Esports and gaming talent agency, Prodigy Agency, has entered a strategic partnership with Gscience. 

Talent on Prodigy’s books include ZywOo, mixwell, apEX, ScreaM, NBK, and sOAZ, and the agency is known for its ‘Players First’ initiative. In keeping with this, it has become the first esports talent agency to announce an official health and performance partner. 

The agreement will see Northern Ireland-based Gscience provide bespoke performance coaching and workshops to Prodigy’s growing roster of talent, with the aim of improving performance and optimising health and wellness. Both companies will also be championing mental health awareness and support across the esports and gaming industry. 

Discussing the partnership Founder & CEO of Prodigy Agency, Jérôme Coupez, said:

“Our main mission with Prodigy Agency is to take care and support our players from all angles. Health, wellness and performance is obviously one of the most important verticals for esports players, especially with the current global situation, and it was important for us to find the right partners. 

“Gscience are pioneers in esports health and performance and I’m really looking forward to developing and building the best support on that regards for our players around the world.”

While Co-Founder & CEO of Gscience, Ryan Scollan, added:

“After speaking with Jérôme and learning more about his reason for starting Prodigy Agency, I knew immediately that we were a great fit for one another. 

“Both companies believe in and understand the importance of taking care of the players and building a healthy and sustainable ecosystem for all gamers. We are excited to work with and share our knowledge through the world class talent that prodigy has on their roster.”

And, Jamie Kiff, Co-Founder & CSO of Gscience, commented:

“With COVID-19 restrictions in place worldwide we have seen a rise in the number of gamers reporting physical and mental health issues. As such, this partnership with a leading esports talent agency couldn’t come at a better time. We want to ensure that athletes are given the support they need during this difficult time and throughout their career.“

AYO.NEWS says:

There’s no doubt about it, 2020 has been challenging for most people in terms of mental health, with the COVID-19 crisis putting unprecedented pressures on people in many aspects of their lives. 

For esports talent, maintaining focus and perspective, while under pressure to perform, and lacking the normal physical events and interactions, it’s crucial to have professional support right now, so it’s great to see Prodigy Agency and Gscience stepping up. 

‘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.

Ultimate Gamer, the world’s first and only multi-genre esports and gaming proving ground, has announced a multi-year partnership with global gaming marketplace Kinguin. 

The deal will see Kinguin power Ultimate Gamer’s online store, giving its community of over 1.6M esports and gaming fans access to more than 45K gaming titles, and providing opportunities for players to compete in the Ultimate Gamer Arena for discounts on Kinguin products. 

On-location activations at Kinguin’s Esports Performance Center and Kinguin Esports Lounge in Europe, and at Ultimate Gamer’s Florida headquarters, are also planned. Additionally, Ultimate Gamer and Kinguin will collaborate on content focused around putting the everyday gamer in the spotlight, providing improvement tips, while following the journey of who will be crowned The Best Gamer on Earth™.

Discussing the partnership Ultimate Gamer CEO, Steve Suarez, said:

“The entire Ultimate Gamer team was blown away by Kinguin Esports Lounge and training center. Kinguin has done an incredible job fostering community and improving the quality of gaming for those who play games. In addition to powering Ultimate Gamer’s store, we plan to partner with Kinguin on physical events post COVID and unique content collaboration geared towards our shared audience of gamers.”

While Kinguin Founder and CEO, Viktor Romaniuk Wanli, added:

“Ultimate Gamer, with its fan base of 1.6 million gamers, has done a tremendous job in providing value to its audience, and we couldn’t be more excited for this strategic collaboration with UG. Our combined efforts will introduce our 60m+ fans to unique experiences and a lot of special giveaways and discount deals on the latest blockbuster games out there.”

AYO.NEWS says:

Yet another great initiative from two of the most proactive forces in the video gaming and esports communities! With headlines always dominated by the huge esports deals and top teams, its projects like Ultimate Gamer that really keep the community grounded and bind everything together – like the cheese on a pizza. 

Find out more about the visionary behind Ultimate Gamer, Steve Suarez, in an AYO.NEWS exclusive interview tomorrow. 

