Veloce Racing has confirmed Jamie Chadwick as its female driver for the inaugural season of groundbreaking, electric off-road championship Extreme E. 

Chadwick is a Williams F1 development driver and W Series Champion, and widely regarded as one of the UK’s brightest young talents.

Making her motorsport debut in the Ginetta Junior Championship, she went on to win the 2015 British GT Championship in the GT4 class, before moving to the British Formula 3 Championship in 2017, and in 2019 took the MRF Challenge Formula 2000 title. In the same year, she went on to make history in the W Series Championship, as the first driver ever with a brace of wins and five podium finishes from six races. 

When she’s not been driving, Chadwick has been acting as an ambassador for Girls on Track, an initiative led by Motorsport UK and the FIA to encourage more females to enter motorsport. 

Extreme E will mark Chadwick’s debut in the off-road scene, and the 22-year old has spent the past week driving the ODYSSEY 21 at Fontjoncouse in southern France, with more practice scheduled for a group test at MotorLand Arágon in Spain next month.

Alongside her new Extreme E commitments, Chadwick is also competing in the Formula Regional European Championship with Prema Powerteam, and the backing of Rodin Cars. 

Discussing her involvement with Veloce and Extreme E, Chadwick said:

“I am proud to be driving for Veloce Racing in such a revolutionary championship as Extreme E! I have been involved with Veloce for a very long time and they are like a family to me, so I am incredibly honoured to be their female driver for what is such an exciting and important race series.

“Climate change is something that affects us all, so I’m really keen to start doing my part to fight it. I can safely say that testing the car was one of the best and most fun experiences I have had in my career so far. I can’t wait to get out to the amazing venues where we’ll be racing next year; these are some of the most beautiful and endangered locations on our planet. Both on and off-track, it promises to be an incredibly rewarding journey.”

Super proud to have been given the opportunity to race with @VeloceRacingXE in next year’s @ExtremeELive Championship ⚡ Excited to be a part of such an important series for our planet! 💃🏻 🙌🏻 #VivaVeloce #ExtremeE pic.twitter.com/0bxmPZ1WIa

— Jamie Chadwick (@JamieChadwick55) November 25, 2020

While Veloce Racing Team Manager, Ian Davies, added:

“We are delighted to have Jamie on-board at Veloce for the first season of Extreme E. She is a very quick, talented and committed young driver, with a pedigree that quite frankly speaks for itself. Having won titles in both sportscars and single-seaters, there is no reason at all why she shouldn’t transfer those skills and win in Extreme E, in what promises to be a very high-calibre field.

“Her first test in the ODYSSEY 21 during our shakedown in France last week was a very positive and encouraging start. Her experience from single-seater and GT competition was invaluable to the early development of our car – from quick driver changes to initial and mid-corner turn-in – and she had significant input into our engineering refinements.

“Jamie would be the first to acknowledge that off-road driving is completely new to her, but she is a fast learner and she listened carefully to everything we had to say, worked well with the engineers, took it all on-board and – most importantly – got quicker and quicker with every run. We are all very excited to see what she can achieve when we go racing next year.”

Chadwick’s male teammate has yet to be confirmed, but will be joining her for the full 2021 Extreme E Championship, with events scheduled for Al-Ula, Saudi Arabia (20-21 March), Dakar, Senegal (29-30 May), Kangerlussuaq, Greenland (28-29 August), Para, Brazil (23-24 October) and Tierra Del Fuego, Argentina (11-12 December).

AYO.NEWS says:

Veloce Racing, which merged with Veloce Esports earlier this year to create a hybrid real-world/sim-world racing organisation, is gearing up for a serious start to the Extreme E Championship! In addition to bringing on top talent like Chadwick, it’s also forging impressive commercial partnerships – only last week, Veloce announced a partnership with Dutch watchmaker TW Steel. 

‘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.

Learfield IMG College has announced its key operation partners behind Level Next, The College Esports League. 

Level Next officially started this month with the Fall Champions Series, featuring EA SPORTS Madden NFL 21. It is the largest intercollegiate esports league, open to all students attending a four-year accredited university, and is also the first esports league to be supported by official school branding and athletics marketing assets. 

In addition to its cornerstone relationship with Electronic Arts (EA), Level Next is working with Esports Engine (a Vindex company), Mainline, and Endeavor, as the principal partners for overall operation and supporting elements of the esports tournaments to be housed within the platform. 

Chris Buckner, CEO of Mainline – which has been Learfield IMG College’s esports tournament operator since the company entered the esports space – called Level Next, “the culmination of every partner’s strength.” 

Learfield IMG, in coordination with EA and Endeavor, selected Esports Engine as its initial broadcast and production partner to develop new and engaging content for the college community. The company will deliver over 70 hours of broadcast content throughout the Fall Champions Series, featuring red zone coverage, matches of the week, and other shoulder content. 

