UK-based esports organisation Fnatic has announced a partnership with Chinese electronics giant Hisense. 

The multi-year deal will include content creation, including product reviews, and is Hisense’s second esports sponsorship – after becoming Evil Geniuses’ exclusive TV provider in 2017. Fnatic’s facilities will also be fully kitted out with the latest Hisense products. 

Discussing the partnership Vice President of Hisense International, Alex Zhu, said:

“We are thrilled to partner with Fnatic, one of the world’s top esports organizations, in a joint effort to bring a better quality of life to Fnatic and esports fans. 

“We hope to make Hisense TV and home appliances truly their friend and right-hand in life by constantly exploring the needs of fans, so as to allow them to focus on enjoying every moment of esports games.Supported by the unique VIDAA operation system that launched at Hisense TV, we are dedicated to bringing more esports and Fnatic content to our big screens for fans.”

While Founder and CEO of Fnatic, Sam Matthews, added:

“We are proud to partner with Hisense, a forward-thinking, innovative company, that is committed to bringing happiness into the homes of millions of families. As a trusted partner, we are excited to share this collaboration with our fans, players and creators.”

Fnatic also has commercial partnerships with AMD, BMW, Gucci, LeTou, Monster Energy, OnePlus, Parimatch, and PCSpecialist. 

Staying with Fnatic, last week the organisation announced the appointment of Lucien Boyer as new Chairman, Soroya Sobh as Head of Talent Management, and George Mead as Interim Partnerships Director. 

AYO.NEWS says:

It’s interesting to see Hisense dip its toes in the esports world again. It’s likely quite a few brands that tried esports sponsorships a few years ago were disappointed with the results – but a couple of years makes a big difference, and we’re sure Hisense will find esports now delivers much greater commercial value.

‘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

North American esports organisation Spacestation Gaming has teamed up with Danish gaming peripherals brand SteelSeries. 

The partnership will see SteelSeries supply its products to Spacestation Gaming’s players and staff. 

Spacestation Gaming stands out as one of the few esports organisations to win a Championship trophy in what has been a very disrupted 2020 – winning the Six Invitational, Rainbow Six Siege’s season finale, very early in the year, before the COVID-19 crisis went global. 

Commenting on the news Founder of Spacestation Gaming, Shaun McBride, said:

“I personally have always been a fan of SteelSeries. Our players have often requested SteelSeries products, so when this partnership came together, it felt completely perfect. The collaboration will support our entire staff and optimize all of our teams moving forward.”

While Esports Marketing Manager at SteelSeries, Andrew Trulli, added:

“With Spacestation Gaming’s top-tier esports talent, combined with an ability to develop and create engaging content, we’re excited to have them join the SteelSeries team.”

SteelSeries also has agreements in place with Barrage, FaZe Clan, FunPlus Phoenix, and OG Esports, while Spacestation Gaming has deals with B&H, Champion, and Scuf Gaming. 

Out with the old…
In with the @SteelSeries!!

WELCOME TO THE SPACESTATION pic.twitter.com/OR9LuB1dQH

— Spacestation Gaming (@SpacestationGG) September 30, 2020

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XSET, the self-styled “revolutionary gaming and culture organisation,” has released its ‘Fall 1 merchandise capsule.’

Designed by XSET Creative Director and streetwear fashion icon Dennis Calvero of Crooks & Castles, the merch range includes “fashion-infused” esports jerseys, athletic and leisure attire, and branded accessories like socks, hats, and mugs. 

Commenting on the launch Co-Founder and CEO of XSET, Greg Selkoe, said:

“This capsule is just another example of how XSET is already leading the way with our respect for fashion innovation.”

While Co-Founder and Chief Merchandise and Licensing Officer, Wil Eddins, added:

“Fall 1 is just the beginning. Our Fall 2 line is even more robust, and is not just a capsule but an entire fashion collection that will cement our position as the most fashion-forward gaming org out there.”

The lookbook for the unisex capsule collection features popular Fortnite player and content creator Tatyana “Luvstruck” Worn, who is the latest to join XSET’s expanding roster. 

Staying with XSET, in August the organisation announced a partnership with lifestyle sports nutrition brand GHOST. 

AYO.NEWS says:

While we still get the feeling XSET is trying a bit too hard with the whole ‘revolutionary’ thing, its new merch capsule proves it does have a solid grasp on the critical importance of the lifestyle aspect of esports. We’re looking forward to seeing more. 

‘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

Esports tournament organisers DreamHack and ESL have merged, under ESL Gaming. 

Though both of the MTG-owned organisers will now operate under one corporation, ESL Gaming, DreamHack and ESL will continue to be independent brands. 

