Global esports media network BLAST has confirmed its inaugural Dota 2 tournament will be broadcast in 29 territories, across five continents.

32 hours of BLAST Bounty Hunt action will be shown in 11 languages including English, Chinese, Russian, Portuguese, French, and Polish, and broadcast in 29 territories across five continents.

Launching today, BLAST’s first foray into Dota 2, Bounty Hunt will feature the best teams from across Europe, including OG Esports, Team Secret, Nigma, NIP, Alliance, and Team Liquid, competing over five consecutive days for a prize pool of USD $150,000. 

In 2019 BLAST delivered seven Counter-Strike: Global Offensive events across five continents, broadcasting 1 billion minutes of action in 19 different languages. 

BLAST has also ramped up its output to cater for the millions of fans stuck at home during the COVID-19 lockdowns, introducing multiple new lines of tournaments, content series and commercial partnerships. 

Between 30 April and 21 June, BLAST is aiming to bring to life more than 308 hours of world-class esports to fans all over the world. 

Commenting on the new Bounty Hunt tournament, VP Distribution and Programming, Alexander Lewin, said:

“We are delighted to start our first DoTa tournament and are thrilled to have partnered with a global, who-is-who, of linear and online broadcasting for Bounty Hunt. This confirms the desire for a BLAST DoTa 2 product that we have been working so hard to make happen over the last few months.”

The Bounty Hunt tournament will feature a dynamic prize pool and an interactive fan prediction game giving fans the chance to win $5,000 from the prize pool. 

As we previously reported, BLAST Bounty Hunt has attracted high-profile sponsorships from online bookmaker betway, Danish peripherals manufacturer SteelSeries, and Nestle chocolate brand KitKat.  

The tournament will be broadcast on BLAST’s new DOTA 2 channels Twitch.tv/BLASTDota and YouTube.com/BLASTDota

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International organisation Gen.G Esports has announced a partnership with German athletic apparel brand Puma. 

The deal covers Gen.G’s South Korean presence, where it competes in League of Legends, and will see the organisation and sports brand collaborate on merchandise and experiences. Gen.G players and content creators will also be kitted out with Puma gear. 

Gen.G has extensive commercial partnerships in place with several major brands, including Benefit Cosmetics, Bumble, DESKER, DouYu, Eastern Michigan University, Geekstar, Hang Sung Motor, Logitech G, McDonald’s, More Labs, Old Spice, SIDIZ, and Silicon Valley Bank. 

Puma’s expanding esports portfolio includes Cloud9 in North America and the UK, AGO Esports in Poland, and ORDER in Australia. 

Play.
Cultivate.
Inspire.

Gen.G Korea is proud to welcome @PUMA to the family! We’re excited for this partnership to bring new merch, collaborations, and experiences to all of the Gen.G fans!#TigerNation #WeAreGenG pic.twitter.com/9Wy7fausk1

— Gen.G Esports (@GenG) June 9, 2020

AYO.NEWS says:

Like other major sports apparel brands including Nike, Adidas and Kappa, Puma is clearly intent on expanding its presence in esports as a way to connect with younger demographics. As for Gen.G, it’s yet more proof that their commercial team is on the ball – ensuring the organisation has one of the most impressive sponsor portfolios in the industry. 

‘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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Spanish League of Legends team G2 Arctic has partnered with Head & Shoulders shampoo. 

The deal will see G2 Arctic collaborate with the Procter and Gamble brand to create content featuring players. 

It is the second commercial sponsorship for G2 Arctic, which was founded in 2019 by Berlin-based G2 Esports and Arctic Gaming. The first sponsorship deal was signed with Nabisco’s Chips Ahoy! snack brand.

G2 Arctic competes in the SuperLiga Orange, alongside teams like MAD Lions, Movistar Riders, and Vodafone Giants. 

Commenting on the partnership CEO of G2 Arctic, Luis Garcia, said:

“This agreement represents a further step in our project and what better way to continue growing together than with H&S. At G2 Arctic we are ambitious and as such we need to move forward with the best and with agreements like this we are achieving it.

“H&S is a brand associated worldwide with the world of sports and leader in its category, so this agreement we believe is not only a huge step for us, but also for the esports sector as a whole. I am sure that thanks to H&S we are going to bring great moments to our fans.”

While Marketing Director of H&S in Spain, Fátima Collarte, added:

“At H&S we have been a brand associated with sports for years, for us it is a natural step to enter the fascinating world of esports. We are very excited about this agreement and we are looking forward to entering this sector, and what better way than to do it with the help of a great team like G2 Arctic.”

