American NBA star Kevin Durant and his agent, Rich Kleiman, have invested in New York-based esports organisation Andbox. 

The Brooklyn Nets player and his agent made the investment through their firm Thirty Five Ventures, and will join the Andbox team as investors and creative partners. This will include Durant and Thirty Five Ventures collaborating on the creation of entertainment content and new merch collections.

“The passion that New York sports fans have has really hit home with me,” said Kevin Durant, two-time champion and president of Thirty Five Ventures. “Andbox is bringing that same energy to esports here, and that’s something Thirty Five Ventures is very excited to be a part of.”

“There is no bigger stage in the world to compete on than here in New York, and that’s what drives superstars like Kevin Durant here and thankfully to us, just as it did with Clayster, a back-to-back Call of Duty champion who joined us this offseason,” said Farzam Kamel, Co-founder and President, Andbox. “The New York Tri-State area is the country’s largest market and a global hub for practically everything from sports and media to youth culture and fashion, yet it’s been long overlooked in the gaming industry. We’re changing that with Andbox and promise to keep delivering for New York’s fans and elevate New York esports on the world stage.”

Other Andbox investors to-date have included Michael B. Jordan, David Levy (former President of Turner), Jeff Raider (Co-founder and CEO of Harry’s), Neil Blumenthal (Co-founder and CEO of Warby Parker), Adam Leibsohn (Co-founder and COO of GIPHY), and Roham Gharegozlou (Founder and CEO of Dapper Labs).

Andbox owns and operates Call of Duty League franchise New York Subliners, and Overwatch League franchise New York Excelsior (NYXL), along with a VALORANT squad. 

Proud to announce our newest investment in @andbox_official @subliners to continue the growth of esports in New York and beyond https://t.co/wwvOrhtJsM

— Kevin Durant (@KDTrey5) March 15, 2021

AYO.NEWS says:

It’s great to see the trend of major stars from traditional sports getting involved in the esports world continuing in 2021. No doubt the pandemic has made several realise it can’t hurt to have a foot in the digital world these days!

Netherlands-based esports organisation 4Elements has announced the first esports event organised in partnership with the British Army Esports Club. 

The event will feature the 4Elements professional Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, League of Legends and Call of Duty teams playing against their British counterparts in this three-day esports tournament taking place between 19 March 2021 and 21 March 2021.

With this event, 4Elements is measuring itself for the first time against a military esports team. The British Army has an extended esports offering for its soldiers. Esports in the British Army has already brought together over 2000 soldiers from across the globe, playing casually and competitively.

“4Elements has a large British community and the fact that we are playing at a competitive level against the British Army is an interesting way to further engage with our British fans and provide them with unique content”, explained Paul Helder, CEO of 4Elements.”For an organization like 4Elements there is always a special interest in measuring our competitive players and teams against members of one of the world’s foremost military forces”, he added.

The event will be streamed on the 4Elements Twitch channel.

AYO.NEWS says:

Though we’ve seen the United States military, including the Army, Air Force, Navy, Marines, and Coast Guard, firmly embrace esports, both for official recruitment and informal social purposes, collaborations like this are still pretty rare in Europe. Saying that, if it’s successful, we’re sure it will lead to many more collaborations, perhaps with the esports clubs of other European forces too?

Nasdaq-listed Super League Gaming has announced a continuation of its existing partnership with Topgolf Entertainment Group. 

The deal covers the broadcast of a series of World Golf Tour by Topgolf (WGT) competitive events, which will bring together golf fans, celebrities, and professional athletes.

Super League has been producing the monthly WGT Live Series broadcasts since autumn 2019, with live streams reaching a global audience throughout 107 countries, and 82% of viewers aged between 18 and 44. 

The WGT Live Series has also spawned multiple special WGT competitions, supported by a variety of brand partners, with accompanying broadcasts also produced by Super League. 

WGT saw explosive growth in engagement through 2020, and with the game now available on popular platforms including Steam, has been downloaded by more than 28 million players worldwide. 

“Topgolf continues to be one of Super League’s most important and exciting partners,” said Matt Edelman, Chief Commercial Officer at Super League Gaming. “We have a shared belief in celebrating play through fun, accessible, competitive experiences that are brought to life through premium content. WGT Live Series is a perfect example, having become one of the premiere live event broadcast series in virtual golf worldwide.”

