Berlin International Gaming (BIG) has become a BLAST Premier Member Team, following a highly competitive bidding process for the 12th spot. 

BIG is joining the world’s most successful Counter-Strike organisations as a member team, after a successful 2020 which saw its CS:GO team ranked world number one for eight weeks, and claim the Dreamhack Masters Spring Trophy. 

The announcement comes after a match at the BLAST Premier Global Final, between Team Vitality and NAVI, became the most popular watched online event in Counter-Strike history, peaking at 687,691 viewers. 

Commenting on the news CEO of BLAST, Robbie Douek, said:

“BIG are highly respected in the industry and have been one of the most successful esports organisations over the past 12 months – making them the perfect addition to BLAST Premier as a Member Team. 

“Last year’s highly successful circuit came to a record-breaking conclusion on Sunday and we are excited for BIG to be a part of our plans for 2021 as we continue to deliver world-class Counter-Strike to all corners of the world.

“We undertook an in-depth and extensive process when selecting BIG for our latest Member Team, the scope and level of interest and investment for this final slot is testament to the incredible growth and success of BLAST Premier over the last 12 months.”

While CEO of BIG, Daniel Finkler, added:

“We are incredibly proud and excited to be a part of BLAST Premier as a Member Team. The successful acquisition is an indication of our outstanding development in the past years. We have clearly established ourselves among the world’s best teams thanks to our team’s hard work and people working behind the scenes. 

“The tournament series BLAST has created in recent years is one of the most-watched, entertaining and competitive in Counter-Strike, and we look forward to competing alongside some of the world’s best teams in the upcoming seasons as a Member Team. At this point, we want to thank our investor Marc Staperfeld, who shared our ambition and supported us tremendously with the buy-in fee during the highly competitive bidding process.” 

The BLAST Premier circuit is one of the most competitive tournaments on the CS:GO scene with 11 of the 12 Member Teams currently ranked in the top 20 world rankings. BLAST Premier Member Teams include: Astralis, NiP, G2 Esports, OG, Vitality, NAVI, FaZe Clan, Complexity, Team Liquid, MiBR, Evil Geniuses, and BIG. The draw for the Spring Groups and schedule will be announced for next month’s event on Thursday.

The 2021 season is expected to have up to 32 teams take part in the seven BLAST Premier events with potentially 80 teams competing in the qualifying events, meaning the season could see up to 286 matches take place across the calendar year. Member Teams will feature in at least four of these events. BLAST Premier tournaments will have a combined prize pool of $2,475,000.

All 12 BLAST Premier Member Teams will automatically earn a place in the Fall and Spring Groups before progressing to the Showdown or Finals depending on performance and progression.

Staying with BIG, yesterday the organisation announced a partnership with language learning platform Babbel. 

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ESE Entertainment, Inc. (ESE) has agreed an apparel and merchandise sponsorship deal with We Are Nations Group-owned Sector Six Apparel, LLC

Centered around ESE’s K1CK Esports Club brand, the partnership will see Sector Six distribute jerseys and other merchandise and apparel through its supply chain and in-house e-commerce channels. 

The news follows the asset purchase agreement between Warsaw and Vancouver-based ESE and owner of K1CK Esports Club, Pedro Fernandes, that was announced in November 2020.

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

“Apparel, merchandising and licensing is an integral part of monetizing the K1CK brand. It was important to partner with not only a trusted provider, but a proven provider. We Are Nations / Sector Six is exactly that.

“They have successfully partnered with global esports brands such as Paris St. Germain Esports, G2 Esports, Cloud9 Esports, and have secured distribution with the Walmart Marketplace among other distribution channels. This is a perfect fit for K1CK as we strive to be the next big esports brand globally.”

While Owner of Sector Six, Josh Whatley, added:

“We are excited to be working with K1CK as a key piece to the European expansion of Sector Six. All of us within the We Are Nations family can’t wait to provide the fans of K1CK with quality product and service.”

