Overwatch League side Houston Outlaws has appointed Adam Hobbs as Executive Director of Marketing and Branding. 

Hobbs was previously Head of Marketing for Counter Logic Gaming (CLG), where he guided content and brand strategy across titles including League of Legends, Fortnite, Apex Legends, Super Smash Bros, and CS:GO, plus influential content creators.

He has created global campaigns for top brands like Razer, Red Bull, Toyota, and Uniqlo, and his work with major influencers, including Lady GaGa, Deadmau5, Skrillex, and Tiesto, and been covered by Billboard, Forbes, and The Fader.

Regarding Hobb’s appointment, Beasley Esports Chief Operating Officer, Lori Burgess, said:

“Adam brings the perfect combination of esports and entertainment marketing leadership to the Outlaws as we poise our organisation for fan and audience growth in 2021. Adam’s ability to ‘dream big and execute even bigger’ makes him the perfect addition to the Outlaws as we work to extend our brand across all media platforms.”

While Hobbs himself added:

“I’m beyond excited to join the Outlaws at what I think is a key turning point in the development of the organisation.

“From the start, I was in total alignment with the vision for the team and the direction of the Outlaws brand. I hope to build on that and bring it to life through content and experience that will excite our current fans and convert new ones. Outlaws fans deserve the best and that is what I want to give them.”

The appointment is in line with the Beasley Media Group-owned esports organisation’s plans to continue improving its infrastructure, make key hires, focus on commercial sponsorships, and improve fan engagement during 2021.

Staying with Beasley Esports, just a couple of weeks ago the company announced the appointment of Robyn St. Germain as Executive Director of Sales & Partnerships. 

AYO.NEWS says:

Hobbs looks like a solid hire for the Outlaws, having extensive proven experience in the esports industry, and obviously an extensive network of contacts. We’re curious to see his impact on the organisation. 

‘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.

Get ready for a unique dose of virtual culture with The Overkill Festival. 

From 27 November to 6 December, The Overkill Festival will be streamed live from Enschede, Netherlands, featuring an incredible collection of games, movies, music, performances, VR and interactive art!

Organised in response to the “intense challenges” of 2020, the festival is billed as “an online experience that you’ve never seen before.” Featuring three “main stages”, the festival is based around a freely explorable 24/7 online virtual space, designed by The Rodina. 

Notable attractions include a video version of Treehugger, a work by Marshmallow Laser Feast, in which the artists encourage the viewers to reconnect with nature; a video by Eva Papamargariti, works by Theo Triantafyllidis & Sun Araw and Natasha Tontey, and games like Tonight we Riot and Spinch!

AYO.NEWS says:

Apparently, the online exhibition at The Overkill Festival is presenting the world of artists and game developers under the theme “The end of the world as we know it.” Seems about right for 2020! 

‘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.

UK-based esports organisation Fnatic has signed British rapper, Lukman Odunaike, aka “Not3s” to its talent roster. 

Not3s, who is best known for his 2017 breakthrough song “Addison Lee”, is the first British musician to sign with an esports organisation. Fnatic says he will now be an integral member of its roster of UK-based professional esports gamers and content creators. 

Fnatic’s UK Crew bands together players from community-driven titles, including FIFA, Fortnite, and Call of Duty, and the organisation says the signing of Not3s is part of its larger mission to continue pushing the boundaries of the gaming and esports sector, as it enters mainstream culture. 

According to Not3s, though he grew up playing PS1, Nintendo 64 and FIFA 98, it wasn’t until the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic that he found himself re-immersed in the world of gaming, playing FIFA, Fortnite, and Call of Duty Warzone, and wanting to find a way to integrate his own music into the games. 

Commenting on joining Fnatic, Not3s said:

“As an artist and creator, I’m always looking for things that nobody has done before. I’m thrilled to join Fnatic, because of the sense of community I feel from the organization, the players and from their fans. I look forward to bringing the worlds of music and gaming even closer together.”

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

“We are thrilled to have such a talented musician and creator join Fnatic. We’re always looking to level up and encourage all of our players and creators, to expand their skills and brand and with Not3s, there’s no exception.

“We’re excited to work with him to continue merging the worlds of gaming and music, for the benefit of culture and for the next generation of gamers.”

AYO.NEWS says:

Across the pond in the US we’re seeing a number of music artists and executives get involved in esports, so it was only a matter of time before the same happened in the UK. Given how intertwined video games now are with all aspects of popular culture, the involvement of artists with esports is sure to get deeper. 

Just last week, US rapper Swae Lee became the first artist to invest in new Boston-based esports organisation XSET. 

‘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.

Global esports organisation ReKTGlobal, owner of Rogue and London Royal Ravens, has appointed Hannah Reid as Chief People Officer (CPO). 

In her new role, Reid will be responsible for designing and implementing human resource infrastructure and programs that are scalable across ReKTGlobal’s diversified workforce, guiding stakeholders to continue growing a unified culture across the global organisation’s owned and operated subsidiaries.

Reid is one of the few female C-suit executives currently in the esports space, but will be joining several other female leaders at ReKTGlobal and its subsidiaries. These include Executive Vice President of Esports, Anna Baumann, Executive Vice President of Media Services, Cara Scharf, and Head of Talent at TalentX Gaming (TXG), Amber Howard. 

