Simona catches up with Michael Klawiter, Co-founder and Marketing Director of Bet4Fun – the new gaming app that is defying established norms by allowing players to challenge each other and earn rewards, for free or real money, on a range of hyper casual partner games.

Watch to get the inside view on how skill-based casual games are challenging the existing order, bridging the gap between video gaming and online casino-based igaming, and what Bet4Fun has planned for the coming months as it rolls out into new territories.

Bet4Fun is now available on the App Store and coming soon to Google Play.

Metafy, the game coaching platform, has secured $3M USD in a seed funding round led by Forerunner Ventures. 

The round also attracted participation from Tekton Ventures, M25, executives from Facebook and Microsoft, and the founders of esports organisations Tempo Storm and Tribe Gaming. 

Co-founded by Josh Fabian and Thomas McNiven in August this year, Pittsburgh-based Metafy enables players to monetise their talent by offering 1-on-1 coaching and courses. 

Aimed at all skill levels, from aspiring professionals to casual players wanting to keep up, Metafy gives people the chance to learn from some of the most respected and talented players in the gaming community. The company says it hand-selects coaches from the top 1% of players, and that its talent has combined tournament winnings of over $1.5M. 

The platform currently supports over 40 games, including League of Legends, Rocket League, PUBG, Overwatch, and Mortal Kombat 11. 

AYO.NEWS says:

What platforms like Metafy are doing is fascinating to say the least – offering players the chance to monetise their existing skills, and possibly creating entire new career paths in the process. The fact that it relies on real people, rather than AI like many other coaching platforms, also adds that human factor – which has only become more in demand since the social disruption of the pandemic. 

It also offers hope for those of us in their late 30’s who are fed up with getting beaten by Belarusian teenagers.

‘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.

ThriveFantasy has announced a strategic partnership with North American esports organisation Envy Gaming. 

The multi-year deal makes ThriveFantasy the ‘Official Daily Fantasy Esports Platform’ of Team Envy, and marks the first time the fantasy sports and esports proposition (prop) betting platform has teamed up with an esports organisation.

In addition to cross-branding and promotion across Envy’s teams, which include Call of Duty (Dallas Empire), CS:GO, Halo, Rocket League, Smash Bros, and VALORANT, the collaboration will also see ThriveFantasy offer a 360-degree second-screen engagement platform for fans during Envy matches. 

A Discord bot will also be launched on Envy’s Discord channel to educate new users on prop betting, and provide live in-game statistics. 

Discussing the new partnership CEO of Envy Gaming, Adam Rymer, said:

“We know gaming fans crave interactive experiences that can bring them closer to their favourite players and teams – and that is exactly what ThriveFantasy is powering with their focus on a fantasy esports ecosystem and prop betting.”

While Founder and CEO of ThriveFantasy, Adam Weinstein, added:

“Team Envy is the perfect partner for ThriveFantasy. Not only has Envy proven themselves as winners with several championships across major gaming titles, but they have one of the most loyal and passionate fanbases in North America.

“We look forward to pushing further into esports and becoming the go-to fantasy platform for the esports community with great team partners like Envy.”

Though when ThriveFantasy launched in April 2018 its focus was on the big US sports leagues, like many other operators, during the COVID-19 pandemic the company refocused attention on esports. And, according to the company, this has resulted in its esports vertical growing 140% in just six months. 

Team Envy also has commercial partnerships with fast food chain Jack in the Box, Acer’s gaming brand Predator, gaming peripherals brand Corsair, video game retailer GameStop, meat snack brand Jack Link’s, and social media tech company Team Infographics. 

AYO.NEWS says:

Like regular esports betting, fantasy got a huge boost from the COVID-19 lockdowns, with many operators and fans turning to it for lack of other options. The question now is, with many real-world sports now back up and running, even if society is still far from normal, can esports maintain its momentum? 

The answer may well depend on partnerships like that between ThriveFantasy and Envy Gaming, and whether they can drive engagement and interest, and keep drawing in new fans. 

Staying with Team Envy, just yesterday official in-game car decals, accessories, and banners were added to Rocket League’s in-game store program. 

‘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.

Super League Gaming has announced the launch of Virtualis Studios, a fully virtual production studio. 

Aimed at production companies in need of experienced teams with a deep understanding of remote production technologies and systems, Virtualis Studios provides proprietary, state-of-the-art, scalable solutions for video, television, and branded content. 

Virtualis Studios was born from cloud-based esports broadcast solutions designed to enable thousands of simultaneous gameplay and player cam feeds to be live streamed across dozens of endpoints. It specialises in integrating multiple technology solutions to ensure any project can be produced and monitored on a partially or fully remote basis. 

