French esports data startup PandaScore has secured €5M in a Series A funding round. 

The company, which specialises in artificial intelligence-driven statistics and odds data, attracted investment from French VC firm Serena, aXiomatic Gaming (owner of Team Liquid), Alven, and KB Partners. 

PandaScore, which previously raised $2.8M in a July 2017 seed round led by Alven, says it will use its latest funding to grow its team and expand its data services to cover more games.

Commenting on the round Founder and CEO of PandaScore, Flavien Guillocheau, said:

“Esports’ explosive growth is dependent on better data. Better data lets media companies broadcast more engaging content, bookmakers offer better esports products, and teams and tournaments capture more lucrative sponsoring money. Data is the fuel that powers the esports community and we’re proud to be supplying that fuel.”

While Principal at Serena, Olivier Martret, added:

“The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted a significant lack of resilience among traditional bookmakers, who really need to increase their agility. And this is where Pandascore can help. 

“At Serena, we are convinced that PandaScore’s tech is a key asset both for traditional bookmakers, enabling them to gain new market shares, and for newcomers in the bookmaker industry, offering them an unfair advantage to provide efficient and reliable services.”

Pandascore is based in Paris and also runs an office in Malta. The company’s current clients include BetCris, Pixel.bet, Sleeper, Strafe, and Top Esports. 

AYO.NEWS says:

With bookies everywhere falling over themselves to improve their esports offering, we’re sure PandaScore will put this latest investment to good use!

‘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

Swedish in-game advertising platform Adverty has appointed Singapore-based The Scale Factory to drive commercialisation in Asia Pacific. 

Founded by Lars Bjoerge, former APAC EVP for Omnicom Group TBWA, and Pierre Martenson, former Head of International Expansion for Tapad, The Scale Factory will spearhead Adverty’s footprint in the region by establishing a growth vision, implementing go-to-market strategies, and taking on the commercial leadership by directly bringing Adverty’s solutions to brands, media agencies, and other stakeholders. 

Discussing the development, Founder and Managing Partner at The Scale Factory, Lars Bjoerge, said:

“We absolutely love what Adverty is doing to disrupt in-game advertising. With current in-game ad solutions, we are seeing more and more users reject brands that interrupt, and in some cases even destroy the gaming experience. 

“Adverty has solved this elegantly by enabling brands to be present alongside gamers in this extremely valuable and rapidly growing consumer segment. We are thrilled to start building Adverty’s footprint across APAC.”

While Founder and CEO of Adverty, Niklas Bakos, added:

“The future of gaming is mobile, and in APAC the future is now. With an estimated number of gamers exceeding 1.5 billion people, soon crossing $100 billion in revenues, we see APAC as an integral part of our expansion in the coming years.

“We have had the pleasure of following the team behind The Scale Factory for quite some time and have been deeply impressed by their very hands-on approach. We are confident that we will achieve amazing things together.”

Adverty’s in-game advertising platform has been awarded IAB UK and IAB Sweden Gold Standard certificates in 2018 and 2020 respectively, and enables access to all major programmatic buy-side platforms through partnerships with PubMatic, Smaato, and BitSwitch. 

The company recently revealed a new in-game brand advertising format called In-Menu™, which enables contextually relevant IAB display banner ads on menu screens in-between gameplay, alongside its current In-Play™ format, which allows brands to utilise billboards and other virtual outdoor sites within games. 

AYO.NEWS says:

Though gaming is more popular than ever monetisation is becoming a pressing issue for game developers. Meanwhile, with traditional advertising becoming increasingly ineffective, brands are looking for new ways to engage with consumers. So, do platforms like Adverty hold the answer for both developers and advertisers? Most likely, at least in part, they do. 

Want to find out more about Adverty? Don’t miss our exclusive interview with CEO and Co-founder Niklas Bakos. 

‘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

CelerX offers a new way to monetise casual games by tapping into the power of blockchain and esports.

Casual gaming is booming, but many developers are still struggling to effectively monetise their products. So, AYO.NEWS’ Simona caught up with Mo Dong, co-founder of Celer Network, to find out how the CelerX esports platform offers a compelling alternative to traditional monetisation strategies like advertising, and get his take on the future of blockchain and esports.

Discover more about Celer Network and the CelerX Game Monetisation Engine here.

FIFA-focused esports organisation NEO has teamed up with Outfitter and Nike as collaborative apparel partners, and announced paysafecard as its main partner.

Outfitter and Nike apparel partnership

German football and sports apparel retailer Outfitter, is responsible for instigating the three-way partnership , and will be the “lead implementer for the individualisation and refinement of NEO’s teamwear”, apparently. 

Specifically, the partnership will include Nike branded jerseys for the 2020-21 FIFA esports season, and other NEO-branded Nike products. 

Commenting on the partnership Head of Marketing at Outfitter, Thomas Bohner, said:

“We had to take the opportunity to work together with NEO and Nike on this exciting project. We learned a lot in our first year in esports, especially how the look and feel of jerseys and merchandising pieces have to look like to catch the minds and hearts of the community. NEO is extremely innovative and wants to break new ground, which fits perfectly with our thinking.

“As a team sports specialist, we are looking forward to the individual finishing of the Nike jerseys for the coming season as well as the development of an exclusive merchandising collection hand in hand with the boys”.

While Manager of NEO, Dan Woods, added:

“After our first season with a lot of sportive success, we were very meticulous in our search for the right partner for sportswear, fashion, and merchandising, and found them in the duo of the two companies: Outfitter and Nike!