Indeed, though it is thought that women account for almost 41% of gamers in the United States, they currently represent just 5% of the professional esports workforce. Additionally, though the $1.1 billion esports industry has seen incredible growth, it still largely lacks in-house human resources leadership at the C-suite level. 

Commenting on her appointment, Reid said:

“I’m truly passionate about people and their overall well being. It’s a privilege to advocate for and represent each employee at the leadership level.

“As one of the few esports organisations elevating women in leadership, I appreciate ReKTGlobal’s commitment to diversity and creating an equitable working environment.”

Before joining ReKTGlobal, Reid was human resources manager at digital media agency VaynerX. There she was instrumental in improving and scaling people processes as the company experienced dramatic global growth. 

Reid’s areas of expertise include performance management and coaching, benefits and pay equity/compensation strategy, acquisitions, and HR infrastructure. Prior to her time with VaynerX, she worked at financial services startup, JDX Consulting, where she was involved in implementing people and operations functions for the company’s New York office. 

Regarding Reid’s appointment ReKTGlobal’s Chief Operating Officer, Parrish McIntyre, said:

“With Hannah’s passion for people, entrepreneurial spirit, and track record of developing a global brand culture, we instantly knew she was the right fit. 

“We’ve made it our mission to identify, develop and create equitable pathways for our ReKTGlobal team members. It’s critical that our team fully reflect the diverse audiences of esports and gaming as we mature as a leading esports organisation, and know Hannah is the right leader to spearhead this global effort.”

While co-founder of ReKTGlobal, Amish Shah, welcomes Reid to the organisation, saying:

“We are thrilled to welcome Hannah Reid as our first Chief People Officer. As one of the only esports organisations to reach profitability, we’ve now set our sights on building a global culture that challenges the male-dominated status quo.

“With Hannah’s arrival, we hope this sheds light on the opportunity for women in executive positions in esports and makes the case for other esports organisations to follow.”

AYO.NEWS says:

Here at AYO.NEWS we share ReKTGlobal’s ethos when it comes to equality and diversity, so it’s awesome to see the organisation create the post of CPO, and appoint someone as capable as Hannah to lead its efforts. 

Staying with ReKTGlobal, in October the organisation secured $35M in funding from Summit Partners, to help support the expansion of its product portfolio, monetise assets, and assist with the acceleration of international growth through key executive hiring.

‘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.

In-game advertising platform, Adverty, has hired Johanna Nymberg as Global Director of Business Development.

Adverty delivers seamless in-game advertising solution, enabling brands to effectively and non-intrusively connect with audiences. Nymberg will be spearheading further growth for the company, and her appointment follows the launch of new offices across Europe and APAC, and a raft of senior hires earlier in 2020. 

Nymberg has extensive experience in the digital media sector, most recently working from London and Singapore as Senior Publishers Growth Manager at AdColony, one of the largest mobile advertising platforms in the world.

At Adverty, she will work alongside Niklas Wallgren and Christian Atack to liaise with publishers and game developers globally, widening access and awareness of Adverty’s unique In-Play™ and In-Menu™ enabled in-game advertising SDK. 

Regarding her new role, Nymberg said:

“Adverty’s formats are a great advantage to brands and publishers. As it is still a new ad monetisation format, this makes the role even more exciting. Adverty is genuinely setting a new standard for generating revenue and I will be driving new game integrations and expanding the use of the platform via high-value deals and strategic, long-term partnerships, further establishing Adverty as the leading in-game advertising company.”

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

“We are delighted to welcome yet another industry heavyweight to the team. Johanna is a well-respected leader with deep experience in the gaming space and excellent contacts within the publishing industry, and always at the forefront of industry developments.”

As previously reported, at the end of September, Adverty partnered with Singapore-based The Scale Factory to drive commercialisation in Asia Pacific. 

AYO.NEWS says:

With traditional advertising rapidly becoming obsolete, in-game advertising offers an effective way to engage with younger generations, while at the same time actually adding authenticity to gaming experiences rather than annoying them. 

Our very own Simona Pinterova recently caught up with Adverty CEO, Niklas Bakos, to find out more about the exciting possibilities of in-game advertising. 

‘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 state-owned gambling operator Svenska Spel has appointed Erika Svanström as new head of public affairs. 

Svanström, who has been running her own consulting business and has extensive experience in local, regional, and national politics, will be taking up her new role on 2 November. 

She has been an advisor on public affairs issues at Svenska Spel since April 2019, and before that, he was communications manager at Sveriges Åkeriföretag, an industry association for transport and haulage.

Welcoming Svanström to the company, communications director at Svenska Spel, Joakim Mörnefält, said:

“I am very happy to welcome Erika Svanström to Svenska Spel. She will have an important role as responsible for our activities in public affairs. As a state-owned gaming company, Svenska Spel will be a role model for the industry. 

“We want to take that responsibility on a broad front. This includes creating increased knowledge and awareness of the challenges that the industry faces in the long and short term vis-à-vis our decision-makers.”

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