Complexity Gaming has confirmed it is extending its partnership with World of Warcraft esports guild Limit. 

The Texas-based esports organisation originally partnered with Limit in October 2019, resulting in Complexity-Limit. Prior to the agreement, Limit had partnered with Red Bull for its Race to World First broadcasts and sponsorships. 

According to Complexity, the partnership has been extended after it proved successful at leveraging existing infrastructure and resources in the organisation to optimise performance and results for the guild. Next month, Complexity-Limit will be defending its player-vs-environment (PVE) raid title “Race to World First.” 

Complexity is based at The Star, located on the Dallas Cowboy’s campus in Frisco, Texas. It currently fields rosters in Apex Legends, CS:GO, FIFA, Fortnite, Hearthstone, Madden NFL, Magic: The Gathering Arena, and Valorant. 

MEDIAPRO and Liga de Videojuegos Profesional (LVP) are producing the third season of eLiga Portugal. 

The Spanish multimedia communications group’s Medialuso production company is producing the FIFA competition, with LVP handling sports management. 17 Liga NOS teams will be represented in the eLiga Portugal’s third season, which will run from this month through to April 2021’s $50K USD Grand Final. 

Commenting on the news CEO of LVP, Jordi Soler, said:

“We have been organising esports competitions around the world for more than 10 years and for us it’s an honor to be able to export our successful model to Portugal. Mediapro Portugal and LVP have gone all out on the project of the eLiga Portugal, and we are sure that it will become a benchmark competition among clubs and fans alike.”

While Executive Director of Liga Portugal, Tiago Madureira, added:

“The commitment of the Liga and our clubs in the esports business is accompanying global growth the sector has experienced, understanding the inherent importance of the presence in this territory as a communication portal with a young target and for who, in many cases, esports represents their main point of contact with our sport. We are very happy with this partnership with Mediapro and we are sure that it will be a great success and will result in a differentiating product in the market.”

The entire competition will be streamed on Twitch, while Portuguese TV channel Sport TV will also broadcast highlights. 

AYO.NEWS says:

With video gaming and esports witnessing explosive growth this year, in no small part thanks to the COVID-19 crisis, we think it’s safe to expect the third season of eLiga Portugal to be significantly bigger than its forerunners. From Malaysia to the Netherlands, and England to Malta, there’s no stopping the rise of FIFA leagues. 

‘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.

32 international teams have been selected for the annual Gazprom International Children’s Social Programme Football for Friendship Championship. 

Children from all over the world will compete for the title of Football for Friendship World Champions and for tickets to the 2021 UEFA Champions League Final in Istanbul. 

On 27 November the teams were determined in a live draw, during a broadcast which featured footballing legend and project ambassador Roberto Carlos, along with Adviser to the President of the Football Union of Russia Alexey Smertin, Head of Football Education Services at UEFA Frank Ludolph, and professional FIFA player, currently playing for FC Schalke 04, Tim “Latka” Schwartmann

Matteo de Venecia (Philippines), Kinley Deki Yangzom (Bhutan), Irintsu Rakotomamoni (Madagascar), and Evgenia Gorbunova (Russia) selected 32 international teams (8 groups of 4 teams each).

The initiative runs through to 9 December 2020, with the following scheduled:

• 30 Nov. – 4 Dec. – 2020 Online International Football for Friendship Forum and Award, featuring projects in the fields of children’s sports development.
• 28 Nov. – 9 Dec. – Online Football for Friendship International Children’s Press Center, where Young Journalists study and work.
• 28 Nov. – 6 Dec. – Online International Friendship Camp with a humanitarian and sports programme for children.
• 7-8 Dec. – Qualifying games of the 2020 Football for Friendship eWorld Championship.
• 9 Dec. – Football for Friendship Grand Final, where the winners and lucky ticket holders for the 2021 UEFA Champions League Final in Istanbul will be determined.

Discussing the initiative Roberto Carlos said:

“Football for Friendship is a real social lift, giving the younger generation the opportunity to realize their potential and make their dreams come true. 