The WGT Live Series is broadcast by Super League’s proprietary, fully-remote video production division, Virtualis Studios, which enables all WGT players, hosts and guests, and members of the Super League production crew to remain comfortably and safely at home.

“Super League has helped elevate WGT broadcasts to a new level of professionalism and quality,” said Director of Marketing, Ashley Groth. “Extending our partnership into 2021 will bring even more opportunities to showcase the great skill and spirit of WGT players while also producing engaging content for our fans, customers, and partners.”

The WGT Live Series airs on WGT Twitch and YouTube channels. Additional programming and more information available here.

AYO.NEWS says:

Nothing says a partnership has been successful like a major extension, so this is great news for Super League Gaming, Topgolf, and of course, golf fans the world over. One thing is for sure, with the COVID-19 crisis still rumbling on, and the very real possibility that mutations will cause more lockdowns, Super League’s investment in its fully-remote Virtualis Studios is looking like a very smart move!

Major League Soccer’s esports league, eMLS, and Electronic Arts, today revealed the full details for the 2021 eMLS Cup presented by Coca-Cola. 

On March 20-21, the top EA SPORTS™ FIFA players in North America will compete for a league record $40,000 eMLS prize pool. Throughout this week, fans will also have an opportunity to purchase a new limited-edition eMLS jersey, earn prizes through giveaways, participate in social campaigns, and compete in an amateur competition. 

Through eMLS, MLS and EA are able to engage the digitally native and gaming-oriented soccer fan base during the MLS offseason, sustaining sports engagement through the power of EA SPORTS FIFA. Every two out of three MLS fans reported in a recent survey they regularly play EA SPORTS FIFA and more than 75 percent of MLS fans noted the video game franchise is very important to the enjoyment of the sport. In February, eMLS League Series 2 averaged 45,000 concurrent viewers over the two-day broadcast, which established a new record for the league and a 24 percent uptick in viewership from the same event in 2020.

“eMLS Cup is the culmination of an unbelievable esports season enabling fans to support their favorite Clubs in unique ways, while providing some of the best EA SPORTS FIFA players in the world with a safe and competitive environment,” said Camilo Durana, MLS Senior Vice President of Properties and Events. “Our commitment to esports, along with the incredible support of our sponsors, has helped us to better serve fans, reach new audiences and showcase the unique role eMLS has in the North American fan experience.” 

Taking place on March 20-21, eMLS Cup will crown the best EA SPORTS FIFA player in the league with all competitors hailing from the United States and Canada. Competition will be played exclusively on PlayStation®4 (PS4) with 12 eMLS players competing in a two-day, single-elimination bracket. Eleven eMLS players have qualified to the eMLS Cup bracket through their competitive performances in the first two events of the eMLS season – eMLS League Series 1 and 2 presented by Coca-Cola. The 12th and final spot will be determined as the remaining 16 eMLS competitors compete in a Last Chance Qualifier on March 16-17. In addition to cash prizing and a trophy, the top three eMLS Cup competitors will qualify directly to the EA SPORTS FIFA 21 Global Series North America Playoffs. 

“Major League Soccer continues to accelerate esports growth with a progressive and innovative approach to the fan experience,” said Brent Koning, Group Director & Commissioner, FIFA Competitive Gaming. “The eMLS Cup will demonstrate again how MLS and its clubs are inextricably woven into the fabric of soccer and esports fandom.”

The 2021 eMLS Cup schedule will be as follows (all times in EST):

Saturday, March 20 (Opening Rounds)

3:20 – Phil “PhilB” Balke (TOR) vs LCQ Winner

4:00 – Guillermo “Kid M3mito” Trevino (CHI) vs Cormac “Doolsta” Dooley (NSC)

5:00 – Alexander “Alekzandur” Betancourt (SKC) vs Gordon “Fiddle” Thornsberry (CIN)

6:00 – Macisse “Cisseszn” Diop (PHI) vs Giuseppe “Godfather” Guastella (LAG)

7:00 – QF 1 – George “Adamou” Adamou (NYRB) vs Kid M3mito OR Doolsta

8:00 – QF 2 – Christopher “Didychrislito” Holly (NYCFC) vs PhilB OR LCQ Winner

Sunday, March 21 (Quarterfinals – Final)