“We are very pleased that we were able to win Nike as a supplier through the partnership with Outfitter – the jerseys for the coming season are very impressive and will certainly be well received by the FIFA community. Outfitter has proven time and again in classical sports, but also in esports, how individually, flexibly, and precisely to the wishes and specifications of the respective partners. Having these two companies on our side means a lot to us.”

Outfitter is also partnered with FOKUS CLAN, while Nike has an extensive esports partnership portfolio, including deals with T1, SK Gaming, Vodafone Giants, and the Chinese League of Legends Pro League (LPL). 

paysafecard announced as main partner

NEO has also announced prepaid online payment provider paysafecard as its main partner. Paysafecard branding will be featured in-game and across NEO’s social media platforms, YouTube and Twitch. 

Discussing the partnership Manager of NEO, Dan Woods, said:

“It is a great pleasure to finally present our main partner at the beginning of the new season. The talks with those responsible at paysafecard were very target-oriented and straightforward right from the start. The cooperation will generate much excitement, especially in the digital space. paysafecard is experienced in esports, which makes all of the discussions about content, activations and so on extremely creative.

“From our side, we are focused on playing a very good sports season with the new line-up and feeding our community on social media with high-quality content. I’m sure that with such a team and such a partner the new season will bring a lot of good things for us!”

While EEA CEO and Director of Paysafe Prepaid Services at Paysafe Group, Konstantinos Maragkakis, added:

“paysafecard’s connection to esports has been anchored in our DNA since our company was founded 20 years ago. Our mission is to provide gaming enthusiasts with an eCash payment solution that is as safe and easy to use as cash.

“Our partnership with NEO, such a young and ambitious team, is an essential part of our strategy and in this case the in-game brand placement will help us further connect with our customers and demonstrate our commitment to esports.”

AYO.NEWS says:

Getting support from three major brands like that is going to be a big boost for a new organisation like NEO, both financially and in terms of morale, so it will be interesting to see how they fare. 

‘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

Danish esports organisation Astralis Group has announced a partnership with Danish luxury consumer electronics brand Bang & Olufsen. 

The international three-year deal represents Bang & Olufsen’s entry into esports, and will see Astralis’ Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, League of Legends, and FIFA teams supplied with audio products for leisure, work-out, and travel off-screen use – though it does not cover any in-game use. 

Bang & Olufsen will also be main sponsor of the organisation’s FIFA team – which formerly operated under the Future FC brand, but has recently been absorbed into the Astralis brand, along with Origen (League of Legends). 

Additionally, the partnership will see Bank & Olufsen work with Astralis to gain insights to support the development of its future gaming portfolio. The company’s first gaming headphones are expected to launch in Spring 2021. 

Discussing the partnership Co-founder and CCO of Astralis Group, Jakob Lund Kristensen, said:

“We are thrilled to announce our partnership with Bang & Olufsen. The partnership is of great value not only commercially, but also brand-wise. Bang & Olufsen shares the values of Astralis: To be on top of their game with a clear identity and uncompromising approach to craft and quality.

“We will be working together to promote Bang & Olufsen products, while Bang & Olufsen will be main sponsor for our FIFA team, which will include jersey exposure and digital appearances. The agreement is a group partnership, covering both the organisation and the players on our three teams when they are off the server, travelling and working out.”

While SVP of Product Management at Bang & Olufsen, Christoffer Poulsen, added:

“We expect to leverage on Astralis’ unique position and capabilities to help us realise the commercial potential in the gaming industry, which is valued more than twice the size of the movie and music industries combined. The first product in our gaming portfolio is a set of headphones that will be available Spring 2021. A premium product, which will bring Bang & Olufsen standards into gaming for the first time.”

AYO.NEWS says:

This is an interesting partnership in that it marks Bang & Olufsen’s entry into esports, but is limited to off-screen uses. Attracting a non-endemic high-end luxury brand like Bang & Olufsen also says a lot about Astralis’ commercial appeal. 

‘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

Riot Games Southeast Asia has announced a collegiate esports partnership with Globe Telecom and Esports AcadArena, in the Philippines. 

Globe and Esports AcadArena have been working together for more than a year, and last week announced they would be launching esports scholarships. 

The partnership with Riot will kick off with VALORANT’s inclusion in the University Alliance Cup (formerly Alliance League), and Legends of Runeterra will also be featured in AcadArena’s weekly community events, and League of Legends: Wild Rift on mobile will also be added when it is released. 

Philippine student organisations have been invited to apply for accreditation to access benefits including tournament support, league access, industry support, and scholarships. 

Discussing the collaboration Head of Esports at Riot Games Southeast Asia, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau, Chris Tran, said:

“Collegiate-level esports is an important step in nurturing the next generation of professional players and video game industry professionals, and we are excited to work closely with Esports AcadArena and Globe Telecom to bring our games to campuses in the Philippines.”

While Head of Games and Esports for Globe Telecom, Dennis Christian Dominguez, added:

“Globe has always been at the forefront of supporting the grassroots initiatives for esports in colleges and universities. As a strategic partner for Riot Games and AcadArena we look forward to working with both to continue making gaming and esports related programs that will benefit the school and the students across the Philippines.”

AYO.NEWS says:

As we’ve said many times, investment in collegiate esports is vital to ensure a health, sustainable esports ecosystem in the long-term, so it’s fantastic to see Riot Games and Globe Telecom get behind AcadArena and its scholarships program.  

‘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