According to a statement, the new company structure will allow DreamHack and ESL to “push forward new innovations to serve fans and communities” around the world. The company is being led by Co-CEOs Craig Levine and Ralf Reichert.

Discussing the changes, Levine said:

“Through maximum cooperation and collaboration, and the melding of some of the best creative and visionary gaming minds in the industry, we will, together, continue to advance the innovation that drives this space via the most exceptional products and events.

“For our partners, there will be more opportunities to engage with us through a wider range of activations across all levels of esports, and all aspects of gaming. And for our fans, it means we will offer one of the most expansive esports and gaming lifestyle portfolios available.”

While President and CEO of MTG, Maria Redin, added:

“This is an important step to cement our leading position in esport and gaming lifestyle, and an important milestone in our ownership in both ESL Gaming and DreamHack. The combination will create significant shareholder value both short term through the more efficient organization and operations and long term, through the superior products that the new combined entity can offer the market.”

AYO.NEWS says:

Though fans probably won’t notice much difference, with the DreamHack and ESL brands continuing on, we expect this merger has been driven by the need to make cost savings in the face of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, which has significantly impacted revenue for live event organisers. 

‘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

The Esports Integrity Commission (ESIC) has released findings from its CS:GO spectator bug exploitation investigation.

On 4 September ESIC revealed it was investigating the historical abuse of a bug in CS:GO’s spectator mode. It contracted the services of Michal Slowinski, who had originally discovered the wrongful use of the exploit, to help with the investigation.

Though ESIC initially believed it would need to review 25K demos in order to assess the level of exploitation, it actually retrieved 99,650 demos (approx. 15.2TB of data), dating back to 2016, via accessing the demo databases of the ESEA and HLTV. 

Despite ESIC only finding positive indications of Spectator Bug abuse in 0.1% of demos, so far the investigation has exposed 96 cases of the bug being deliberately abused in a competitive environment, implicating 37 parties.

Sanctions have now been issued to prevent the offending parties from joining official match game servicers, from communicating with players 15 minutes before and after matches, and being involved in the map veto process. They will be enforced by all ESIC member organisations, including BLAST, DreamHack, Eden Esports, ESL, LVP, NODWIN Gaming, and We Play! Esports. 

In a message to the CS:GO community, ESIC said:

“We understand that these revelations have been tough for many people within the CS:GO community, but we believe it is in the long term best interests of the game and all of esports for integrity breaches to be dealt with head on. 

“We know that most coaches, players, tournament organisers, publishers and developers, fans, sponsors and broadcasters want CS:GO and esports to be clean and a fair competition between players and teams doing their very best to win. We see our job as being to ensure that that happens and that corrupt and bad actors are rehabilitated or removed.”

AYO.NEWS says:

With CS:GO being one of the most popular esports for betting, it’s critical that integrity is maintained, so it’s great to see ESIC conducting such a thorough investigation. Hopefully it will also act as a deterrent to other potential bad actors across all titles. 

‘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

Nations Ventures, the VC fund majority-owned by the world’s largest esportswear company, We Are Nations, has invested in social platform Smerf. 

Smerf is a startup social platform aimed at gamers, and the undisclosed investment will be used to enhance its technological capabilities and add support for more games – Smerf is initially supporting Modern Warfare, CS:GO, and League of Legends.

Discussing the investment CEO of We Are Nations, Patrick Mahoney, said:

“We Are Nations started as and continues to operate as a merchandise company, and the actual sale of merchandise is a reflection of the community and the story that the merchandise represents. Investing in Smerf – a company that is helping create these communities – is exactly where we want the fund to operate.”

While Founder and CEO of Smerf, Zachary DeFord, added:

“We are so excited to receive our first investment from Nations Ventures. They are the perfect fit for us. Beyond Dan Cardell and the rest of the team having deep relationships in the esports space, we all share the same vision: to change the landscape of multiplayer gaming by forming the close-knit and respectful communities that we’ve all wanted.”

Nations Ventures launched in May, as a fund for early-stage companies not competing with We Are Nations’ merchandising and retail business. Earlier this month, Nations Ventures launched brand activation company Nations Leap, to provide direct engagement into the esports and gaming entertainment space. 

AYO.NEWS says:

Will Smerf be able to offer something compelling enough to thrive in the crowded social space? There’s no denying that there’s a huge gaming and esports market out there, but all social platforms face the daunting challenge of reaching the critical mass needed to evolve from a curiosity to a sustainable community. Getting the backing of Nations Ventures will undoubtedly boost its chances, but it’s still going to be a challenge. 

‘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