Discussing the venture Chief Commercial Officer at Super League, Matt Edelman, said:

“We created Virtualis Studios based on the rapidly increasing demand for premium video across the pandemic-beleaguered production landscape.

“While there are individual off-the-shelf software products that address certain aspects of remote production quite well, we have found that production companies need a solution that can do everything well, with flexibility and creativity that applies across production types. 

“That’s what we’ve built – our expertise is as important as our technology systems, and both will bring immense value to our partners for years to come.”

Leading commercial production agency, The Woo, recently tapped Virtualis Studios to support an upcoming national campaign for a well-known household brand.

Regarding the project, Head of Production at The Woo, Lorna Paul, said:

“The Virtualis Studios solution went beyond our expectations for remote monitoring of an important commercial shoot. Our client was able to provide real-time input throughout the production with ease, which helped ensure we were meeting their core objectives.”

And, Head of Virtualis Studios and SuperLeagueTV, Brian Gramo, added:

“Virtualis Studios already had a vast amount of experience evaluating, testing, and integrating dozens of technologies for both traditional and REMI workflows well before COVID-19 hit.

“Our success has come from designing the right mix of solutions for each project, and building proprietary workflows that inspire confidence among every member of the production crew, any executive who needs oversight via our remote multi-views, and all on-camera talent, from wherever they may be located.”

AYO.NEWS says:

We often comment about how the video games and esports industries have been able to weather the COVID-19 storm better than most, and how the various forms of digital entertainment, including television, movies, and music, are rapidly merging with gaming, but Super League are really taking things to the next level with this. But, it makes perfect sense, and we’re sure it will inspire other companies to explore new opportunities too.

Staying with esports and gaming merging with the wider entertainment industry, earlier this week New York-based ESPAT TV announced the launch of the Creative Collective, with involvement from the Ridley Scott Creative Group, PRG, Esports Locker, Unbridled Media, and Movers and Shakers. 

‘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.

BMW Motorsport has announced plans to significantly expand its involvement with sim racing in 2021. 

The motorsport division of the German car manufacturer has teamed up with G2 Esports, Team Redline, Williams Esports, and BS+COMPETITION – all of which will compete with BMW cars and represent the brand through 2021. 

In addition to continuing to grow its BMW SIM Cup formats (across iRacing, rFactor 2, and Assetto Corsa Competizione), the company is also launching the BMW Motorsports SIM Academy, the BMW SIM World Tour event circuit, and will be introducing more officially licensed cars across various major sim racing platforms. 

Discussing plans Head of BMW Motorsport Sim Racing, Rudolf Dittrich, said:

“At BMW Motorsport, we have learned a lot this year and are determined to put what we have learned into practice, with regard to our 2021 programme. The area of hardware development will also focus on technological innovations and new developments next year.

“Our BMW SIM Cups will once again play an important role, but in an adapted form. Our cooperations with four of the best sim racing teams in the world, and our new academy, see us continue our approach of promoting sim racing as part of the community through mutual dialogue. Together, we will continue to fuel the growth in this exciting Esports sector. The BMW Motorsport sim racing programme provides the ideal basis for this.”

The BMW SIM World Tour is scheduled to start in April 2021 in Austria, though plans could be subject to change due to the ongoing COVID-19 crisis. 

AYO.NEWS says:

Though it’s undeniable that the COVID crisis forced sim racing into the spotlight this year, it’s great to see BMW Motorsport continue to grow its involvement, even as real-world motorsports start to get back to a kind of normal. Indeed, with sim racing having proven perhaps the most accessible of all esports for fans and professional athletes alike, we’re sure BMW won’t be the only major motorsports operator to remain enthusiastic about the space. 

‘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.

Activision Publishing has cancelled the Call of Duty: Mobile World Championship 2020 Grand Finals in response to the worsening COVID-19 situation.

The event, sponsored by Sony, was scheduled to be held in Los Angeles later this month, capping off the five-stage Call of Duty: Mobile World Championship tournament. However, with COVID-19 worsening in many parts of California, and stay at home orders being issued for non-essential workers, the event became untenable. 

The $750K USD Grand Finals prize pool will now be split equally between the seven teams that qualified for the event through the Stage 4 Call of Duty: Mobile Regional Playoffs. 

pic.twitter.com/N8keH8ICAS

— Call of Duty: Mobile (@PlayCODMobile) December 7, 2020

AYO.NEWS says:

If we’re honest this was entirely predictable. Despite many event organisers being, understandably, impatient to re-started in-person activities, it’s plainly obvious that the COVID-19 crisis isn’t going away any time soon. 

Even the much touted vaccines have been misunderstood by an alarming number of individuals and companies to be some sort of magic silver bullet to end the crisis – a misguided belief that will only end in more disappointment and disruption.

‘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.