Berlin-based esports data platform GRID has joined forces with UK-based charity Rethink Mental Illness, to hold The Fight Before Christmas CS:GO event. 

Aimed at raising both funds and awareness for mental health, the event will be held on Sunday 6 December at 12:00 CET via Twitch, and is being produced by Relog Media.

CS:GO’s Wingman game mode will be used, with mixed-gender rosters to promote inclusivity, and female esports community platform WIDE.GG will be the event’s diversity partner. Also partnering with GRID, as Empowerment Content Partner, is TheEsportsBible, while Xtrfy and Skinwallet are also supporting the event.

Eight teams are slated to compete, with Julia “Juliano” Kiran and Natus Vincere’s Ilya “m0nesey“ Osipov both confirmed.

Regarding the upcoming event GRID Key Account Manager, Harry Wiggett, said:

“Here at GRID we felt the need to celebrate the end of 2020 with some refreshing CSGO content for the community. It’s been a wildly unpredictable year that we at GRID are thankful to have survived, personally & professionally. Together with our partners we are now happy to raise funds and raise awareness on mental health. 

“An area that needs no introduction but more attention. Nobody deserves to face internal battles without any support therefore we want to raise awareness to Rethink’s services and also raise funds for them to advance in their support of those in need. Thanks to everyone involved in this event, it’s a pleasure to be giving in the mental health space.”

While a spokesperson for Rethink Mental Illness added:

“Rethink Mental Illness are very grateful to be the charity partner of ‘The Fight Before Christmas’, the growing relationship between charity and esports is incredibly exciting and one we hope to build on for the future. Any donations received will go towards our work supporting those severely affected by mental illness.”

AYO.NEWS says:

Kudos to GRID, Relog Media, WIDE.GG, TheEsportsBible, Xtrfy, Skinwallet, and all the talent involved, for this initiative. The festive period is always a particularly challenging time for those suffering from mental health issues, but the COVID-19 crisis has caused a huge upsurge in the number of people experiencing mental health illnesses, so charities like Rethink Mental Illness need support more than ever. 

Staying with GRID, earlier this month the company joined ‘the flying revolution,’ announcing a partnership with the Drone Champions League. 

‘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. 

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US-based sports betting operator Unikrn has entered a partnership with Canadian payment technology company Nuvei Corporation. 

The deal will support card acquiring and over 450 alternative payment methods (APMs) and 150 currencies worldwide, helping Unikrn to expand with the growing popularity of esports betting and online casino gaming. 

Unikrn will be Nuvei’s hosted payments page, Cashier, to process customer transactions globally through a single interface – simplifying the customer journey to deposit and redeem funds. 

Discussing the partnership co-founder of Unikrn, Rahul Sood, said:

“Unikrn offers our global customer base access to an unrivaled spectrum of gaming experiences without interruption. Nuvei was the best option for us to ensure we meet these expectations and offer a platform that will scale with our rapid growth. Cashier makes our customers’ payment journey safe and seamless. We look forward to working with Nuvei for many years to come.”

While managing director of digital payments at Nuvei, Yuval Ziv, added:

“Nuvei’s payment platform offers a complete toolkit for gaming operators looking to diversify and scale their offerings domestically and internationally, along with the global growth of their industry. This new partnership with Unikrn is in line with our vision of an expanding ecosystem of partners that benefits operators and customers alike.”

AYO.NEWS says:

As esports betting rapidly grows in popularity, operators face the added challenge of catering to customers with a dizzying array of different payment methods, currency, and language preferences. Trying to provide options for all of them, while maintaining a seamless and pleasant user experience is not easy, so it’s promising to see Unikrn be proactive and invest in a truly global solution like this. 

Staying with Unikrn, earlier this month the company won EGR’s Esports Operator of the Year award, for the second consecutive 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. 

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Brazil has a new esports, gaming, and geek culture TV broadcast channel, with the launch of Loading. 

Owned by retailer Grupo Kalunga, and headed by CEO Thiago Garcia, the new channel is aiming to bring online-type content to broadcast television, and has enlisted local esports journalists Bárbara Gutierrez (from IGN Brasil), and Chandy Teixeira (from Globo’s GE). 

Grupo Kalunga is no stranger to esports, being main sponsor and naming rights partner to Red Canid Kalunga, owner of a Brazilian League of Legends Championship (CBLoL) franchise. 

In addition to esports, the channel will also feature music like K-Pop, anime and other nerd culture subjects in an attempt to attract Brazil’s younger generations. 

The launch of Loaded follow’s Grupo Kalunga’s acquisition of the broadcasting concession of the former MTV Brasil channel. In addition to airing on broadcast TV, Loaded will also be available via pay-TV, on-demand channels, live streaming, and social media. 

AYO.NEWS says:

While this is great news for the development of esports and wider video game culture in Brazil, the commercial viability of any broadcast TV channel as we enter the second decade of the 21st century must be doubtful. Will Loading manage to revitalise broadcast television, or will it quickly evolve into an online only channel? Time will tell. 

‘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.

