Oceania-based esports organisation Dire Wolves has expanded its leadership team of industry experts, as it embarks on a major expansion.

New Dire Wolves owner Jason Spiller has come on board, bringing more than fifteen years’ experience in building gaming and esports brands, having held roles at Microsoft and OMEN by HP. Craig Nimmo has been appointed new General Manager, bringing extensive esports experience as a commentator, to provide support for Dire Wolves across PC and console. 

Additionally, Rich Bryan, who has produced some of New Zealand’s biggest music stars, has been named new Head of Production, and William Slingsby has been appointed Head of Content. Slingsby has previously created content for TVNZ, Auckland Basketball, Masterminds Gaming, and Dark Sided. Finally, Jordan Gardiner is taking up position as new Head of Design.

The management appointments are the first in a series of announcements expected this week, with a major rebrand, and entry into new games also set to be revealed. 

Discussing the new appointments owner of Dire Wolves, Jason Spiller, said:

“The new team we’ve established is truly a force to be reckoned with, and we feel confident that we’ve sourced the best in the business to lay our new foundations, particularly with regards to performance, content, and establishing the new face of the wolf pack. We’re so excited to see this incredibly talented team get stuck in and usher in the new era of the Dire Wolves.”

Earlier this year Guinevere Capital sold its majority stake in Dire Wolves, in keeping with Riot Games’ rules around owning multiple teams across its global leagues, seeing Jason Spiller come on board as owner alongside a series of investment partners who will oversee the expansion.

The new management team is the first in a series of major announcements from Dire Wolves this week. To stay tuned for more. 

AYO.NEWS says:

With Dire Wolves bringing onboard so much heavy hitting management talent, they’ve obviously got big plans, and we can’t wait to check out the expected rebrand and find out which titles the organisation will by jumping into. Exciting times down under! 

‘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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A 1985 video game cartridge of Super Mario Bros. sold for $114,000 USD at auction on Friday, setting a new world record. 

The Nintendo game, which has remained sealed for 35 years, went under the hammer with Heritage Auctions on Friday 10 July, setting a new world record for the most expensive video game ever sold at public auction.

Friday’s auction smashed the previous record, held by a 1987 sealed copy of Mega Man, which sold for $75,000 with Heritage Auctions in November 1997. 

You can check out the item listing here. 

AYO.NEWS says:

We’re sure this has sent a few older shop owners scrambling around in their storerooms over the weekend! As crazy as this auction seems, it serves to illustrate just how important video games have become to people, and how they are now central to popular culture.

‘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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The Singapore Premier League (SPL) has launched an official esports league, the eSPL. 

A collaborative effort between the Football Association of Singapore (FAS), Redd+E Sports, Zenway Productions, and The Gym, the inaugural season features all eight SPL football teams, and is being played in eFootball Pro Evolution Soccer 2020. 

Teams are appearing in accurate jerseys and players and officials are accurately represented on the virtual pitch. The eSPL kicked off with group state games on 11 July, with the knockout stage set for 18-19 July. 

All the action, including group stage games, semifinals, grand finals, women’s tournament, and a celebrity grudge match, is being broadcast on Singtel TV, StarHub TV, meWATCH, and the official SPL Facebook page. 

Discussing the news Director of Commercial and Marketing at the Football Association of Singapore, Jonathan Wong, said:

“With Covid-19 having curtailed our plans for the 25th anniversary season, the introduction of the eSPL is a timely one which will allow football fans to catch some sporting action featuring players from our SPL while waiting for the resumption of the league. Great effort has been put into localising the look of the teams so that SPL fans can have a stronger sense of association to their favourite teams when watching the games.”

While Co-founder and Managing Director of Redd+E, Yip Ren Kai, added:

“As local boys, we are always looking at ideas to value add to the sports communities in Singapore, especially during this Covid-19 pandemic. 

“We are delighted to partner the FAS in this initiative to bring the SPL closer to the fans through esports. Coupled with the ability to replicate the SPL teams’ outfits on PES and to get footballers to represent their respective clubs in this tournament, we hope that it will bring existing fans closer to the clubs and also to interest new fans in the SPL.”

AYO.NEWS says:

As the world wakes up to the fact that the COVID-19 crisis isn’t going away, we’re seeing more and more traditional sports leagues launch official esports tournaments. Just last week Finland’s top-flight football division, Veikkausliiga, launched the eFutisliiga, in partnership with PlayStation. 

‘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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China has cancelled all international sporting events for the rest of 2020 due to the continued COVID-19 threat, while worrying reports have begun to surface from neighboring Kazakhstan.

According to the Associated Press, the only exception will be the trials for the 2022 Winter Olympic Games in Beijing and neighboring Zhangjiakou. 

The order will affect at least six WTA tennis events and four ATP tournaments, two major golf events in the form of the men’s HSBC Champions and LPGA Shanghai, the Asian sport climbing championships, the badminton World Tour Finals, and two cycling stage races. 

It also means there’s no chance of salvaging the Shanghai Grand Prix this year, which was postponed in April. 

