Gaming engagement platform and marketplace Shotcall has secured $2.2M in a seed funding round.

Shotcall says the capital raised in the round, which was led by Initial Capital and New Stack and closed by Lerer Hippeau, will be used to grow its marketplace platform, integrate with more game publishers, and expand hosting opportunities with celebrities and artists. 

Co-founder of Initial Capital, Ken Lamb, has also been appointed to Shotcall’s board of directors. 

Explaining what makes Shotcall such a unique platform, co-founder and CEO Thomas Gentle, said:

“If you have a fan base and you game, you should be on Shotcall. There are dozens of different sites for coaching, hosting tournaments, streaming, and other events, but Shotcall is the only platform that houses all of these interactions under one roof, and not while having to be on the sidelines.

“Shotcall is a two-fold solution for the gaming community. It allows fans to actually play their favourite games with the hosts they admire, while also creating important monetisation opportunities for creators who are resistant to asking their community for direct financial support. Shotcall is a community where both the fan and creator have an incredible return on their investment.”

Atlanta-based Shotcall was founded in 2018 by Gordon Li, Riley Austin, and Thomas Gentle, and has developed a marketplace to allow users like streamers to increase engagement and monetisation through any type of community event, including tournaments, coaching sessions, Q&As, queue lines, charity events, one-on-one competitions, and more. 

Staying in Atlanta, as we reported last week, following its acquisition by a group of investors led by Andrew Steinberg and Todd Harris, Ghost Gaming has relocated from Irvine, California, to Atlanta, Georgia. 

AYO.NEWS says:

Effective engagement with monetisation is the Holy Grail all content creators and players are looking for, so it’s not surprising to see Shotcall is generating a buzz. Of course, with this kind of platform, a lot is going to depend on it being able to entice and keep high-profile streamers and celebrities. Whatever happens, having an extra $2.2M in the bank is going to help. 

‘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.

Esports tournament organiser ESL has expanded its partnership with  German TV broadcaster SPORT1. 

From 3 November, major ESL and DreamHack tournaments will be broadcast on eSportsONE – the dedicated DACH esports channel that was launched in January 2019. 

Specifically, the channel will be an exclusive linear TV partner for all ESL Dota 2 tournaments – including ESL One Birmingham, ESL One Hamburg, and ESL One Los Angeles – plus the StarCraft II and WarCraft III ESL Pro Tour in Germany. NBA 2K and Rocket League will also be covered by the expanded agreement. 

Discussing the news Senior Vice President of Global Media at ESL, Frank Uddo, said:

“Having seen the success of eSPORTS1 in German-speaking countries, we are excited to join forces with long-term partner SPORT1 for the rollout of the linear channel eSportsONE across Europe. ESL aims to serve the esports community all across Europe, and eSportsONE’s comprehensive and versatile portfolio makes it a great option to view premium esports content.”

While CEO of Sport1 Medien AG and Chairman of the Management Board of Sport1 GmbH, Olaf Schröder, added: 

“We are pioneers and trailblazers in the growth market esports with its great opportunities: At the beginning of 2019, we launched the first esports channel in Germany, Austria and Switzerland with eSPORTS1 – an important milestone with which we have further expanded our positioning as a leading medium in the German-speaking esports community.

“Now we continue our esports success story internationally and are launching a new, ground-breaking project with eSportsONE as a pan-European eSports broadcaster. Our goal: We want to make esports even bigger in Europe in the future beyond the young core target group and to anchor it even more sustainably in society.“

Staying with ESL and Germany, earlier this month Bitburger 0.0% was named an official partner of ESL One Germany and all ESL Dota 2 esports in the country. And, at the start of the month, MTG announced DreamHack and ESL had merged under one corporation, ESL Gaming. 

AYO.NEWS says:

Though television may be rapidly losing market share to streaming platforms, it nevertheless remains a significant media format, at least in the short to medium term, so the expansion of this partnership is a pretty big deal, especially as eSportsONE rolls out across new markets. 