Discussing developments Learfield IMG College EVP/Managing Director – Media and Partnerships Group, Rick Barakat, said:

“Level Next provides the esports player and overall student community the best of college fandom in an easy-to-follow, centralized format.

“We’re bullish on esports and the tremendous value we know it can deliver to sponsors and to schools. With EA and alongside Mainline, Esports Engine and Endeavor, we’re confident we’re delivering an exceptional experience for these students, while further authenticating and legitimizing the college esports community.”

While Esports Engine CEO, Adam Apicella, added:

“We are extremely excited to work with Learfield IMG College and bring the Level Next esports experience to life.

“Collegiate esports leagues are vital to driving the industry forward and continues our mission of facilitating a more accessible, open, and inclusive esports ecosystem. We’re proud to be part of this endeavor through the Fall Champions Series.”

Monday, 23 Nov., marked the start of Round 2: Conference/Regional Play, through 18 Dec. with winning players from each school competing as a team against other schools in the conference or region. 

This round follows the initial Fall Champions Series’ qualifying tournaments held 9-20 Nov. Round 3: Conference/Regional Championships will be held 4-9 Jan, 2021, followed by Round 4: Championship play, 13-17 Jan. 

The Fall Champions Series will have the largest-ever collegiate esports cash prize pool of $150,000; $50,000 of which will be awarded directly to campus esports programs through a social marketing competition.

AYO.NEWS says:

For those outside of North America, it can be hard to grasp just how big collegiate sports are – being a commercial powerhouse in their own right, in addition to a vital stepping stone into the world of professional sports. Unsurprisingly, we’re seeing the same happen with esports, which can only be a good thing. 

Maybe esports leagues like Level Next will help inspire collegiate sports and esports elsewhere in the world to graduate to the next level?

‘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 has unveiled its plans for the inaugural VALORANT Champions Tour 2021 season. 

A global competitive structure, featuring a range of different tournaments played across North America, South America, Europe, Asia, Africa, and Australia, the VALORANT Champions Tour, will take the action right through until the end of 2021. 

The new tour will be built around three stages; Challengers, Masters, and Champions. Open qualifiers will see teams battle for a place in the knockouts for regional Challengers tournaments, with the top teams securing positions in the international VALORANT Masters – of which three are scheduled for 2021. 

The best performing teams will then move on to battle in the VALORANT Champions -though there will also be a ‘last chance qualifier’ giving one more team a chance to move to the ultimate level, which will feature 16 teams. 

Regarding the plans Senior Director of Esports at Riot Games, Whalen Rozelle, said:

“The Champions Tour is our next step to grow VALORANT into a global esport worthy of the passion of our fans.

“We’ve spent a couple of years now talking to players, teams, fans, prospective partners, and other stakeholders, and we’re extremely excited to launch our first official season. 

“Our focus will be on elevating and showcasing the creative and talented players who are shaping this game across the globe. Fans and players both wanted high stakes competition, and that’s what the VALORANT Champions Tour is designed to do.”

Red Bull and Secretlab have both been confirmed as founding partners of the Champions Tour. 

AYO.NEWS says:

That’s a pretty solid setup for next year, with some major partners to boot, and reflects how VALORANT has already established itself as a respected esport – thanks in large part to the successful ‘First Strike’ competitive structure. 

Reflecting VALORANT’s popularity, earlier this month, Freaks 4U Gaming teamed up with marketing, media, and production agency Infront, to launch a new hub for the title, called Agent’s Range. 

‘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 teamed up with DreamHack to run a PUBG tournament for North America and Latin America this winter. 

With open qualifiers set to start for both regions on 28 November, the DreamHack PUBG Showdown Winter Americas will see the 16 best teams (6 from Latin America and 10 from North America) playing finals across 18 matches from 18-20 December. 

The $15K USD prize pool will be paid out to the six best teams, with $6.5K for 1st place, $4K for second, $2K for third, $1.1K for fourth, $800 for sixth, and $600 for sixth.

Matches will be streamed on PUBG Corp’s official YouTube, Twitch, and Facebook channels. 

AYO.NEWS says:

That’s a nice little boost for the PUBG scene as we wind down 2020, and get ready for what promises to be an epic year for PUBG and PUBG MOBILE esports in 2021.

As we reported only yesterday, PUBG Corporation has announced an 8-week in-person esports festival, featuring a $3.5M prize pool, set to take place from 2 February to 28 March. Meanwhile, it has been confirmed that next year’s PUBG MOBILE Esports program will feature a $14M prize pool – the biggest in mobile esports history. 

‘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.

Czech esports organisation Entropiq has partnered with German sportswear brand PUMA, to launch a new merch and apparel line.

The collaboration, which makes PUMA Entropiq’s exclusive merchandising partner, will result in a line including a hoodie, T-shirt, jacket, sweatpants, and polo-style fan jersey. 

