Cloud-gaming platform Blacknut has announced a new deal with French video game publisher NACON, adding titles including WRC 9, Tennis World Tour 2, Blood Bowl 2, and AO Tennis 2. 

NACON games including Tennis World Tour and WRC 8 were already available through Blacknut thanks to a previous deal, but the latest agreement significantly expands the range of NACON titles available. In addition to the already mentioned games, Blacknut subscribers will be able to enjoy Hunting Simulator 2, Overpass, Pro Fishing Simulator and Tour de France 2020.

“We are excited to sign with Blacknut, thus increasing the number of games available on their service,” said Benoît Clerc, Head of Publishing at NACON. “We love making quality games that provide our players with the best gaming experience, and so working with Blacknut allows us to reach a new cloud gaming audience.”

“We are thrilled about our new partnership with NACON, who is such a renowned publisher in the gaming industry,” said Nabil Laredj, Director, Business Development & Licensing at Blacknut. “NACON’s games, as other publishers’ who are taking advantage of the latest cloud gaming technology, will now be able to reach new players through Blacknut’s cross-device platform and catalogue. We look forward to seeing our partnership continuing to grow in the future.”

NACON’s titles join Blacknut’s constantly growing catalogue of over +400 family-friendly games. Blacknut subscribers can stream and play games on PC, Mac, Android-based tablets and mobile phones, Amazon FireTV, Chromecast and selected models of Samsung Smart TV for a full cross-device experience.

The latest NACON titles will be going live on Blacknut services for gamers across 33 countries, and through partnerships with telecom operators. 

A subsidiary of the Bigben group, NACON specialises in racing, simulation, action-adventure, and sports games via its 10 studios, and also offers a range of gaming accessories. 

AYO.NEWS says:

With households now home to a myriad of smart devices, the appeal of cloud-based, cross-platform gaming is becoming self-evident. The convenience of being able to play the same games on multiple devices, coupled with a relatively low monthly fee and no contract to lock you in, is clearly going to be compelling to more and more gamers. The question will be, can platforms like Blacknut secure enough high-calibre games to keep gamers satisfied? 

South Korean video game giant Krafton has made a 164 Cr (approx. €19M euro) investment in Indian esports solutions company Nodwin Gaming. 

Krafton’s investment will enable Nodwin to speed development across South Asia, the Middle East, and Africa, strengthening infrastructure and tech, and organising tournament IPs at the national and international level. 

“Esports sits at a wonderful intersection of sports, entertainment and technology where nations such as India can pave the path. With Krafton coming on board, we have an endorsement from the mecca of gaming and esports – South Korea, on what we are building from India for the world based on our competence in mobile first markets.” said Akshat Rathee, co-founder and managing director, Nodwin Gaming.

“Krafton is excited to partner with Nodwin Gaming to help foster the promising esports ecosystem and engage with our fans and players in India,” said Changhan Kim, CEO of Krafton. “Taking the momentum from this partnership, we will explore additional investment opportunities in the region to uphold our commitment and dedication in cultivating the local video game, esports, entertainment, and tech industries.”

A subsidiary of Nazara Technologies, Gurgaon-headquartered Nodwin Gaming was founded in 2014 and has been instrumental in developing the Indian esports scene, bringing major ESL One, PUBG Mobile, and Dreamhack events to the country. 

Best known as the developer behind Player Unknown Battlegrounds – with PUBG Corporation officially merging with Krafton, its parent company, in December 2020, becoming the subsidiary PUBG Studio. At the same time, the group also merged two of its other subsidiary companies, PNIX, Inc, and Delusion Studio, Inc. into a new entity called Rising Wings. 

In addition to PUBG Studio and Rising Wings, Krafton also owns Striking Distance Studios, and Bluehole Studios. 

AYO.NEWS says:

As we’ve observed many times previously, India, with its huge population, growing wealth and proliferating tech infrastructure, represents one of the world’s most exciting gaming markets. With its strong home base, and now the backing of Krafton, the company is also extremely well-placed to dominate the wider Asian region, and has already started making significant inroads into Africa and the Middle East – again, two extremely promising regions. 

North American esports organisation Evil Geniuses (EG), in partnership with Women in Games International (WIGI) has announced the launch of Press Forward: Young Women in Gaming. 

A summit series focused on inspiring young women to pursue careers in the esports and gaming industry, Press Forward: Young Women in Gaming will kick off on 24 April. 

The series will blend career-focused sessions from esports professional gamers, game designers, entrepreneurs from Riot Games, Amazon, 343 Industries and more. In addition to panels and keynotes, the online event will feature resume review, recruiter feedback, and networking over breakout sessions and interactive activities. 

Aimed at young women who are looking to educate themselves on career opportunities in the gaming industry or to add fuel to existing career paths, the event will feature attendance from recruiters at multiple game companies to participate in panel discussions and offer tips on career development.

The guest list for the 24 April event features leaders in gaming including:

1. Emmalee “EMUHLEET” Garrido – Dignitas, Captain for CS:GO and VALORANT
2. Sarah Schneider – Houston Outlaws (OWL), Partnership Account Manager
3. Candace Thomas – Amazon, Lead Game Designer
4. Noelle Warner – formerly Naughty Dog, Quality Assurance Analyst
5. Dana Hustedt – Florida Tech University, Director of Esports
6. Kathy Chiang – UCI Esports, Assistant Director
7. Dominique Schultz – Riot Games, People Programs Specialist
8. Ellen Yang – 343 Industries, Associate Producer

Discussing the initiative, Chief Culture Officer at Evil Geniuses, Jessica Hammond, said: “When we were researching toxicity in gaming for our report Gaming for All earlier this year, it was clear that not everyone feels equally welcomed and uplifted and comfortable within the gaming community – and the gulf was particularly wide when it came to gender.

