Global technology and betting company Parimatch has announced a two-year partnership with UK-based esports organisation Fnatic. 

The agreement makes Parimatch the official betting partner of Fnatic’s Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) team, and Parimatch branding will be featured on the team’s uniforms and displayed throughout events when the team is playing.

Discussing the deal Head of Esports at Parimatch, Stepan Shulga, said:

“This partnership with Fnatic is another example of Parimatch strengthening ties with the international esports community, but it is the first time we can call ourselves partners of a truly global and legendary brand with more than 15 years of history.

“This year has been hugely challenging for the world of sport, and at Parimatch we have focused on seizing opportunities whilst maintaining our strategy of promoting esports and sports as two champions of the entertainment industry, with audiences that have similar passions and interests. We look forward to collaborating closely with Fnatic to reach millions of esports fans around the world, so watch this space, as we’ve got some exciting plans in store – #alwaysfnatic.”

While Founder and CEO of Fnatic, Sam Mathews, added:

“At Fnatic, we view sports betting as an impactful way to enhance the overall esports experience, when undertaken in a responsible manner,” said Sam Mathews, Founder and CEO at Fnatic. “We are proud to partner with a forward-thinking, technologically innovative, global brand like Parimatch and look forward to collaborating with them to enhance the visibility of esports around the world.”

Since being founded in 2004, Fnatic has evolved from simply an esports team to an entire entertainment channel that amplifies gamers and creators. The partnership with Parimatch will see it collaborate to create unique content for social media, including YouTube, that will reach a combined global audience of more than 15 million esport fans. 

AYO.NEWS says:

Out of all the traditional online betting operators, Parimatch has been among the most enthusiastic regarding esports – something that has stood it in good stead during the COVID-19 crisis. 

In August, Parimatch was confirmed as betting partner of the Dota 2 OMEGA League esports series, while in July it appointed Counter-Strike legend Daniil Teslenko aka ‘Zeus’, as its first esports brand ambassador. 

‘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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Hong Kong recording artist Jackson Wang has invested in Macao esports organisation, Victory Five. 

Wang is best known throughout much of the world for being in South Korean boy group Got7, but has also had a successful career as a solo artist and TV host. 

His investment in Victory Five was announced yesterday, 7 September, when the organisation revealed it has partnered with Team Holding – a company owned by Wang. 

Victory Five also announced it has entered a partnership with Shenzhen Media Group, and is relocating its team base to Shenzhen. 

The organisation is one of 17 competing in the LPL, China’s premier League of Legends competition, run by Riot Games and Tencent. In this year’s summer season of LPL, Victory Five placed fifth. 

In addition to League of Legends, Victory Five also competes in PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds (PUBG). 

AYO.NEWS says:

All around the world it seems celebrities, music artists, and sports stars can’t get enough of esports. In June Heechul, a Korean pop artist, invested in Korean organisation BRION E-Sports, and July fellow Korean artist Sehun, acquired a stake in SeolHaeOne Prince. 

Meanwhile, across the Pacific, in North America, ReKTGlobal, parent company of esports organisations Rogue and London Royal Ravens, seems to be attracting high-profile celeb investment most weeks, and now counts Steve Aoki, DJ Nicky Romero, Imagine Dragons, and Tainy among its backers. 

‘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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Formula 1 has launched its second esports championship, aimed at mobile gamers.

Qualification leagues for the F1 Mobile Racing Esports Series started yesterday, and are set to run for three months, with the best drivers moving on to a nine-day finals tournament which will decide the champion.

Discussing the new championship, Head of Digital Business Initiatives and Esports at Formula 1, Dr. Julian Tan, said:

“Mobile esports is a booming industry as Gen Zs and Gen Alpha spend more time gaming and on their phones. We see huge potential to develop our product set and expertise in this area in our ongoing effort to reach out and build our younger fanbase, providing ever more touchpoints for them to engage with Formula 1.

“This is part of F1’s strategy to continue making the sport more accessible to our fans through gaming and esports, especially with F1 Mobile Racing developed by Codemasters being completely free to download and with participation being free and open to all. We are excited to kick off our search for our inaugural F1 Mobile Racing Esports Champion 2020!”

The other official esports initiative from Formula 1, the F1 Esports Series, which features ten teams, is presented by Aramco for this year’s fourth season. 