“Today, Football for Friendship is once again uniting Young Players, aspiring Young Journalists and simply young people with a passion for sports from all over the world, and everyone here will be able to learn something new, make new friends, and just have an unforgettable experience.”

While Chairman of the Gazprom Board of Directors, Viktor Zubkov, added:

“Today, we can take pride in a whole generation of grown-up athletes, public figures, journalists and simply goal-oriented young people, who were given amazing opportunities for a professional start by Football for Friendship. I would like to congratulate and wish good luck to all participants of the 2020 Football for Friendship Season.”

The Football for Friendship World Championship is usually held in different cities prior to the final matches of the UEFA Champions League, but this year the ongoing COVID-19 crisis forced organisers to switch to an online format, using the new Football for Friendship World Football Simulator. 

The game app will be made available to the general public on 10 December – World Football Day. You can download it for free for MS Windows, Apple MacOS, Android, iOS.

AYO.NEWS says:

No doubt the lack of the usual in-person football and activities will be missed by many kids, it’s great to see organisers embrace esports to allow the championship to continue through these challenging times. We’ve got a feeling that, even if normality returns, the Football for Friendship programme will permanently integrate some of the innovations it employs this year. 

‘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.

ESforce esports holding and Skillbox online university are launching a new training course for esports professions. 

Well-known industry professionals and experts, including ESforce specialists, will be included in among the teaching staff running the course. 

Introducing the new course Team Lead of Games department at Skillbox, Denis Tatiankin, said:

“We are pleased to develop such a promising area as esports with the leader of the industry in Russia. This will let us create not just an ordinary course, but a whole esports ecosystem with a number of branches in our online university. Thanks to the top experts of the holding and to other invited specialists for their trust. Together we will develop esports even more!”

While commercial director of ESforce Holding, Sergey Barkhudaryan, added:

“Soon we will be able to show you this useful educational project, which will help dozens of people immerse themselves in esports just from scratch. Skillbox and ESforce collaboration helps to answer one of the most common questions about esports careers — “where can I study to make my way into the industry”. Follow our announcements!”

Skillbox online University has also been confirmed as a partner for the second season of the EPIC League in Dota 2, which started on 12 November and runs through to 13 December. Branding will be integrated into the Russian broadcasts of games held by RuHub studio during the finals. 

AYO.NEWS says:

In today’s strange COVID times esports and the wider video gaming industry are a couple of the rare economic bright spots, so we’re sure Skillbox will find plenty of demand for these new courses. 

‘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.

Olympique de Marseille is the latest top-flight French football club to enter esports, through a partnership with Grizi Esport. 

The collaboration with Grizi Esports, which was founded by footballer Antoine Griezmann, and his brother Théo Griezmann, will see two new players represent OM in the upcoming 2020/2021 season of various competitions in the new season of the FIFA Global Series. 

OM and Grizi will also be fielding players in France’s domestic esports football league, eLigue1, run by the French Football League and EA Sports. 

Discussing the new partnership, Chief of Marketing & Media at Olympique de Marseille, Hervé Philippe, said:

“We are happy to take this first step into the world of electronic sport through this partnership with the Grizi Esport structure, founded by the Griezmann brothers.

“This will be an opportunity for Olympique de Marseille to better understand this new venture and to reach an ever younger and connected audience.”

While Grizi Esport CEO, Théo Griezmann, added:

“It is a huge honour to be associated with such a prestigious club like OM. As an OM fan, this news is all the more beautiful. We will try to carry the colours of Grizi Esport and OM in the various competitions to come with two extremely talented players who have already performed on the French and international scene.”

In October, Grizi Esport welcomed former FIFA eWorld Cup semi-finalist, Fouad “Rafsou” Fares, who had finished in the top eight of last year’s eLigue1, representing Olympique Lyonnais. Now he will be representing OM, alongside Amine “Mino7x” Boughanmi, the champion of last year’s eLigue1 for AS Saint-Étienne.