AYO.NEWS says:

This is quite an interesting deal – Head & Shoulders was long the world’s most popular shampoo, thanks in large part due to massive global marketing, but over the past few years it has fallen out of favour. P&G are obviously now trying to reconnect with younger generations, and esports seems like a great way to do it. This could be the beginning of a major new push for H&S. 

‘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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Chinese esports organisation YTG Gaming (YTG) is selling its related rights and interest in its King Pro League (KPL) franchising spot. 

According to the Esports Observer, the sale includes the organisation’s KPL slot, player contracts, and team social media accounts. The sale is taking place on the Shanghai United Assets and Equity Exchange as a 20-day auction, and at the time of writing the bid price had reached ¥61M RMB ($8.6M USD). 

There are 16 teams in the Tencent-hosted KPL, which YTG has been part of since 2017. Teams that took part in the 2020 Spring Season were AG Super Play, QG Happy, GK Gaming, Dynamite Gaming, TS Gaming, Team WE, WTG Gaming, Rogue Warriors, X-Quest, Edward Gaming, eStar Pro, Hero JiuJ, Royal Never Give Up, TOP Esports, Vici Gaming, and LGD Goose. 

YTG has not given a reason for the sale, but it has been speculated that the COVID-19 crisis and resulting economic downturn, along with poor team performance, have led to the decision to sell and exit the league. 

AYO.NEWS says:

With the world facing an unprecedented economic crisis thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic and resulting lockdowns, even the booming esports industry isn’t immune from financial difficulties. With many organisations having stretched themselves to afford pricey franchise slots, from KPL to Call of Duty League, we’ll likely see more organisations decide to sell up and exit as financing gets harder to come by. 

‘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

Danish peripherals manufacturer SteelSeries and Nestlé chocolate brand KitKat have been confirmed as sponsors of the inaugural BLAST Bounty Hunt Dota 2 event. 

SteelSeries will supply analysts and commentators with headsets, and will be presenting all “bounties” – extra prize money for match victors.

KitKat will be engaged in a “number of branding and content activation opportunities,” and will sponsor in-broadcast feature “Captain’s Kick Back,” which will see team captains talk about their life in and outside of esports.

Commenting on the sponsorship, KitKat Marketing Manager Europe, Middle East & North Africaq, Georg Fischer, said:

“KitKat has always been about a smile in the break and getting a fresh perspective which is also very relevant in gaming and the highly competitive esports environment. We made our first steps in esports earlier this year and were overwhelmed by the positive feedback from fans, teams and partners alike. This confirmed the strong fit between KitKat and the community, and we look forward to a great collaboration with BLAST to bring meaningful, fun content and surprises to the Dota 2 Bounty Hunt!”

An online-only USD $145K prize-pool tournament, the action starts tomorrow, and runs until 13 June. Teams will be taking part from OG Esports, Team Secret, Nigma, NIP, Alliance, and Team Liquid. 

It is notable as the first Dota 2 competition series organised by BLAST, which usually focuses on Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO).  As we reported last week, major online bookmaker Betway has also been announced as an official sponsor of the event. 

AYO.NEWS says:

With Betway, SteelSeries, and KitKat getting behind it, BLAST’s first Dota 2 Bounty Hunt seems to have the wind in its sails, and we’re looking forward to seeing the results, and if this turns into a regular event. 

‘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

International esports organisation Team Liquid has extended its exclusive streaming partnership with major Chinese platform HUYA. 

The original deal signed in June 2019, which covered Team Liquid’s League of Legends, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, Apex Legends, Hearthstone, and PUBG teams, has been extended through 2022. 

In all the extended agreement will cover 22 players and content creators, including several who will be streaming on HUYA for the first time. 

Discussing the partnership COO of Team Liquid, Mike Milanov, said:

“HUYA continues to be a critical partner in Team Liquid’s expansion within China. The broader team has not only helped us navigate the region’s competitive streaming market, but make a real impact with a new audience. We look forward to the next chapter of our collaboration and producing more memorable content and experiences for this expanding fan base.”

While Vice President of HUYA, Ziyang (Peter) Zhao, added:

“We are very glad to renew our partnership and continue to work with Team Liquid. Through HUYA Team Liquid can continue bringing streams to Chinese audience and different cultures can meet and communicate.”

In May HUYA entered a multi-year partnership with European esports organisation Team Secret, and in January signed a broadcasting agreement covering the LCS and LEC with Riot Games. 

AYO.NEWS says:

Well, we think it’s safe to say both parties were pleased with the results of the initial deal, and we’re sure this is going to turn into a very productive long-term relationship. It again reaffirms the Chinese platform’s aim of expanding its international footprint too. 

‘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