The search for the first ever F1 Mobile Racing Esports Champion has begun! Could it be you? 👑#F1Esports 🎮 #F1

— Formula 1 (@F1) September 7, 2020

AYO.NEWS says:

Launching an online esports series seems like a natural move for Formula 1 considering the success of its F1 Esports Series, and is sure to help the sport strengthen its connections with younger fans. 

‘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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South Korean organisation T1 Entertainment & Sports has partnered with Chinese short-form video platform Kuaishou.

The agreement, which is the first the video platform has signed with a non-Chinese esports organisation, makes Kuaishou the official short-form video partner of T1, and will include exclusive video content. 

Though it has been confirmed that the partnership covers all of T1’s esports teams (League of Legends, Dota 2, PUBG, and VALORANT), financial details have not been disclosed, and it is not known if the deal also covers jersey sponsorship. 

Kuaishou, and its main rival ByteDance’s Douyin (TikTok) are China’s most popular short-form video platforms, with Kuaishou receiving a massive $2 billion USD investment from Tencent, as part of series F funding round worth almost $3 billion, in December 2019. 

At last month’s Tencent Global Esports Summit, Kuaishou announced it had entered competitive Honor of Kings, with the acquisition of KPL franchisee YTG – which it has now rebranded as KS.YTG. In the same month, T1 also announced it had expanded its existing deal with streaming platform Twitch to include all of its players and content creators. 

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Italian sportswear brand Kappa has been confirmed as the latest sponsor of the upcoming ESL Premiership. 

The partnership will see Kappa act as the apparel supplier for the Counter-Strike: Global Offensive part of the competition, and significantly strengthens the company’s esports sponsorship portfolio. 

Kappa has already partnered with UK-based organisations Vexed Gaming, Diabolus, and Demise, with Spain-based MAD Lions, and China-based Royal Never Give Up. 

Commenting on the deal Team Sport Manager at Kappa, Dave Bandell, said:

“Kappa are delighted to become apparel partner with the World’s largest esports company. ESL are a true global brand and they share the same ambitions as us in the esports arena. We look forward to growing our partnership together.”

While Senior Brands Partnership Manager for ESL UK, James Elderton, added:

“We’re delighted to welcome Kappa on board for the Autumn season of the ESL CS:GO Premiership. Kappa are primed to become a culturally relevant brand in the ecosystem. This partnership is a precursor to an upcoming collaboration, a new line of lifestyle merchandise, which we can’t wait for the community to see within the ESL Shop.”

ESL has now announced Razer, Punt, Stakester, Intel, AOC Gaming, and Mercedes-Benz will be sponsoring the ESL Premiership. 

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Tencent has taken a dramatic hammering following India’s decision to ban PUBG Mobile.

Chinese entertainment giant Tencent reportedly lost almost $42 billion USD in market value in just two days following last week’s move by the Indian government to ban the hugely popular PUBG Mobile title in the country. 

The disastrous news follows hot on the heels of Tencent losing around $66 billion when US President Trump issued an executive order banning the WeChat app, and a $6 billion loss in market capitalisation when the Indian government banned TikTok on 29 June. 

As we previously reported, India has accused China of using innocent looking apps, like PUBG Mobile, to illegally collect data on users – though many think the moves by both India and the United States are merely economic warfare against China. 

Tensions between India and China have been rising rapidly over recent months, and have even seen a brutal military clash. Meanwhile, the United States and China have been involved in a steadily escalating trade war for years – one that many fear could evolve into a shooting war. 

In addition to PUBG Mobile and TikTok, India has now banned well over a hundred other Chinese apps, including Mobile Legends: Bang Bang, Arena of Valor, and Clash of Kings. 

Indian-Chinese tensions aren’t just affecting video gaming and esports either. Last month, Chinese mobile phone manufacturer Vivo pulled out of its sponsorship of the Indian Premier League, but luckily for Indian cricket, local online fantasy gaming platform Dream11 stepped in as replacement title sponsor. 

AYO.NEWS says:

Though esports has proven itself highly resistant to the COVID-19 crisis and lockdowns, the fact that specific titles are becoming pawns in geopolitics has highlighted an unexpected vulnerability – and with tensions continuing to rise between various countries and alliances, we expect to see more countries use app and game bans as part of their economic warfare arsenal. 

‘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