Tier One Entertainment, the Singapore-based esports talent agency, has secured investment from VC fund Gobi Partners and Warner Music Group. 

Singapore-based family office Octava, Japanese internet company KAYAC, and Atlas Ventures also participated in the Pre-Series A funding round. 

Though financial details have not been disclosed, Tier One has said it will be using the new capital to establish local operations in other Asian nations. Specifically, Tier One plans to hire back-end teams to support its esports team, Blacklist International, and to set up a content creation hub in the Philippines. 

Founded in 2017 by esports veteran Tryke Gutierrez, entrepreneur Brian Lim, and popular cosplay and gaming star Alodia Gosiengfiao, Tier One is currently operational in Singapore, Malaysia, Myanmar, and the Philippines. 

CEO and Founder of Tier One Entertainment, Tryke Gutierrez, commented: “The gaming industry is going through a golden age and this funding will help accelerate our growth by allowing us to replicate our success in other markets. In just a few years of operations, we’ve found a winning formula in esports and gaming by developing a robust business model around top tier content creation and authentic distribution. 

“We firmly believe that we are an Asian behemoth in the making and now that we have more support from established venture capital firms around the globe, Tier One Entertainment is now poised for explosive growth.”

AYO.NEWS says:

Tier One is going from strength-to-strength, showing just how fast things can happen in the world of gaming and esports. The company already has the backing of major investors from the gaming space like BITKRAFT Ventures, so adding a firm like Warner Music Group to the mix can only accelerate things further. 

Staying with Warner Music and Asian esports, just last week the group inked a deal with online tournament platform Esports Players League (ESPL). 

Huya, the Chinese live streaming platform, has agreed a major five-year League of Legends esports media rights deal with TJ Sports.

The agreement gives Huya exclusive Mandarin-language broadcasting and distribution rights for League of Legends Pro League (LPL), League of Legends Development League (LDL), and LPL All-Star Event, in China (excluding Hong Kong, Macao, and Taiwan) for five years. 

Video-on-demand (VOD) rights are also included for three years. 

According to a filing to the US Securities and Exchange Commission, the deal cost Huya ￥2,013M RMB ($310M USD).

Esports Observer, which broke the news, says Riot Games has also confirmed that Huya will be authorised to create derivative promotional video and written content, including replays, highlights, news, and commentary, using official TJ Sports-authorised League of Legends resources. 

Huya’s net revenue for the final quarter of 2020 grew 21% to 3 billion yuan (approx. $458M USD), while net profit rocketed 59% to 253 million yuan (approx. $39M), and total active monthly users hit 179M for the quarter. 

Last August, rival Chinese streaming platform Bilibili signed an exclusive three-year $113M media rights agreement with Riot Games covering all international League of Legends competitions.

Short-form video platform TikTok has teamed up with North American gaming media platform, Enthusiast Gaming, to launch TikTok Gamers Got Talent. 

The content series premieres on Sunday, 9 May, 2021 at 7:00PM EST, and is being supported by e.l.f. Cosmetics. Over seven-weeks, the live series will follow contestants as they show off their diverse talents and compete in front of millions of fans for a chance to win $25,000 and e.l.f. Products. 

From guitar riffs to trick shots to cooking and everything in-between, TikTok Gamers Got Talent is an opportunity for gamers and gaming fans on TikTok to showcase their most impressive skills to a panel of celebrity judges.

According to e.l.f, its participation with TikTok Gamers Got Talent further reinforces its commitment to what it has dubbed “Gameup” – the intersection of gaming and makeup.

Once the top 20 contestants are selected, they will share their talents live in front of a rotating panel of celebrity judges. Each week, there will be a mix of veteran gamers and influential TikTok creators including Luminosity Gaming’s toripareno, nickeh30, Muselk, Canadian musician bbno$, and more. 

Premiering live on Sunday May 9, the first episode will feature an all-female judging panel including Luminosity Gaming’s Chica and Loserfruit, one of the world’s most popular professional gamers.

Nadia Niccoli, Director of Marketing, TikTok Canada, said: “TikTok continues to be a platform where culture starts and through TikTok’s Gamers Got Talent, a North American first, our gaming community will have an opportunity to reach new audiences, be discovered and entertained. We’re excited to have two industry giants in their respective areas, e.l.f. Cosmetics and Enthusiast Gaming, on board to support and show gamers the power of TikTok.”

Kory Marchisotto, Chief Marketing Officer, e.l.f. Beauty, added: “TikTok Gamers Got Talent marks our first foray into connecting with the TikTok gaming community and we’re proud to be the premiere sponsor of this live series. In true e.l.f. style, we are going all in – proving that anything is e.l.f.ing possible. We can’t wait to see some bad-ass girl gamers unleash their amazing talents.”

Thamba Tharmalingam, COO, Enthusiast Gaming, commented: “We are thrilled to partner with TikTok and e.l.f. Cosmetics, who share in our passion of gaming, to uniquely deliver this immersive and engaging experience to our gaming fan communities. This partnership provides a great opportunity to shine a light on the talented and passionate female gamers in our communities and we look forward to the talent and creativity that our audience will bring.”

To enter, you need to create a TikTok showing your hidden talent using #TikTokGGT, and upload it to GamersGotTalent.com. Submissions are open to residents of the United States and Canada between 27 April and 2 May. Contest rules are here.

Chinese multinational technology company Lenovo has renewed its sponsorship of Circuito Brasileiro de Counter Strike (CBCS). 

The agreement will see Lenovo’ Legion gaming brand continue to be promoted during the recently restructured series, and the company will also be supplying notebooks, monitors, and other peripherals. 

Lenovo will also be creating social media content throughout the tournament. 

