Denmark-based Astralis Group, parent organisation of Astralis, Origen, and Future FC, has announced a three-year partnership with banking app Lunar. 

Lunar is now the exclusive financial partner for Astralis Group in the Nordics, and there are plans for a branded payment card and exclusive digital content for Lunar users. Though financial terms have not been disclosed, the partnership is said to be “of significant commercial value” to Astralis. 

Discussing the deal CCO and Co-founder of Astralis Group, Jakob Lund Kristensen, said:

“Esports appeals to a growing, global audience, and one of our strengths is our access to a generation of digital natives. Lunar’s way of rethinking banking, use of gamification and digital entertainment is very much in line with our strategy and it matches our primary target audience.”

While CEO and Founder of Lunar, Ken Villum Klausen, added:

“In our new partnership with Astralis Group around the Astralis team we morph banking and entertainment providing a whole new experience for the fans. We do this comprehensive move to drive engagement with our users, and the Astralis partnership is a significant step in creating a financial super app and connecting with our users in new ways.”

AYO.NEWS says:

Given the reach of Astralis Group over several titles, we’re sure this is a valuable deal for the organisation, and from Lunar’s point of view it seems like an effective way to tap into its target demographic. 

‘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

The LEC has confirmed it has cancelled plans to host the Summer Finals in Malmö, Sweden, due to the ongoing COVID-19 situation. 

With the LEC set to return on 12 June, production of the regular show is also being moved back into the LEC Studio in Berlin, starting in Week 1. 

In a statement, Riot Games said that the studio would be operated by a skeleton production crew, following strict health and safety procedures. The plan is to gradually increase the number of staff working at the facility over the course of the Summer, with the eventual goal of having teams and press return too. 

In the meantime, teams will continue to play remotely from their training facilities. 

AYO.NEWS says:

It’s fantastic to see the LEC has a clear road map to gradually get things back to normal in a controlled and safe way, and we’re sure everyone involved is looking forward to when they can all get back into the studio. 

However, with the WHO warning of a very likely second wave of infections, we should remember that lockdowns may need to be reintroduced again in the future, and the disruption could continue for some time yet. 

‘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

Isle of Man-based esports betting operator Luckbox has added support for FIFA, NBA 2K, Rocket League, and Rainbow Six Siege. 

Together with the already supported Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, Dota 2, League of Legends, Overwatch, Call of Duty, King of Glory, Starcraft II, Starcraft, and Hearthstone, it means users can now bet on 13 titles. 

Discussing the news Head of Esportbook at Luckbox, Metodi Zaburtov, said:

“The lack of traditional sports during the current crisis has clearly prompted fans to look elsewhere for their entertainment.

“It makes sense that they are attracted to the games they are most familiar with – sport sims such as FIFA and NBA2K. These are games where they understand the rules, they know the teams and they are familiar with the betting markets.

“Industry-wide, there has been a massive increase in the betting volume on FIFA and NBA2K and, while these games are not established esports such as CS:GO or Dota, they could prove to provide a fantastic gateway to introduce sports fans to the world of esports betting.”

Since the COVID-19 lockdowns started, Luckbox says it has seen a 500% increase in bets, with turnover almost 13 times that of November 2019, and deposits up tenfold since then. 

Last week we reported that Luckbox had announced plans to publicly list on the TSX Venture Exchange, and had confirmed Inter Miami goalkeeper Luis Robles as its latest high-profile investor. 

AYO.NEWS says:

Though some traditional sports betting pundits still assume the boom in esports betting is a temporary blip that will fizzle away when regular sports fully resume, there’s a growing feeling among many that that we’re witnessing a long-term sea change.  

Another major esports betting operator to report a significant uptick in business during the lockdowns has been LOOT.BET. You can read an analysis about how COVID-19 has changed esports betting forever, right here. 

‘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

Nashville-based esports merchandising company We Are Nations has announced the launch of Nations Ventures. 

The new esports investment firm plans to support early-stage companies that aren’t in competition with We Are Nations’ core business, looking to “provide opportunities for collaboration, product and marketing enhancement and other economies of scale.” 