‘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.

French esports organisation Team Vitality has said it will be using three key SAP solutions to support financial management. 

According to the organisation, using the three SAP products will enable it to optimise all its processes, including monitoring of contracts, data management, automation of tasks, and monitoring financial flows. In the long-term, Team Vitality intends to push its use of SAP solutions even further, impacting all the company’s branches, and supporting its continued international growth. 

Team Vitality is set leverage:

•   SAP Business By Design®, a cloud-based ERP for optimising finance, purchases, and inventory management.
• SAP Cloud Platform®, an integration and extension platform for simplifying exchanges with the company’s ecosystem.
• SAP Analytics Cloud®, an augmented and multi-source analytics solution for optimising and accelerating decision-making.

Discussing the partnership CFO at Team Vitality, Sonia Manueco, said:

“We operate more than one business model at a time: we make retail sales via our website, we develop marketing contracts with different brands and we also generate content. It was, therefore, necessary to have several tools grouped together in a single, easy-to-access interface to be able to manage all these activities.”

While COO at Team Vitality, Franck Boniface, added:

“Thanks to SAP, we have all the components we need to go even further: we want to continue improving our operations by automating all of our legal, quality, and logistics processes. The long-term objective is also to use all the data we retrieve from our platforms, such as Twitch and Twitter, to be able to make the connection between interactions with our fans and purchases on our webshop.”

SAP provides data analytics and innovations to several professional sports and esports organisations, including the WTA, NBA, Team Liquid, and FC Bayern. It is currently intensifying the scope of its ERP offering in esports, and in addition to player performance management, is seeking to engage fans with its innovative technologies. 

Staying with Team Vitality, last month the organisation made the first move in its planned expansion to India, launching dedicated Indian-facing social media channels. 

AYO.NEWS says:

It might not be the most exciting news on the planet, but this partnership does demonstrate that as esports organisations evolve into complex, multi-faceted businesses, it’s absolutely critical to put efficient, robust infrastructure in place to minimise waste and maximise opportunities. 

‘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.

PUBG Corporation has announced an 8-week esports festival, featuring a $3.5M USD prize pool, and PUBG MOBILE Esports has revealed details of its 2021 program.

PUBG GLOBAL INVITATIONAL.S

Scheduled to take place from 2 February to 28 March, the PUBG GLOBAL INVITATIONAL.S (PGI.S), will be held in South Korea and feature 32 global teams from South Korea, North America, Europe, Latin America, China, Japan, South East Asia, and Taiwan. 

Unusually, given the current circumstances, the event will be an in-person affair, though it will be fully compliant with government COVID-19 guidelines, and go even further by introducing its own rules, including a two-week quarantine for all players and staff. 

The format will see teams compete in 16 weekly “Survival” matches, during which they will attempt to earn money and a spot in the “Final” matches. Final matches will feature larger prizes, which will be awarded based on performance. When all matches are completed, the team that has amassed the largest pot of prize cash will be named Global Champions. 

An upgraded Pick’Em Challenge, featuring an increased 30% revenue share, will also be part of the PGI.S. 

PUBG MOBILE 2021 Esports program

Details of the 2021 PUBG MOBILE Esports program have also been confirmed by James Yang, Director of PUBG MOBILE GLobal Esports. 

2021 will see seven new PMPL (PUBG Mobile Professional League) regions; CIS, Turkey, Western Europe, Arabia, North America, Latin America, and Brazil. They will complement the existing PMPLs in South Asia and Southeast Asia. The PMCO (PUBG Mobile Club Open) will also see additional regions added, including the UK, France, UAE, Africa, Bangladesh, Nepal, and Mexico, with more to be revealed. 

Similar to 2020, the PMCOs and PMPLs will be split into two seasons, with the PMGC at the end of the year. Registration for the PMCO Spring Split will be open from 1-24 January 2021. New PUBG MOBILE Invitationals will be introduced in summer, hosted by pro teams.

The PMGC starts at 11am UTC on 24 November 2020, and will see 24 pro teams from around the world compete for a $2M prize pool, and the glory of being crowned the best team in the world at the PMGC Finals. 