Sector Six Apparel is part of the We Are Nations Group, which counts several major esports organisations, including G2 Esports, Immortals Gaming, MiBR, and Ninjas in Pyjamas among its clients. 

As previously reported, in October 2020, the company established a UK-based subsidiary, Sector Six Apparel Ltd, in order to offer European fulfilment and distribution, together with regional customer service and support. 

AYO.NEWS says:

It’s great to see ESE is already working to raise the profile of K1CK, but we do wonder whether they will encounter issues with supplying EU customers through this partnership, given the fact Sector Six’s European base is in the UK. 

Since the UK finally left the EU free trade area on 1 January, retailers trying to ship products from the UK to EU customers, and those trying to ship from the EU to UK customers, have found things extremely difficult due to customers being hit with VAT, customs import charges, and courier clearance fees – often adding a third or more to the cost, and causing a significant amount of shipments to be rejected and returned (which is itself proving troublesome, as the return is also hit with fees). 

‘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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In-game advertising platform Adverty has announced a partnership with global media and technology company Verizon Media. 

The deal will see Adverty connect to Verizon Media’s Sell-Side Platform (SSP), enabling its unique and unobtrusive ad offering to reach wider audiences within gameplay, maximising brand exposure and publisher monetisation. 

Thanks to the integration, Verizon Media’s clients and partners will be able to access effective in-game advertising at scale, while Adverty will gain access to many more marketers looking to advertise within games through Verizon Media Ad Platforms.

A unified Demand Side Platform (DSP), Verizon Media Ad Platforms allows advertisers to plan, buy, and measure campaigns in premium content environments across every digital screen from mobile, to video, to Connected TV (CTV), to Digital Out of Home (DOOH), and Over the Top (OTT) through leading games consoles and in-game advertising. 

Discussing the news CEO and founder at Adverty, Niklas Bakos, said:

“We have been seeing strong demand for advertising opportunities within the gaming vertical. Still in its infancy, in-game advertising is set to see tremendous growth in the coming years and this development is a very important milestone in Adverty’s industry establishment.

“Verizon Media also has its own Demand-Side Platform (DSP), making this a particularly exciting partnership and integration. There is increasing recognition that our In-Play™ and In-Menu™ formats are the ultimate in non-intrusive brand advertising within the burgeoning gaming industry.”

While VP International Sales at Verizon Media, Kri Carlet, added:

“Our mission is to help people stay informed and entertained, enabling them to communicate and transact, while creating new ways for advertisers and media partners to connect.

“From XR experiences to advertising and content technology, Verizon Media is an incubator of innovation and is revolutionising the next generation of content creation and engagement. We’re looking forward to bringing Adverty’s quality, premium ad opportunities within gaming as a media channel for our customers. It’s a huge opportunity for brands to meet their audiences in a highly engaging and growing environment.”

Staying with Adverty, last week the company strengthened its executive team with the appointment of Anders Rössel as Chief Financial Officer.

AYO.NEWS says:

In-game advertising is one of the most exciting opportunities for marketers right now, offering a way to connect with the massive global gaming community, while actually adding authenticity to in-game environments, rather than annoying viewers like so much other advertising does. 

If you’re interested in finding out more about Adverty and the possibilities offered by in-game advertising, don’t miss our exclusive interview with the company’s founder and CEO, Niklas Bakos, below. 

‘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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New gaming collective and membership club Combat Gaming has announced a $50K USD charity Fortnite tournament.

Set to take place tomorrow (28 Jan.), the 38 Entertainment Group-owned organisation will be live streaming the event, which will feature sports and esports athletes, content creators, and other popular personalities. 

Specifics figures confirmed for the tournament including pro footballers Daniel James and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, NRG’s Benjy “Benjyfishy” Fish, streamer David “Grefg” Cánovas Martínez, and musician James Arthur. They will be competing, along with many others, for a share of the $50K prize pool to donate to charities of their choosing.