‘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.

Moscow-based Epic Esports Events has announced the second season of its EPIC League Dota 2 online tournament will commence on Thursday. 

Replacing the second season of the OMEGA League, which was announced earlier this year, the tournament will see teams from Europe and the CIS battle it out. Open qualifiers will be running from 29-30 October on FACEIT, while closed qualifiers will be held from 3-11 November, with participants announced later. 

First division play, which will include Alliance, Natus Vincere, Nigma, Team Liquid, Team Secret, Vikin.gg, and Virtus.pro, will run from 12 November to 5 December, with the playoff stage taking place from 8-12 December. The prize pool for the first division is set at $500K USD. 

The second division will see 10 teams duke it out from 11 November to 1 December, with the playoff stage happening from 8-13 December. The prize pool for the second division is set at $50K. 

The OMEGA League was introduced in July by Epic Esports Events and WePlay! in an attempt to boost the Dota 2 pro events calendar, which has been badly hit by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. However, despite signing up Parimatch as a sponsor, and announcing plans for a second season last month, WePlay! Esports pulled out of the initiative.

AYO.NEWS says:

With the COVID-19 crisis looking likely to drag on well into 2021, and maybe beyond, it’s good to see the organisers like Epic are trying to keep the Dota 2 pro scene alive. Hopefully, this latest incarnation will prove more long lived than the OMEGA League! 

‘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.

DreamHack Sports Games has teamed up with eManager to launch a FIFA esports fantasy game for eSuperliga. 

The sports simulation division of MTG says the new game, which will be accessible via eManager’s platform, will allow fans to create a dream team from eSuperliga players in order to compete for ‘sponsor prizes’ during the upcoming FIFA competition, which kicks off on 3 November. 

eSuperliga was created in the autumn of 2018 through a partnership between DreamHack and the Super League Divisional Association, with the first final held at the Forum Arena in Copenhagen in front of 1,300 fans. 

About to enter its 5th season, the eSuperLiga features 15 teams from 15 major Danish football clubs, offers a $50K USD prize pool, and will be broadcast on TV3 Max in Denmark, and streamed on Viaplay.

Discussing the new game COO of DreamHack Sports Games, Mark Bjørk, said:

“Our vision is to transform traditional sports IP into esports, and through this collaboration with eManager, we once again prove that the elements that surround traditional football also work with their esports counterpart, eFootball.

“With limited opportunities to bring spectators as a result of the coronavirus, we have to find new ways for the fans to engage with the eSuperliga. Collaborations like this with eManager are a great example of how we can facilitate this, while simultaneously providing our partners with additional digital activation opportunities to interact with the fans in a meaningful way.”

Staying with DreamHack Sports Games, earlier this month former DreamHack Co-CEO Roger Lodewick was appointed new CEO of the division, taking over from Peter Nørrelund.

AYO.NEWS says:

Though fantasy games are already very popular in real-world sports, especially football, they haven’t yet found popularity in esports, so will this be the breakthrough that changes that? With the COVID-19 crisis shaking things up and pushing new fans to the virtual world, it’s certainly possible. 

‘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.

In-game advertising platform Anzu.io has announced a partnership with the developers of massive multiplayer online role-playing game Virtuverse. 

The deal will enable advertisers to display non-intrusive blended banner and video ads inside the PC-based animated fantasy MMORPG – which is currently most popular with gamers in  North and South America, Europe, and Russia. 

With an average play session lasting an impressive six and a half hours, according to the developer, there will be plenty of opportunities for players to encounter video and banner ads displayed on immersive billboards and interior screens. 

Built on the Unreal Engine, Virtuverse allows players to venture into many different fantasy lands, defeat monsters and collect spoils of war, which can be traded for in-game items or exchanged for real money. 

Virtuverse’s teams says that adopting blended in-game advertisements will help keep the game free-to-play, and the game’s community has voiced its support for the move. 

