnership is intended to “maximise the opportunities offered by the esports sector and defend the positive impact of the gaming industry among young people.” 

Specifically, Team Heretics will work with UNICEF Spain to promote socialisation and empowerment for young people through gaming and esports, raise awareness and reduce toxicity and bullying, while promoting positive behaviour and the rights of children. 

Commenting on the news CEO of Team Heretics, Antonio Catena, said:

“We are very happy to start a journey with UNICEF. We started a relationship with the best possible partner to support and improve the health of the entire gaming and esports ecosystem.”

While Executive Director of UNICEF Spain, Javier Martos, added:

“[At] UNICEF we have a great interest in the correct development of gaming and we trust in the relevance of this alliance to convey responsible messages that bring us closer to young people in a different way together with the leaders of the sector.”

It’s not the first time UNICEF has partnered with an esports organization. In January, the UK division of the charity partnered with Fnatic to promote positivity in gaming and raise funds for charity. 

Team Heretics currently competes in titles including Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, Fortnite, and Rainbow Six Siege, and has commercial partnerships with brands including NobleChairs, San Miguel, KFC, adidas, Logitech G, Discord, and Font Vella. 

AYO.NEWS says:

As anyone who’s ever played a MMOG will tell you, toxicity is a huge problem, and seems to be getting worse, especially among the youngest players, so it’s great to see an esports organisation and major charity work to change this. Let’s hope other organisations follow the lead of Team Heretics and Fnatic. 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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Allied Esports has teamed up with Esports Entertainment Group (EEG) to launch the VIE.gg Counter-Strike: Global Offensive Legend Series. 

Boasting a prizepool of €50,000 and featuring 12 European teams, the online tournament will be produced by Allied Esports at its HyperX Esports Studio in Hamburg, Germany, and fans will be able to bet on the action at VIE.gg. 

The tournament, which begins on Monday 31 August 2020, will also be broadcast live at Twitch.tv/AlliedEsports, with a lineup of pro casters and analysts.

Introducing the tournament CEO of Allied Esports Entertainment, Frank Ng, said:

“We believe that esports tournaments should not just be fun for participants, but also have the ability to help sponsors achieve their business goals, and our knowhow and portfolio of esports brands, arenas, mobile trucks and studios uniquely meet that need in today’s ecosystem.

“The Legend Series has been one of our most successful original tournament brands and we are thrilled to work with Esports Entertainment Group and the VIE.gg platform to add a wagering component that will introduce Allied Esports to new consumers and elevate the brand even further.”

While Head of Esports at Esports Entertainment Group, Magnus Leppaniemi, added:

“We’re excited to play a role in providing a platform for smaller teams to compete for prize money. While the largest esports teams earned tens of millions of dollars in prize money last year, there are hundreds of smaller teams that get excluded from the flagship competitions. 

“The VIE.gg CS:GO Legend Series is our first effort at working to fill this void, and we look forward to getting involved in more events like this moving forward.”

The VIE.gg CS:GO Legend Series will be the sixth in the series that was launched back in 2017, with the aim of growing the competitive ecosystem to non-top flight teams. Notably, it is the first in the series to have a licensing partner and title sponsor. 

Esports Entertainment Group has offices in Malta and currently holds gambling licences in both Malta and Curacao, enabling it to accept wagers from more than 149 jurisdictions, including Canada, Japan, Germany, and South Africa. 

AYO.NEWS says:

It’s cool to see EEG is supporting one of Allied’s most exciting endeavors, which really does give some much needed competitive opportunities to smaller teams, and consistently delivers top notch action for fans. 

EEG has been very busy over the last few weeks. Earlier this week, the company announced it had appointed Akur Capital as its iGaming mergers and acquisitions advisor, indicating some interesting purchases might be on the horizon. While last week, the company appointed two Argyll Entertainment executives to key leadership positions, and in June it set up a subsidiary in New Jersey, United States.  

‘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

British esports organisation Barrage has announced a partnership with US/Danish gaming peripherals manufacturer SteelSeries. 

The deal makes SteelSeries Barrage’s exclusive peripherals partner, and the company will be supporting the organisation’s efforts in DreamHack’s new Northern League of Legends Championship (NLC), and UK League Championship (UKLC). 

Commenting on the partnership Managing Director of Barrage, Jeff Simpkins, said:

“It’s an honour and privilege to be working with a globally recognised brand like SteelSeries. They have a history of working with incredible talent and teams and with their support we intend to follow in the footsteps of those who came before us. SteelSeries products provide the quality, performance and reliability our players need to achieve glory.”

While UK E-commerce & Marketing Manager at SteelSeries, Hal Greenwood, added:

“We are proud to partner up with Barrage in the UK. With the UK playing host to ESL One and the FACEIT Major, and the rise of UK esports in the past few years, there has never been a better time to be involved in British esports.”

US and Denmark-based SteelSeries has a long history of supporting esports dating right back to 2001, which is hardly surprising considering its products. Last month the company sponsored the BLAST Bounty Hunt, and it has partnerships in place with organisations including Cavs Legion GC, FaZe Clan, and OG. 

Though now focused entirely on League of Legends, Northern England-based Barrage has previously competed in Rainbow Six: Siege, Smite, Hearthstone, Call of Duty, Rocket League and other titles. 

AYO.NEWS says:

It’s fantastic to see a large company like SteelSeries expanding its sponsorship portfolio to smaller organisations like Barrage. In addition to the commercial benefits for the organisation, we’re sure the deal will boost morale among the Battalion’s ranks! 

‘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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Here’s a first-look at what we can expect from VENN, the soon-to-launch gaming, streaming, and esports network. 

VENN, the Video Game Entertainment and News Network, is proud to unveil Part One of an in-depth look at its creative programming and broadcast talent, debuting live on August 5th. More shows and talent will be announced in the coming weeks.