ESE Entertainment Inc. (ESE) has entered an asset purchase agreement with the owner of K1CK Esports Club, Pedro Fernandes. 

The agreement will see the entertainment and technology company acquire all assets “relating to, and required for, the continued operation of K1CK.”

K1CK, which was established in Europe way back in 1998, and fields teams in titles including League of Legends, FIFA, Apex Legends, and CS:GO, already has a close relationship with ESE through the licensing and management of its pro teams. 

The deal will see ESE pay Fernandes an aggregate consideration of C$207,500, consisting of C$120,000 in cash, and C$87,500 in common shares of the company. Fernandes has also agreed to work with ESE to operate K1CK following the acquisition. 

Discussing the acquisition CEO of ESE, Konrad Wasiela, said:

“K1CK Esports is a brand that is recognised and respected globally. Finalising the acquisition of K1CK’s intellectual property will allow us to focus on continuing to build the next big esports brand. 

“We hope that with the additional infrastructure ESE can provide, K1CK will become a tier one brand that will be in the same conversation as the Cloud9, FaZe Clan and G2 Esports of the world.

“Our core focus is to continue building our fan base and engaging with the esports community. ESE will also invest in technologies that will allow K1CK to scale its monetisable assets globally.”

While current K1CK owner, Pedro Fernandes, added:

“This is another big step in K1CK’s long-lasting journey towards excellence. Having access to technologies and creating infrastructures with ESE will support the brand’s rise to leadership positions in the global esports market. This is exactly the right opportunity and fit we have been looking for, and undoubtedly a great moment for K1CK.”

AYO.NEWS says:

Considering the already close relationship between ESE and K1CK, and the obvious potential of such a well-established esports organisation, this deal seems to make a lot of sense, and may give K1CK the kick it needs to take things to tier one. It will be interesting to see what happens. 

Staying with ESE, earlier this month the company entered a global distribution agreement with Esports Television (ESTV).

‘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. 

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Indian Gaming League (IGL) has announced a women’s Call of Duty Mobile tournament for this weekend. 

The Call of Duty Mobile Women’s Cup will run from Saturday 28 to Monday 30 November, and is intended to encourage the participation of girls and women in competitive esports. 8 of the top Call of Duty Mobile players, including KashPlays, have been invited to participate. 

A Rs 5,000 prize pool has been confirmed, and all matches will be streamed live on IGL’s YouTube channel, starting on Saturday at 6pm, with the highlights being available on IGLTV and IGL’s Instagram.

Commenting on the initiative CEO of Indian Gaming League, Yash Pariani, said:

“It is highly necessary to provide equal opportunities to the women segment for taking up Esports. Usually, the Esports industry is highly dominated by male players but regular Women based tournaments will help to equalise the bar. With this thought, we have come up with this COD Mobile Women’s Cup Tournament”.

AYO.NEWS says:

Despite a miniscule prize pool (unless there was a typo in the announcement, the entire prize pool is around €57), it’s good to see IGL encouraging women to get involved with competitive esports. Let’s hope it’s just the start, and the prize pools get serious. 

Staying with the Indian esports scene, last week US tech company Qualcomm announced its debut mobile esports program in the country, Snapdragon Conquest. 

‘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.

Hong Kong-based Talon Esports has entered an agreement with Denmark-based sponsorship and analytics solution provider Cavea.

The partnership will see Cavea utilise its AI-powered platform to analyse Talon’s data ecosystem, optimising the provision of information to commercial partners. 

Discussing the collaboration co-founder and CEO of Cavea, Mircea Gabriel Eftemie, said:

“We are more than happy to announce and welcome another great addition to the client roster – Talon Esports! 

“[They are] joining us in our mission to standardise media valuations in the esports market by enabling our visual data capturing capabilities and automated reporting towards partners. We are looking very much forward providing our services and making Talon Esports data strategic across their entire organisation.”

While CEO of Talon Esports, Xiao (Sean) Zhang, added:

“Cavea.io is an all-in solution that simplifies the complexity of reporting on the huge amounts of data that is generated within Talon’s ecosystem. As an organisation that manages social media accounts and streaming channels across numerous teams, players and influencers, Cavea.io is an advanced tool that allows us to better track, analyse and quantify our social presence in one application.”

Cavea also has similar partnerships with esports organisations like Astralis, Fnatic, and Ninjas in Pyjamas, and tournament organiser DreamHack. 

Founded in 2017, Talon Esports fields teams in games including Clash Royale, League of Legends, Overwatch, and Rainbow Six Siege. 

As previously reported, in June 2020 the organisation teamed up French football club Paris Saint-Germain’s esports division to compete in the League of Legends Pacific Championship Series. And, in October, Talon raised $2M in a seed funding round led by the Korean Hana Digital Transformation Fund. 

AYO.NEWS says:

With the money being thrown into esports sponsorships growing by the month, brands are understandably taking an ever keener interest in their ROI, so solutions like Cavea’s are going to prove very useful for esports organisations wanting to build lasting commercial relationships. 

‘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.