Commenting on the news Anzu’s CEO and Co-founder, Itamar Benedy, said:

“Gamers won’t tolerate disruption anymore so we created a solution that works for them, game developers, and advertisers. Many people were unsure of how video and banner ads could be harmoniously blended into an animated game, but we are happy to prove them wrong through our partnership with Virtuverse.”

Anzu’s advertising partners include major brands like Samsung and Vodafone, while its gaming partners include Ubisoft, Unfinished Pixel, and Vivid Games. 

As previously reported, earlier this month former Activision Blizzard executive, Ruben Dehouck, joined Anzu as a strategic advisor. 

AYO.NEWS says:

With many developers finding it harder to monetise games in today’s ‘free-to-play’ culture, and many advertisers struggling to engage generations that have become almost immune to traditional advertising, in-game ads offer an intriguing avenue for both. Of course, it’s still too early to gauge their effectiveness, but there are some promising signs. 

Want to find out more about in-game advertising? Don’t miss AYO.NEWS’ very own Simona Pinterova catching up with Niklas Bakos, CEO and Co-founder of another in-game advertising startup, Adverty. 

‘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.

Competitive online gaming platform and tournament organiser FACEIT, and Ubisoft, have announced the FPL NA Rainbow Six. 

With the first qualifier set for November, the FPL will give the North American Rainbow Six Siege community a clear path to pro, while challenging the pro talent pool in a highly competitive environment. The North American launch follows a successful debut in Europe in August, and will significantly enhance the global Rainbow Six Siege esports ecosystem. 

FPL is a highly competitive and moderated solo-queue environment for players to socialize, practice and improve. Whilst supporting new players with a clear infrastructure to progress, NA Rainbow Six FPL will also distribute prize pools that support talent development and incentivise practice. 

As well as providing opportunities to new players, the FPL will encourage professional Rainbow Six Siege players to interact more with each other, building new storylines and encouraging live streaming and content creation around Rainbow Six Siege, expanding the community around playing competitively. The starting player pool will be made up of pro players from NAL, Challenger League, and other top teams and free-agents.

All Rainbow Six Siege PC players on the FACEIT platform in North America will have the opportunity to begin their journey to FPL, by earning Elo (the measure representing a players skills on FACEIT) by competing in Elo-eligible competitions, including Daily and Weekly Cups.

In the last week of every month, FACEIT will invite the top 100 players from the FACEIT Elo rankings to the FPL Qualifier Hub where they will compete in a private matchmaking. The two players who top the FPL Qualifier leaderboard will be invited to the FPL for the chance to play amongst pros. 

To level the playing field and offer all players an equal opportunity, FACEIT Elo will be soft-reset on the platform for a fair race towards the top 100 slots. Demotions and new invites will be managed by general consensus of the players competing in FPL. 

Discussing the news FPL Project Lead, FACEIT, Milos Nedeljkovic, said:

“The response from the Rainbow Six Siege community in Europe to the FPL has been fantastic and we’re really excited to expand into North America. In Europe we’re already seeing some impressive new talent rising through the ranks, and some fantastic content and storylines being generated by the pro community, and we can’t wait to see the North American scene shine.”

The expansion of FPL Rainbow Six to North America marks the latest announcement in the partnership between FACEIT and Ubisoft to deliver the European esports ecosystem for Rainbow Six Siege. The multi-year partnership spans the whole North American and European Rainbow Six esports structure from pro to amateur, including Ubisoft Collegiate Esports, its first ever proprietary collegiate esports league.

AYO.NEWS says:

With Rainbow Six still lurking in the shadows of the esports world, it’s great to see FACEIT and Ubisoft continuing to invest in developing the global Rainbow Six competitive ecosystem. 

Staying with FACEIT, earlier this month the company announced a partnership with Gaming in Turkey, covering the launch of a collegiate CS:GO league in the country. 

‘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.