“We wanted to play an active role in helping to rebalance the playing field and to offer young women a chance to learn and grow their careers in a supportive environment. This event is just the beginning – we look forward to creating multiple touchpoints that tackle diversity and representation and hopefully play our part in creating a more inclusive industry of tomorrow.”

Press Forward: Young Women in Gaming is presented in partnership with Women in Games International, a global organization with a mission to cultivate resources to advance economic equality and diversity in the global games industry, and in collaboration with Queer Women of Esports.

The first Press Forward event will take place on 24 April 2021 from 11am PT, and tickets will go live at 11am PT on Monday, March 8. The event is a ‘pay what you can’ model, removing the barrier of entry for any women who want to learn more about career paths and skills in gaming, regardless of socio-economic backgrounds. For more details and to reserve your place visit here.

The German Bundestag (federal parliament) has passed a new law regulating video games that feature loot boxes.

According to Spiegel, each game or app featuring loot boxes, or similar in-game products, will now be subject to an age rating of at least 18, and possibly higher. 

Critically, the new law will be applied not only to new releases, but also currently released games, such as the hugely popular FIFA 21 from EA Sports – which is currently approved by the Entertainment Software Self-Regulation Body with no age restrictions. 

However, due to FIFA 21 offering the Ultimate Team mode, which features in-game purchases in the form of card sets, it may soon be subject to age restrictions. 

AYO.NEWS says:

The debate about whether or not loot boxes constitute gambling, or are no more harmful than buying packs of trading cards (which kids have done for generations) has been raging for years, without much really changing. However, now that one of Europe’s biggest markets has passed this law, which also applies retroactively to currently released titles, publishers like EA will have to take major action, and fast. Needless to say, this could cause major issues for distribution and current business models.

The question now is, which countries will follow Germany’s lead?

Esports platform Organization.GG has secured $610,000 in a pre-seed funding which attracted participation from WePlay Esports, QPDigital, and Silicon Valley investors. 

Dima Okhrimchuk, CEO and Co-founder of Organization.GG says the new capital will be used to develop the platform’s product, with the aim of entering the North American market by the end of this year. 

Organization.GG allows streamers, pro gamers, and coaches to interact with their fans through live gaming experiences, enabling them to strengthen communities and improve monetisation.

Currently the platform only supports Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO), but has plans to expand into other titles including Call of Duty, League of Legends, and Valorant. 

Within the first few months of operation, Organization.GG hosted over 100 successful show matches, with more than 50 streamers and professionals taking part, and attracting around two thousand viewers.

Managing Partner of WePlay Esports, Oleg Krot, said: “The average game live-streaming viewership has been steadily growing over the last decade. Today, there are millions of people tuned in to a game broadcast at any given time, and most of them would be happy to get a chance to play or interact with the streamer on a more personal level. Organization.GG is the bridge between those streamers and their fans.”

While Denis Valvachev, CEO and managing partner of QPDigital, added: “Streaming platforms and the gaming industry are booming, and Twitch is a prime example. The number of streamers has grown 2.5 times over the year, reaching 8.5 million. Investing in Organization.GG is a display of foresight. Our team is confident that the platform will be very popular among esports players, streamers and fans. We hope that our financial contribution and expertise will allow the platform to reach a whole new level.”

AYO.NEWS says:

Despite the massive popularity of video gaming and esports, engagement and monetisation are still challenging for many businesses and individuals in the space, so a platform like Organization.GG would seem to have a huge potential market. Of course, the challenge is now going to be scaling from their current operation to a whole new level, without losing the personal feeling that has made it work so far.

Esports Entertainment Group (EEG) has secured a deal with Kraft Sports and Entertainment, making it the official esports tournament provider of the New England Patriots and the New England Revolution.

The multi-year partnership covers EEG’s usage of official marks, player appearances, tickets, signage, and digital media to promote bi-annual esports tournaments on its Esports Gaming League (EGL) platform. 

EEG and Kraft Sports and Entertainment will also be collaborating on content, including custom videos, that will be featured in New England Patriots and New England Revolution digital marketing spanning social media, email, mobile and online channels. 

Grant Johnson, CEO of Esports Entertainment Group said: “We are excited to continue to build momentum in our tournament segment. The Patriots and Revolution have an enormous and loyal fan base.

“Our tournament platform will now sponsor two teams with large and passionate fans bases. Our robust tournament platform helps the Patriots and Revolution strengthen connections with their fans, providing new avenues for engagement.”

Murray Kohl, Vice President of Sales for Kraft Sports and Entertainment, commented: “We look forward to working with Esports Entertainment Group to expand our reach in the rapidly growing esports market.

“Esports Entertainment Group’s interactive tournament platform brings together gaming enthusiasts from all around the world and provides an exciting new way for us to connect and engage with our fans.”

Staying with EEG, last week the company announced it had acquired the assets of Lucky Dino Gaming Limited for $30M, following the closure of a $30M registered direct offering in February.