3:20 – QF 3 – Mohamed “KingCJ” Diop (DCU) vs Cissezn OR Godfather

4:00 – QF 4 – John “xbLeU” Garcia (AFC) vs Alekzandur OR Fiddle

5:00 – SF 1 – Winner QF 1 vs Winner QF 3

6:00 – SF 2 – Winner QF 2 vs Winner QF 4

7:00 – eMLS Cup Final – Winner SF 1 vs Winner SF 2

In celebration of eMLS Cup, eMLS today debuted a limited-edition eMLS Cup jersey, developed in collaboration with adidas, which is now available for purchase on www.mlsstore.com. Net proceeds from jersey sales will benefit Special Olympics. Additionally, eMLS produced two eMLS Player Profiles presented by Pringles to highlight some of the eMLS players and their unique stories, airing on eMLS owned and operated channels.

Fans and players alike will also have an opportunity to take to the virtual pitch in the EA SPORTS FIFA 21 PS4™ Tournament: eMLS Fan Challenge, where the top 64 EA SPORTS FIFA players will each walk away with prizing, and the grand prize winner will receive a PlayStation® 5 console. In anticipation of eMLS Cup and MLS season return, eMLS and Coca-Cola are also teaming up for the ‘Sip & Scan’ sweepstakes, where fans can grab a Coke and scan the can for a chance to win MLS gear, Coca-Cola prizes, eMLS Cup jerseys, and more.

In addition to experiencing record viewership growth, this 2021 eMLS season has a record 27 MLS Clubs represented, with two new Clubs joining this year — Inter Miami CF and . In its inaugural season back in 2018, eMLS launched with 19 Clubs. MLS expansion Clubs, like Austin FC and St. Louis CITY SC, opted to join eMLS and compete virtually before even kicking off their first game in MLS.

The official partners of eMLS that will be integrated throughout 2021 eMLS Cup are Coca-Cola, PlayStation®, Cheez-It® & Pringles®, SCUF Gaming, and JLab.

For more information on the 2021 eMLS Cup and competitors, please visit https://www.mlssoccer.com/esports/emls. And be sure to tune into eMLS Cup on March 20-21 on the official MLS Twitch, YouTube, Twitter, and Facebook pages.

Polish sportsbook BeXt has launched the iFrame solution from Oddin. 

BetX says it is responding to the growing interest in esports both globally, and in its native Poland, which already hosts some of the world’s most prestigious esports tournaments, including the Intel Extreme Masters World Championship. 

Discussing the development, COO of BetX, Mateusz Banas, said: “We believe that younger generations are a key part of our future, and it is well-known that they love esports, especially here in Poland. We have been looking for an all-in-one solution and we’re extremely happy we have found Oddin.

“We believe that Oddin is offering a complete product with the widest and most customer-friendly offer for clients who may not need to search any further for everything they need to bet on esports and have great fun doing it! The integration was swift and flexible in terms of the development of specific features we needed. With their risk management solution in place, we are perfectly positioned for future scaling. They’re the exact partner we were looking for’

While Head of Partnerships at Oddin, Marek Suchar, added: “We are extremely grateful to find a partner like BetX that understands the potential of esports and wants to innovate their sportsbook offering. The iFrame integration was seamless and we’re excited to see our product live. The Polish market is a key esports region in Europe, with a massive following already, so launching there with a trusted partner such as BetX is just a perfect match.’’

Staying with Oddin, last month the supplier announced a partnership with sports betting platform provider Arland.

The Danish Broadcasting Corporation (DR) has secured exclusive streaming rights for the country’s Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) league, Elgiganten Ligaen. 

DR’s deal with the league’s operator, Dust2.dk, includes all three finals of the league, which will be shown on the broadcaster’s streaming platform DR TV. Although agreement will also see the league’s play-off matches leave Twitch for DR TV, the corporation has said they will remain free to watch. 

Notably, the contract represents Elgiganten Ligaen’s first-ever television rights deal. 

Similar to other European public broadcasters, most famously the UK’s BBC, DR is primarily funded from a license fee, amounting to around $400 USD per year per household. 

AYO.NEWS says:

This is great news for Elgiganten Ligaen, and the fact that a major public broadcaster is willing to cough up for exclusive rights shows just how popular esports now are in Europe.