The tournament is being supported by The LAD Bible Group’s Gaming Bible, which will be showing the event live across its platforms, and the action will also be streamed on Combat Gaming’s official Twitch channel. Twitch is also directly supporting the event, and will promote it on its homepage.

The live stream will commence at 18:00 GMT on 28 January. 

Combat Gaming says it plans to run three more charity events during 2021. 

38 Entertainment Group also co-owns Ellevens Esports, which hosted a series of Combat Corona charity events through 2020, with its FIFA 20 and Call of Duty: Warzone tournaments raising more than $25K for UNICEF. 

AYO.NEWS says:

What a great way to start the year for Combat Gaming – not only is it going to be raising money for good causes, but the line-up of competitors will guarantee some fantastic entertainment! Make sure to tune in and check it out. 

He’s had his team secured, now @Nas_JM is putting in the hours ahead of Thursday 🎮😂 pic.twitter.com/xUa8Fv5o7g

— Combat Gaming (@CombatGaming) January 26, 2021

‘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, 2019-2021.

Relog Media has announced Swedish plant-based cooking web store AgentVegan will be supporting the SnowSweetSnow CS:GO series. 

The partnership makes AgentVegan the exclusive FMCG (Fast-moving consumer goods) partner of SnowSweetSnow Cup 1, and branding will be featured in the main broadcast of the Counter-Strike tournament’s debut 2021 event. 

Part of the HomeSweetHome series, SnowSweetSnow kicked off on 18 January with regional qualifiers, with main stage action slated to start on 1 February. 

Commenting on the partnership CEO of Relog Media, Milutin Pecic, said:

“Here at Relog Media, we have been working towards bringing the excitement of Esports to new companies and industries all over. Thanks to our cooperation with AgentVegan, we open a gateway for alternative food lifestyles into the world of Esports. 

“The Swedish brand is the one-stop online shop for plant-based options and they push a product range that goes from their PigOut snacks from Outstanding Foods to their Vivo Life line, their plant-based protein powders and boosters.”

AYO.NEWS says:

AgentVegan’s product range might not be to everyone’s taste, but the partnership marks yet another food retailer pitching a healthy eating message in the esports space, which can only be a good thing. Earlier this month we saw both ALDI and Lidl announce esports partnerships centred around healthy nutrition. 

‘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, 2019-2021.

Online gambling operator Betway has extended its partnership with Brazilian esports organisation MIBR. 

2021 will be the fourth consecutive year that Betway has sponsored Immortals Gaming Club’s CS:GO brand, and will see both parties continue to collaborate on content creation and activations. Last year, the partnership also saw Betway present two exhibition events, MIBR – Brought to you by Betway, and Lobby das Estrelas. 

Commenting on the news Head of Esports at Betway, Adam Savinson, said:

“In 2018, we had the great honour of becoming founding partners of MIBR, helping to re-launch this legendary brand. Today, we are renewing our agreement to continue our fantastic relationship, at what is a really exciting time. We’re looking forward to continuing to offer great insight and entertainment to CS:GO fans in Brazil and around the world.”

While Director of MIBR, Yuri “Fly” Uchiyama, added:

“We are very happy to continue our partnership with Betway. As MIBR prepares yet again to play in the biggest tournaments in the world, our partnership with Betway and their continued support of the CS:GO community, particularly in Brazil, has helped us grow the largest, most passionate, and engaged fan base in the world. We look forward to working with Betway to keep building and developing new fans and future talent.”

MIBR currently fields rosters in CS: GO and Rainbow Six, and als has commercial partnerships with Ironclad, GamersClub, OverClock and All33.

Betway has an extensive esports sponsorship portfolio, including deals with BLAST, Beyond the Summit, ESL, and DreamHack.  

AYO.NEWS says:

Out of all the mainstream online sports betting operators, Betway has been one of the most successful in establishing an authentic esports presence, and its partnership with MIBR has played a large part in that. 

‘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, 2019-2021.