Oceania-based esports organisation Dire Wolves has unveiled a major rebrand, as part of its “huge expansion.”

The organisation has established a new identity, including a “fierce” new logo and new brand ethos conveying “playfulness, ferocity, an elite approach to performance, and a collaborative and inclusive community, embodied by the wolf pack.” 

Discussing the rebrand Dire Wolves owner, Jason Spiller, said:

“This is a totally new era for the Dire Wolves as we continue to evolve into a truly modern, global esports organisation, and we need a brand that reflects that shift.

“We wanted to keep what makes us unique, and focus on the wolf pack aspect, which champions community and inclusivity in everything we do, whilst debuting a fierce, powerful logo that represents our attitude towards performance.”

The rebrand is said to complement a major period of growth for the Australia/New Zealand-based organisation. 

Only yesterday the organisation announced it had expanded its leadership team of industry experts, welcoming Jason Spiller as new owner, Craig Nimmo as General Manager, Rich Bryan as Head of Production, William Slingsby as Head of Content, and Jordan Gardiner as Head of Design.

Update commenced.#WeekoftheWolf || #wolfpack pic.twitter.com/wCQEHfl8nV

— LG Dire Wolves (@DireWolves) July 14, 2020

AYO.NEWS says:

Cool new logo! It definitely looks more sophisticated and serious than the old one, though, as with all rebrands, we’re sure it will take some fans time to get used to it.  

‘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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US-based Herbalife Nutrition has entered a partnership with Chinese Overwatch team Guangzhou Charge. 

The three-year deal makes Herbalife Nutrition Guangzhou Charge’s title sponsor and title partner, and will see the US company provide nutrition support and health advice to players. 

Founded in 1980, Los Angeles-based Herbalife Nutrition has become infamous for its multi-level marketing business model. 

The company now has a sizable presence in China, with a local headquarters in Shanghai, and was the official nutrition partner of the 2019 International Champions Cup (ICC). According to Mu Guo, president at Herbalife Nutrition China, esports is now a central part of the company’s strategy in the country. 

What the fuck :DDD April fools? This is the most unreal thing I have ever seen. OWL team primary sponsor is one of the most popular pyramid scheme in the world. Whats next? Dallas Fuel gets sponsored by Isis and London Spitfire with Pablo Escobar?

— Jonas (@JoonaRusketus) July 11, 2020

AYO.NEWS says:

For many the word “Herbalife” immediately rings alarm bells, and there has been an entirely predictable social media backlash against this partnership. And, it has to be asked, when esports as a whole is trying so hard to promote integrity, what is an esports organisation doing partnering with such a notorious pyramid scheme?

Our prediction: this relationship won’t last long. 

We couldn’t resist 🙂

‘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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Riot Games has announced a partnership with Getty Images for its global League of Legends esports through 2024. 

According to Riot, the agreement makes Getty Images the official photo image and distribution partner for all global League of Legends esports events. It will see Getty “manage editorial photo and licensing requests” for the League of Legends World Championship, Mid-Season Invitational, and All-Star Event.

The first event covered by the agreement is scheduled to be the 2020 League of Legends World Championship in Shanghai this autumn – though the future of the event is now in doubt after the Chinese government announced the cancellation of all international sporting events for the rest of 2020 due to the ongoing COVID-19 crisis.

Getty Images has also gained rights to thousands of historical League of Legends global esports tournaments, including the first World Championship (Worlds) in 2011, the sold-out Madison Square Garden from Worlds 2016, and the Beijing National Stadium from Worlds 2017. Photographs from last year’s World Championship are already available from Getty Images.

Discussing the deal Head of Global Esports Partnerships for Riot Games, Naz Aletaha, said:

“We are entering the second decade of League of Legends Esports, and partnerships with other industry leaders help to further the growth and amplification of our sport and the biggest events in our season.

“Getty Images has been the premier source of sports photography for more than 25 years, and we are thrilled to have League of Legends Esports images discoverable in their library alongside the best in sports, music, and entertainment.”

While Global Vice President of Sports Business Development for Getty Images, Carmin Romanelli, added:

“We are proud to partner with League of Legends Esports in an effort to bring their quality content to an even wider global audience. 

“As the esports landscape experiences rapid growth Getty Images is uniquely positioned to partner with video game publishers and esports leagues to leverage our expertise in the creation, distribution, and management of industry-leading visual content for media, governing bodies, and the vital ecosystem of commercial partners and licensees that support them.”

AYO.NEWS says:

There’s no doubt that Getty Images is a leader in quality images, but many now see its business model as archaic and increasingly out-of-touch with the commercial realities of the 21st century, leading some to wonder if this is really the right direction for any esports to take. However, at least with this partnership, which involves real event photography, Getty’s pricing model is a little more justifiable. 

As we reported last week, Getty Images has also partnered with W Series Esports League, and earlier this year entered a deal with FIA-sanctioned Gran Turismo championships. In both those cases, where Getty Images is offering in-game computer generated images, it’s much more difficult to justify the high prices charged. 

And, before anyone starts, yes, I know the arguments for Getty Images’ pricing structure – I come from an art and photography background. And, yes, it would be great if we lived in a world where creatives can make a fair income from their work blah blah, but the realities are the realities, and in an industry like esports, where, despite its popularity, monetisation is very difficult, it’s hard to see Getty’s prices being affordable for the vast majority of uses.

But hey, they can prove me wrong 🙂

‘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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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.

All original content featured on this site is © Pentagon Digital Limited, 2020

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. 

All original content featured on this site is © Pentagon Digital Limited, 2020