AYO.NEWS says:

Both PUBG and PUBG MOBILE have exploded in popularity through 2020, and they look set to continue on the same stratospheric trajectory into 2021. Fans and players alike will also no doubt be thrilled at the prospect of the in-person 8-week festival in February – though, given the state of the COVID-19 crisis, with its frequently changing lockdowns, travel bans and quarantine rules, it’s probably best to take the schedule with a pinch of salt at this point.

‘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.

Social gaming platform developer and licensor, Golden Matrix Group, has partnered with gambling technology company Playtech. 

The collaboration is aimed at growing both companies’ share of the esport and betting game markets globally. Under the terms of the agreement, Playtech will gain exclusive distribution rights for GMGI’s new suit of Esport, peer-to-peer betting games (Peer2P), and its AI player acquisition and retention system.

Golden Matrix will be granted non-exclusive distribution rights for Playtech’s most popular games, including live dealer, slots, table games, bingo, and poker titles. 

Discussing the partnership Golden Matrix CEO, Brain Goodman, said:

“This collaboration agreement with the industry’s most prestigious technology provider and distributor represents a significant milestone in our company’s expansion and growing success. 

“With Playtech as our Peer2P distribution partner, GMGI’s exciting content will now be introduced to new gaming audiences, thus extending the company’s reach into new territories – including the fast growing U.S. market where we expect to establish a significant presence. 

“In addition, our core business will also benefit greatly by adding Playtech’s best gaming software to our current GM-X product offerings. We are confident it will be enthusiastically received by our 350 plus licensees and their 3.5 million registered users that transact through our GM-X platforms.”

While CEO of Playtech, Mor Weizer, added:

“Playtech’s success is driven by key strategic partnerships with the industry’s leading specialists that complement our technology, increase our scale and breadth of offering and extend our distribution capabilities. 

“We are delighted to announce the new partnership with experienced technology provider GMGI. This is the exciting first step in our partnership which will see us launch E-sport, P2P and other innovative software as well as expand distribution of our world class content.”

Both sides of the distribution agreement are expected to be live by 1 December 2020. 

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

Wolves Esports has announced a partnership with the North American Collegiate League (NACL) for the 20/21 Championship series. 

The esports division of Wolverhampton Wanderers FC, which plays in the English Premier League, is teaming up with the American non-profit throughout the 20/21 NACL Championship series, which includes four gaming tournaments; PUBG, Rocket League, FIFA 21, and Fortnite. 

Wolves will be promoted throughout the series, and will offer players a range of Wolves-related prizes, including a chance to try out for its professional esports team. 

Commenting on the collaboration General Manager for Marketing & Commercial Growth at Wolves, Russel Jones, said:

“This is another exciting project on our esports road map. This collaboration with NACL will enable us to engage with a primarily North American gaming audience through four competitive tournaments.

“The very best players will have the opportunity to engage with and play against our professional teams. These sessions will be designed to nurture talent and provide pathway information into professional esports.”

While Founder of NACL, David Chen, added:

“The NACL boast partnerships with more than 220 colleges and universities worldwide, through in excess of 100 online tournaments and live events.

“We are delighted to be able to offer our players the opportunity to try-out for their professional teams, competing at the very highest level of esports.”

Wolves Esports competes in FIFA and PUBG, and recently added a Rocket League team to its line up. 

The NACL’s ambassadors include Anthony Alfredo (pro NASCAR driver), Aaron Jones (NFL player for Greenbay Packers), Flex Lewis (IFBB 7x Mr Olympia), Jeremy Roenick (NHL legend), and Rick Barry (NBA Hall of Famer). 

AYO.NEWS says:

Respect to Wolves for supporting a non-profit collegiate organisation like NACL, which is helping ensure the long-term sustainability of the esports ecosystem by giving a path from grassroots to pro. And, from Wolves’ point of view, this is sure to boost its profile across the Atlantic – and drive the brands’s global growth, which is already impressive, especially in Asia, and benefits the whole club, including its core football teams. 

‘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.