Commenting on the partnership Managing Director of Entropiq, Ondřej Drebota, said:

“In the last few months, we were in touch with several global brands, and after considerations and mutual agreement, we decided to sign with PUMA. I am delighted that we will be able to provide our players and fans with merchandising of the highest quality.

“While the fans’ interest in buying our merchandise has been imminent ever since our organization entered the esports realm, we understood the importance of the decision. It is a privilege to join forces with such a renowned brand, which provides sportswear for the Czech national football team and several first division clubs.”

While PUMA Area General Manager – Eastern Europe, Jan Sochor, added:

“PUMA follows the global trend of connection between sports and esports. We believe that, in today’s world, sports and esports are closely linked entities with many common features. I am very pleased that we can start our collaboration with esports organization Entropiq and together become a part of the gaming community on the Czech-Slovak as well as the international stage.”

Entropiq currently fields rosters in CS:GO, PUBG, FIFA 21, Hearthstone, and Valorant. In addition to PUMA, the organisation has partnerships with fast food giant McDonald’s, Fine Gusto jerky, Pure Coco coconut water, esports betting solutions provider ematiq, and herbal supplement Your Gate. 

AYO.NEWS says:

With apparel and merchandise now vital to the financial viability of esports organisations, it’s never been more important to choose partners wisely – after all, no one wants a repeat of the Team Singularity – DashThreads debacle. But, with PUMA, which already has an extensive esports presence, Entropiq should be in safe hands. 

‘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.

Adverty has been granted a United States patent for its in-game ad viewability technology BrainImpression™. 

The patent covers a groundbreaking method for determining ad viewability and impressions within complex gaming environments,for example, when an advert is considered as seen by the user, within complex computer-generated graphical environments such as two-dimensional and three-dimensional games. The patented invention is one of the core functionalities of Adverty’s in-game advertising platform. 

Viewability is one of the most important metrics in brand advertising and several renowned brands tend to exclude websites and other advertising media with low viewability in their media plans. To help advertisers understand and publishers define how to count an ad as seen, the media industry has established standards on how to measure web-based ad viewability. 

In regards to in-game advertising viewability, the industry is still at its infancy, with Adverty taking an active role in helping both IAB and third party ad verification leaders define these industry-wide, sought-after standards.  

Niklas Bakos, CEO and founder of Adverty, explained:

“Our patented in-game viewability algorithm outlines one of the core functionalities in our cutting-edge ad platform. We use our knowledge and innovation to help define appropriate viewability standards for in-game advertising – something that will benefit the media industry and heighten the acceptance of this new ad format amongst advertisers.”

The BrainImpression™ patent covers and protects a method of deciding if an advertisement, displayed in a gaming environment and shown on a display, has been seen by a user. The method of decision is based on the ad size, time in view and position on display for the user. Depending on the size of the ad on display, the ad is classified as seen after various time intervals, triggering an ad impression by the system.

Furthermore, the patent covers specific methods for adverts in the three-dimensional gaming space, where viewing angles and incidence angles towards the ad and the user display determine how well the ad is visible at any given time. For example, an ad unit viewed from the side is not detected as quickly, if at all, depending on its viewing angle, compared to an ad unit seen from a straight angle. Moreover, an advert placed in the center of the field of view is classified as seen faster than an ad closer to the periphery with a higher angle of incidence. 

The BrainImpression™ patent application was filed in March 2017 at a time when Adverty focused on future gaming platforms such as Virtual, Augmented and Mixed Reality. Over the years, the focus has shifted towards mobile games, the largest and fastest growing gaming platform globally. Altogether, Adverty has established a leading cross-platform framework for unobtrusive, in-game brand and performance advertising, allowing brands to connect with new audiences in unique ways.

With the company’s fundamental mission in mind, the patent US 16/499.258 / US20200110262A1 covers head-mounted displays, such as Virtual Reality headsets, Augmented Reality headsets and smart glasses. A continuing application to protect the invention for other displays such as mobile phone, tablet and TV screens has been submitted to the United States Patent and Trademark Office.

Staying with Adverty, earlier this month the company announced the appointment of Johanna Nymberg as Global Director of Business Development. 

The latest iteration of Call of Duty reaches new audiences through In-Play™ advertising with unparalleled contextual, geographical, visual, and cultural fit#callofduty #adverty #ingameads #FPSgames #gaming #consolegaming #esports #digitaladvertising #advertising pic.twitter.com/rSySk1QK0k

— Adverty (@adverty) November 12, 2020

AYO.NEWS says:

In-game advertising offers incredible potential for brands to connect with audiences, but without accurate metrics many may be put off from trying the waters. Adverty’s BrainImpression is a novel, and potentially very effective, solution which could seriously catalyse the whole in-game advertising space. 

In September, AYO.NEW’s very own Simona Pinterova caught up with Adverty CEO & Co-Founder, Niklas Bakos, to find out more about the platform and the intriguing world 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.