Miah Campos, Head of CBCS Operations, commented: “We are very happy, Lenovo is a very important partner and this renewal that also validates the goals we have for the Counter-Strike scenario in Brazil from 2021 onwards”.

CBCS is the result of a collaboration between DC Set Group, Gamers Club, Gaules, Grupo Globo, and the Omelete Company. CBCS Elite League Season 1, its first regional major, kicked off last week, with teams including Havan Liberty, INTZ, Isarus, MIBR, SWS Gaming, and Sharks Esports competing. 

In addition to R$40,000 (approx. €6,000 euro) in prize money, the winning team will also get 1600 Regional Major Rankings: South America points. The team that’s racked up most points by October, will become the continent’s representative in the PGL Major Stockholm 2021. 

Today marks the establishment of the Esports Certification Institute (ECI), an international organization that provides guidance, official certification, and networking to aspiring esports professionals.  

Founded by former Dignitas Chief of Staff Ryan Friedman and former Houston Rockets VP of Esports Sebastian Park, the Esports Certification Institute is focused on promoting meritocracy, fostering professionalism, and increasing diversity and inclusion in esports.

ECI will create and administer a merit-based examination and certification program for the esports industry. The exam will assess entry-level candidates as well as outside-industry professionals on their esports expertise and increase their ability to secure opportunities in the esports space through a certification process that sets the standard in the industry. The inaugural exam consists of 120 multiple choice questions and one essay and tests across three components: Esports Knowledge, Statistical Literacy, and Problem Solving.

As a registered Public Benefit Corporation, ECI believes every individual deserves an opportunity to make their mark in the esports industry. As part of this commitment, ECI offers a study guide under a pay-what-you-afford model where the proceeds are used to enable low-income applicants to access the test. ECI is also actively engaged with educational programs to help identify and sponsor future talent.

ECI has brought together industry leaders from across esports to build a diverse advisory board including: 

• Esports Attorney and Partner at ESG Law, Krista Hiner
• Cloud 9 Advisor and Enlight.gg Founder Enlightgg, Eunice Chen
• Esports & Gaming Personality, Sean “Day[9]” Plott
• Evil Geniuses CEO, Nicole LaPointe Jameson
• FlyQuest CEO, Tricia Sugita
• Cloud 9 VP, Donald Boyce
• Gen.G CEO, Chris Park
• BITKRAFT Ventures Founding Partners, Jens Hilgers, Scott Rupp, and Malte Barth

The advisory board of top esports executives and up-and-coming industry leaders will be responsible for contributing questions to the ECI exam and offering regular guidance pertaining to the success of the ECI graduates their companies have hired to ensure the institute is instrumental for the long-term success of the esports industry.

“Despite massive industry growth in the past five years, securing a career in esports is still often more about who you know than what you can do,” commented Ryan Friedman, Co-Founder of ECI. “The Esports Certification Institute is uniquely positioned to bring standardization and professionalism to the talent acquisition process in esports while offering a way for applicants to stand out. By offering a certification in esports knowledge, companies will be able to easily identify highly skilled and qualified applicants, ultimately creating an industry where everyone is given equal opportunity to succeed in esports irrespective of personal circumstances. It’s an iterative process that we hope over time will not only help people previously overlooked enter esports, but also improve the space as a whole.”

“Similar to standard financial certifications, candidates demonstrate their knowledge and skills through a rigorous examination to ensure critical competencies necessary to work in esports. Becoming an ECI certified professional sets job-seekers apart from other applicants and is the next step of professionalization in esports,” commented FlyQuest CEO, Tricia Sugita.

Additionally, once certified, ECI professionals will have access to new networking opportunities, career-advancing resources, and Q&A with advisors.

You can find out more information about the Esports Certification Institute here.

Adverty has announced the official launch of in-game advertising on InMobi Exchange.

The partnership between Adverty and independent marketing cloud, InMobi, will enable brands and agencies globally to reach premium mobile users with ads that blend into the game environment. 

This can be through electronic advertising boards in esports arenas, or the extremely popular casual and hypercasual gaming space, using Adverty’s multi-patented in-game ad technology.

Commenting on the partnership, Tobias Knutsson, CEO, Adverty, said: “This news is further proof that the most exciting, largely untapped media frontier is very much open for business. What’s more, both branding and performance advertising options are available, meaning that advertisers can unlock previously unreachable audiences at scale and turbocharge their marketing efforts in ways never before thought possible. With this partnership, the door is wide open for further innovation.”

Kunal Nagpal, SVP and GM, Publisher Platforms and Exchange at InMobi, added: “In-game advertising is one of these new frontiers that allow advertisers to interact with their consumers in a highly intuitive way. InMobi’s technology and unmatched mobile in-app expertise allows global advertisers to access the highly engaged and diverse mobile gaming audience in a medium that is becoming increasingly relevant.”

Gaming has become an extremely attractive media channel for advertisers in recent years, with opportunities for brands to deliver high-impact creatives to a highly engaged global audience of over 3 billion gamers. In 2020, mobile gaming saw unprecedented growth both in terms of users and time spent.  

Adverty delivers unobtrusive advertising which connects brands and audiences through its revolutionary technology built specifically for gaming, while buy-side clients can now access innovative formats in mobile games at scale more easily than ever before.

With significant demand for its seamless and non-interruptive in-game inventory, Adverty launched a world-first In-Menu™ format earlier this year to complement its In-Play™ offerings. This enables contextually relevant IAB display banner ads in between gameplay and enhances a highly innovative product suite that also allows brands to take over billboards and other virtual outdoor sites within games.

Staying with Adverty, earlier this month the company announced a partnership with Oracle Moat, aimed at providing enhanced measurement and verification for in-game ad traffic and impressions.