Regarding esports, the order could also impact the League of Legends World Championship, which had been scheduled to take place in Shanghai later in the year. 

Another, deadlier virus in Kazakhstan?

Meanwhile there are concerning reports starting to emerge from neighboring Kazakhstan.

Over the last few days, social media reports have suggested a new “unknown” type of pneumonia, that is significantly deadlier than COVID-19, has infected tens of thousands, and killed around 600 in the space of just a week. 

Yesterday, a statement on the website of the Chinese Embassy in Kazakhstan appeared to confirm the outbreak., though the Kazakh government has denied the outbreak, calling the reports “fake news.”

AYO.NEWS says:

As we explained earlier this week, there seems to be a massive reality disconnect going on in many places, but particularly Europe. This is partially attributable to the fact that European nations, on the whole, have managed the initial COVID-19 wave better than most places. But, globally, the pandemic is actually accelerating, and even in countries that had begun to lift lockdowns, restrictions are being reimposed. 

Whether the Kazakhstan reports turn out to be true or not, one thing is clear; the crisis is far from over, and it is way too early for betting operators and industry event organisers to act like things are “back to normal.” 

‘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 esports organisation Team Heretics has teamed up with UNICEF Spain. 

The partnership is intended to “maximise the opportunities offered by the esports sector and defend the positive impact of the gaming industry among young people.” 

Specifically, Team Heretics will work with UNICEF Spain to promote socialisation and empowerment for young people through gaming and esports, raise awareness and reduce toxicity and bullying, while promoting positive behaviour and the rights of children. 

Commenting on the news CEO of Team Heretics, Antonio Catena, said:

“We are very happy to start a journey with UNICEF. We started a relationship with the best possible partner to support and improve the health of the entire gaming and esports ecosystem.”

While Executive Director of UNICEF Spain, Javier Martos, added:

“[At] UNICEF we have a great interest in the correct development of gaming and we trust in the relevance of this alliance to convey responsible messages that bring us closer to young people in a different way together with the leaders of the sector.”

It’s not the first time UNICEF has partnered with an esports organization. In January, the UK division of the charity partnered with Fnatic to promote positivity in gaming and raise funds for charity. 

Team Heretics currently competes in titles including Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, Fortnite, and Rainbow Six Siege, and has commercial partnerships with brands including NobleChairs, San Miguel, KFC, adidas, Logitech G, Discord, and Font Vella. 

AYO.NEWS says:

As anyone who’s ever played a MMOG will tell you, toxicity is a huge problem, and seems to be getting worse, especially among the youngest players, so it’s great to see an esports organisation and major charity work to change this. Let’s hope other organisations follow the lead of Team Heretics and Fnatic. Team 

‘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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Allied Esports has teamed up with Esports Entertainment Group (EEG) to launch the VIE.gg Counter-Strike: Global Offensive Legend Series. 

Boasting a prizepool of €50,000 and featuring 12 European teams, the online tournament will be produced by Allied Esports at its HyperX Esports Studio in Hamburg, Germany, and fans will be able to bet on the action at VIE.gg. 

The tournament, which begins on Monday 31 August 2020, will also be broadcast live at Twitch.tv/AlliedEsports, with a lineup of pro casters and analysts.

Introducing the tournament CEO of Allied Esports Entertainment, Frank Ng, said:

“We believe that esports tournaments should not just be fun for participants, but also have the ability to help sponsors achieve their business goals, and our knowhow and portfolio of esports brands, arenas, mobile trucks and studios uniquely meet that need in today’s ecosystem.

“The Legend Series has been one of our most successful original tournament brands and we are thrilled to work with Esports Entertainment Group and the VIE.gg platform to add a wagering component that will introduce Allied Esports to new consumers and elevate the brand even further.”

While Head of Esports at Esports Entertainment Group, Magnus Leppaniemi, added:

“We’re excited to play a role in providing a platform for smaller teams to compete for prize money. While the largest esports teams earned tens of millions of dollars in prize money last year, there are hundreds of smaller teams that get excluded from the flagship competitions. 

“The VIE.gg CS:GO Legend Series is our first effort at working to fill this void, and we look forward to getting involved in more events like this moving forward.”

The VIE.gg CS:GO Legend Series will be the sixth in the series that was launched back in 2017, with the aim of growing the competitive ecosystem to non-top flight teams. Notably, it is the first in the series to have a licensing partner and title sponsor. 

Esports Entertainment Group has offices in Malta and currently holds gambling licences in both Malta and Curacao, enabling it to accept wagers from more than 149 jurisdictions, including Canada, Japan, Germany, and South Africa. 

AYO.NEWS says:

It’s cool to see EEG is supporting one of Allied’s most exciting endeavors, which really does give some much needed competitive opportunities to smaller teams, and consistently delivers top notch action for fans. 

EEG has been very busy over the last few weeks. Earlier this week, the company announced it had appointed Akur Capital as its iGaming mergers and acquisitions advisor, indicating some interesting purchases might be on the horizon. While last week, the company appointed two Argyll Entertainment executives to key leadership positions, and in June it set up a subsidiary in New Jersey, United States.  

‘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