Nations Ventures will be majority owned by We Are Nations, with the remainder owned by We Are Nations’ investors. The first investments are expected to be made during the third quarter of 2020. 

Discussing the news CEO of We Are Nations, Patrick Mahoney, said:

• “Nations Ventures seemed like a smart next step for We Are Nations. Like I’m sure everyone else has been doing since the start of the COVID-19 crisis, I’ve spent a lot more time on calls talking to people a bit more outside my normal orbit than usual. These connections have been great and have opened my eyes to a bunch of ideas that We Are Nations would love to be part of.”

While Managing Partner of Nations Ventures, Dan Cardell, added:

“This is an excellent time to launch the fund. We’re seeing tremendous opportunities in the esports space due to the relationships that We Are Nations has built.”

We Are Nations is currently official merchandiser for League of Legends Championship Series, G2 Esports, Optic Gaming, Origen, ECS, FaceIt, Method, Luminosity, MiBR, MVP, PLG, Esports Stadium, Misfits Gaming, NASR Esports, Mayhem Academy, Drop Bears, Dire Wolves and others.

AYO.NEWS says:

Given We Are Nations extensive existing relationships with esports organisations, leagues and leaders across the world, this seems like a natural development, and it couldn’t be timed better, with esports enjoying an explosion in popularity due to the COVID-19 lockdowns. 

‘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

The Epic Esports Events company has announced the Epic Staff Battle charity event, featuring staff from 12 CIS esports organisations. 

Staff from Natus Vincere, Virtus.pro, Gambit Esports, Team Spirit, forZe, Espada, Winstrike, Hell Raisers, Team Empire, Nemiga, Avangar, and EXTREMUM will be competing in Dota 2 and CS:GO as part of the series, with RuHub Studio providing live coverage. 

Epic Staff Battle rules allow professional CS:GO players to participate in the Dota 2 show-matches, and vice versa. 

Ex-pros and coaching staff will also be allowed to enter. This means viewers will get to see stars like NAVI’s Alexandr “s1mple” Kostylev and Kirill “Boombl4” Mikhailov, forZe’s coach Sergey “lmbt” Bezhanov, and NAVI’s journalist Yana “b2ru” Khimchenko battle each other in Dota 2. 

The base prize pool is $5,000, with prizes going to the charity chosen by the winners. The prize pool can be increased via donations from companies that would like to have staff or affiliated streamers participate in show-matches. Supporting companies can also benefit from team naming and advertising. More information can be found here. 

AYO.NEWS says:

It’s always great to see esports organisations supporting charity, especially during these troubled times, but a series for support staff and ex pros, rather than current professional players is something a bit different.

‘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

European esports organisation Team Secret has announced a partnership with Chinese streaming platform HUYA. 

The multi-year agreement will see Team Secret’s players stream on HUYA, and the Chinese company will also be jersey sponsor. For Team Secret, the partnership offers a way to strengthen its reach in the vast Chinese market.

HUYA is already partnered with Team Liquid and Team Griffin, while British organisation Method is partnered with rival DouYu. Team Secret also has commercial agreements in place with CORSAIR, Meta Threads, Mogul, NVIDIA, ookyo, Secretlab, and Uwin. 

We are proud to announce Huya as our streaming partner in China!

As we traveled the world to compete at the highest level, we’ve connected with fans in every region.

This new partnership will help us reach Chinese fans in a way we couldn’t before.

🔗 https://t.co/9yDFMyVP9z pic.twitter.com/vNpUzIyklK

— Team Secret (@teamsecret) May 22, 2020

Team Liquid fields teams in several titles including Dota 2, Rainbow Six Siege, Fortnite, CS:GO, Apex Legends, PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds Mobile, and Age of Empires II.

AYO.NEWS says:

The sheer size and growth rate of the Chinese esports and gaming market means it is commercially compelling for most major esports organisations, so it’s no surprise to see a deal like this. 

‘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