Programming will be delivered live from the state of the art 50,000 sq. ft. Vista Studios in Playa Vista, Los Angeles – with a flagship studio at New York’s Three World Trade Center to join in 2021. VENN’s Studio One at Vista will be outfitted with over 1000 sq. ft. and 30M pixels of LED walls and floors, driving digital storytelling and interactive show formats, as one of the most technologically advanced broadcast studios in the world.

Aimed squarely at the streaming generation, raised at the intersection of gaming and entertainment, VENN will span multiple formats of entertainment – from talk shows and news, to game shows and docuseries. Told through the lens of pop culture and gaming, the breadth of content on offer will speak directly to Gen Z and Millennial audiences.

Co-CEO of VENN, Ariel Horn, said:

“From conception, VENN has been laser-focused on elevating the creators of this generation with production leadership, a chance to flex new creative muscles and grow their audiences via our broad distribution.

“As we close in on our August launch, we’re thrilled to pull back the curtain on the first wave of programming – and the unique blend of talent curated from the worlds of gaming and cutting edge digital storytelling.”

VENN’s schedule for network launch includes shows like:

VENN ARCADE LIVE – A celebration of all things gaming and pop culture, packed into a daily variety show. Hosted by fan favorite League of Legends Championship Series host James ‘Dash’ Patterson among others soon-to-be announced, VAL will feature guest appearances, live performances, interactive gameplay and unparalleled audience participation from the hottest gamers, streamers, celebrities, athletes, musicians and rising stars. Filmed on the main Studio A set, and filled with daily surprises,VAL will drive the pop culture conversation.

DARE PACKAGE – The unboxing genre will never be the same. The world’s biggest streamers take on extreme challenges in this live competition format. Each week VENN airdrops real-life loot crates filled with mystery challenges – from solving Mensa-level puzzles to eating pickled brains – LIVE into streamers’ homes. Dare Package is hosted by the legendary @AustinOnTwitter, a modern day Oz who’s built a record-breaking fanbase from his earliest days of gaming into an empire of live reality tv

“It’s been a dream of mine to elevate my shows to TV Network quality productions,’ said Austin, content creator and VENN host. “VENN will help unlock the scale and scope of entertainment I’ve been looking forward to creating.”

GUEST HOUSE – Each weekday afternoon VENN is inviting gaming’s biggest names, rising stars, and beloved creators to choose their own adventure and customize their own two hour tv show. Hosted by performing artist and gamer @ChrissyConstanza (lead singer of Against The Current), Guest House will take the concept of “streaming entertainment” to a whole new level. “Guest House” provides guest creators with access to the ultimate streaming space, packed with the latest tech and audience interactivity tools, and backed by the support of a full broadcast production team.

THE SUSHIDRAGON SHOW – 50% imagineer, 50% dancing dragon and 100% drinkable internet, no one who has entered the mind of @TheSushiDragon has ever quite been the same. Hosted by the eclectic and eccentric performance artist and streamer, The SushiDragon Show is variety, talk, performance and interactivity rolled into a bananas performance featuring musicians, artists and creators – and, of course, high energy dancing set against metaverse bending digital environments.

LOOKING FOR GAINS – Who says gamers can’t be athletes? Hosted by YouTube sensation and competitive NBA2K Pro @CashNasty – best known for his blend of gaming, basketball and comedy content – LFG is VENN’s new interactive fitness show. Each week Cash welcomes a special celebrity guest to the ultimate quarantine workout, where viewers join the #LFGSquad and get after it live with Cash and guests. This show has it all, from exercises you can do at home, to celebrity Q&A, shake recipes and more. 

Discussing the project Co-CEO of VENN, Ben Kusin, explained:

“We’re disrupting the traditional television business model and giving birth to a powerful voice in GenZ and Millennial entertainment. We identify and curate fan favorite talent, develop and elevate their content with a world class TV production infrastructure, then rapidly scale it all via our universally distributed network.

“There’s a currency in generational talents and a currency in generational movements, and that timeliness can’t wait for traditional TV to adapt. The time for VENN is now.”

Stay tuned in the coming weeks for Part Two of VENN’s talent, show, and distribution announcements.

AYO.NEWS says:

Wow! We can’t believe it’s been 10 months since we first reported on VENN, when it raised $17 million USD in a seed funding round led by BITKRAFT. Billing itself as the “post cable” gaming and esports streaming network, it always had big ambitions, and now seems to have pulled together the talent to make something truly special happen. 

Will VENN become to GenZ and Millennials what MTV was to Generation X? We can’t wait to find out! 

‘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

Psyonix has entered a multi-year licensing partnership with IMG, covering the Rocket League franchise. 

The deal makes IMG the exclusive global licensing representative for Rocket League, and will see the company bring official consumer products including apparel, toys, collectibles, and accessories, to market through brand partnerships and collaborations. 

Psyonix will remain responsible for Rocket League gaming and tournament licensing. 

Since launching in 2015, Rocket League has grown to become one of the world’s most popular games and esports, and like other esports has seen a significant growth during the COVID-19 crisis, being picked up by major broadcasters including the BBC, ESPN and NBC Sports. 

AYO.NEWS says:

Rocket League is rapidly evolving into a global phenomenon, and with the COVID-19 crisis looking set to rumble on for many months, if not years, the future of video games and esports in general is looking extremely promising. 

Only last week Psyonix revealed the Rocket League Championship Series league is morphing into a longer, open events-based circuit, dubbed RLCS X – giving more flexibility in case of more lockdowns, and allowing more teams to get in on the action.

And, staying with IMG, earlier today we reported IMG Arena has entered a long-term streaming and data rights partnership with World Table Tennis (WTT). 

‘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