@GriziEsport X @OM_Officiel #IceInOurVeins #DroitAuButpic.twitter.com/c3HogbdWUc

— Grizi Esport 🐧 (@GriziEsport) November 23, 2020

AYO.NEWS says:

OM aren’t messing about with their formal entry to esports, with two of the most promising players in the French FIFA scene. And, partnering with Grizi, which has such a rich football heritage running through its blood, seems like a smart move for the club. 

‘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 and gaming job platform Hitmarker has launched its second equity crowdfunding campaign, with a target of £200K GBP. 

The UK-based company says it plans to use call capital raised in the campaign to fund the rollout of localised platforms across new markets in Latin America, Europe, and Asia. 

In last November’s pre-seed round, Hitmarker smashed its £80K GBP target, raising £166,050 in just seven days – 207% the original target, and valuing the company at £1.9M. The company used the capital to double its headcount to 10 full-time staff, which enabled it to expand from esports to the wider video game industry. 

Since then, Hitmarker has seen job postings rocket 1,000%, the number of registered users surge 99%, signed 18 new partners, and seen explosive growth across all key metrics, including significantly growing its revenue quarter-on-quarter. 

Now the company is returning to British equity crowdfunding platform Crowdcube to raise a minimum of £200K in return for 4% equity. This values Hitmarker at £4.8M pre-money, 2.5x more than in November 2019’s round. 

Capital raised in the new funding round is earmarked for hiring another 10 staff over the coming two years, enabling further expansion through the roll-out of localised Hitmarker platforms in Brazil, Spain, Japan, China, and beyond. Additionally, the company also plans to significantly broaden its feature set to create the first truly global professional network for gamers.

Discussing the funding round Managing Director of Hitmarker, Rich Huggan, said:

“Last November, hundreds of Hitmarker users and members of the esports community empowered us to double our staff team and expand our platform’s coverage to the wider video game industry. We’ve since increased the number of jobs available on Hitmarker by more than 1,000% to over 11,000, making it possible for even more people to work in the industry they love.”

While Hitmarker’s Founder, Philip Huggan, added:

“Now, we’re asking our 380 existing investors, one million-plus users, and the global esports and video game community to empower us to expand our coverage even further.

“We’re going to create localised platforms for Brazil, Spain, Japan, and China to create the first global professional network dedicated to the video game industry, making it easier than ever to find jobs and hire great talent.”

Hitmarker’s seed round is now exclusively open to existing investors, platform users, and members of the wider video game community, with individuals able to invest as little as £11 to own a piece of the company. All investors must be 18+ and legal residents of any country excluding Canada, Japan, and the USA (due to securities laws in those countries). 

All shares in Hitmarker are available on an ordinary basis under Crowdcube’s nominee structure and come with voting rights, pre-emption rights, and equal economic rights. All investors will also receive access to an investor community on Discord, where they will be able to engage with other shareholders and Hitmaker staff to help shape the future of the brand. 

A year ago, we smashed our @Crowdcube equity crowdfunding target in just one week. A lot of people missed out.

We’ve learned our lesson. This time, we’re giving our Twitter followers early access.

You can now own a piece of Hitmarker.https://t.co/TgorxcbZm5

*CAPITAL AT RISK* pic.twitter.com/QjmAK040zY

— Hitmarker | Crowdfunding Now! (@HitmarkerJobs) November 27, 2020

AYO.NEWS says:

With the esports and video game industry experiencing incredible growth around the world it seems like the perfect time for Hitmarker to concentrate on global expansion, and localised sites with more languages are key to doing that. 

Perhaps most interesting about Hitmarker’s fundraising is the way that they’ve made so much progress with comparatively little investment, and deliberately avoided the usual venture capital route – though we’re sure they’ve had plenty of interest from investment firms. 

Not only has this allowed Hitmarker’s leadership team to retain more independence, but it’s also focused minds on creating a genuinely sustainable, revenue generating business model, without the false confidence that can come from having a big pile of VC cash sitting in the bank. 

Earlier this month, AYO.NEWS’ Simona Pinterova caught up with Hitmarker’s Managing Director, Richard Huggan, to find out more about the esports and video gaming jobs market, and what growth plans the company has. 

‘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.