Danish esports organisation Astralis Group has announced a partnership with Danish luxury consumer electronics brand Bang & Olufsen. 

The international three-year deal represents Bang & Olufsen’s entry into esports, and will see Astralis’ Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, League of Legends, and FIFA teams supplied with audio products for leisure, work-out, and travel off-screen use – though it does not cover any in-game use. 

Bang & Olufsen will also be main sponsor of the organisation’s FIFA team – which formerly operated under the Future FC brand, but has recently been absorbed into the Astralis brand, along with Origen (League of Legends). 

Additionally, the partnership will see Bank & Olufsen work with Astralis to gain insights to support the development of its future gaming portfolio. The company’s first gaming headphones are expected to launch in Spring 2021. 

Discussing the partnership Co-founder and CCO of Astralis Group, Jakob Lund Kristensen, said:

“We are thrilled to announce our partnership with Bang & Olufsen. The partnership is of great value not only commercially, but also brand-wise. Bang & Olufsen shares the values of Astralis: To be on top of their game with a clear identity and uncompromising approach to craft and quality.

“We will be working together to promote Bang & Olufsen products, while Bang & Olufsen will be main sponsor for our FIFA team, which will include jersey exposure and digital appearances. The agreement is a group partnership, covering both the organisation and the players on our three teams when they are off the server, travelling and working out.”

While SVP of Product Management at Bang & Olufsen, Christoffer Poulsen, added:

“We expect to leverage on Astralis’ unique position and capabilities to help us realise the commercial potential in the gaming industry, which is valued more than twice the size of the movie and music industries combined. The first product in our gaming portfolio is a set of headphones that will be available Spring 2021. A premium product, which will bring Bang & Olufsen standards into gaming for the first time.”

AYO.NEWS says:

This is an interesting partnership in that it marks Bang & Olufsen’s entry into esports, but is limited to off-screen uses. Attracting a non-endemic high-end luxury brand like Bang & Olufsen also says a lot about Astralis’ commercial appeal. 

‘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

Riot Games Southeast Asia has announced a collegiate esports partnership with Globe Telecom and Esports AcadArena, in the Philippines. 

Globe and Esports AcadArena have been working together for more than a year, and last week announced they would be launching esports scholarships. 

The partnership with Riot will kick off with VALORANT’s inclusion in the University Alliance Cup (formerly Alliance League), and Legends of Runeterra will also be featured in AcadArena’s weekly community events, and League of Legends: Wild Rift on mobile will also be added when it is released. 

Philippine student organisations have been invited to apply for accreditation to access benefits including tournament support, league access, industry support, and scholarships. 

Discussing the collaboration Head of Esports at Riot Games Southeast Asia, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau, Chris Tran, said:

“Collegiate-level esports is an important step in nurturing the next generation of professional players and video game industry professionals, and we are excited to work closely with Esports AcadArena and Globe Telecom to bring our games to campuses in the Philippines.”

While Head of Games and Esports for Globe Telecom, Dennis Christian Dominguez, added:

“Globe has always been at the forefront of supporting the grassroots initiatives for esports in colleges and universities. As a strategic partner for Riot Games and AcadArena we look forward to working with both to continue making gaming and esports related programs that will benefit the school and the students across the Philippines.”

AYO.NEWS says:

As we’ve said many times, investment in collegiate esports is vital to ensure a health, sustainable esports ecosystem in the long-term, so it’s fantastic to see Riot Games and Globe Telecom get behind AcadArena and its scholarships program.  

‘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

Epic Games, Spotify, and several other companies have announced the launch of the Coalition for App Fairness. 

Based in Washington DC and Brussels, the group includes the company behind Fortnite and Rocket League, Epic Games, along with music streaming giant Spotify, and Basecamp, Blix, Blockchain.com, Deezer, European Publishers Council, Match, News Media Europe, PrePear, Protonmail, SkyDemon, and Tile. 

The organisation has been formed to take on Apple over its app store policies, and will encourage both legal and regulatory action against the tech behemoth. Principally, the coalition is arguing that developers should not be forced to use app stores designed by the platform, use ancillary services, or required to use stipulated payment systems. 

Taking aim at Apple’s policies that have led it into direct and very public conflict with Epic, the Coalition for App Fairness has stated:

“No developer should be required to pay unfair, unreasonable or discriminatory fees or revenue shares, nor be required to sell within its app anything it doesn’t wish to sell, as a condition to gain access to the app store.”

It has also started referring to Apple’s royalty for apps sold through its app store as the “30% App Tax” – pointing out that, though Google also levies a similar charge on apps sold through Google Play for Android, other stores are permitted to exist and compete within the ecosystem, unlike in the Apple controlled iOS device ecosystem. 

Though tensions have been rising for some time, things spilled into open conflict in August, when Epic released an update enabling it to sell directly to iOS users, completely bypassing Apple’s payment system. In response Apple removed Fortnite from its app store, prompting Epic to launch legal action, which is ongoing. 

AYO.NEWS says:

It’s hard to see how Apple can win this fight. With some huge names already on board with the Coalition for App Fairness, we expect more will “smell blood” and join over the coming months, pitting Apple against brands that probably command more respect and loyalty from consumers than Apple does. 

Ultimately, whatever the courts decide, the real outcome will be decided by consumers voting with their feet (or fingers). 

‘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

London-based esports organisation Fnatic has announced the appointment of Lucien Boyer as its new Chairman. 

Boyer has amassed over two decades of experience in the sports and entertainment industry, and is regarded as a pioneer in sponsorship activation, branded content, experiential marketing, fan engagement, and social entertainment. 

In addition to co-founding Inspiring Sport Capital and being Chairman of Global Sports Week, Boyer has also been Chief Marketing Officer at media conglomerate Vivendi, and Global President and CEO of Havas Sports and Entertainment. 

Boyer is succeeding non-executive Chairman, Nick Fry, who will remain as an advisor to Fnatic. The organisation has also made two additional key hires, in the form of Soroya Sobh, as Head of Talent Management, and George Mead, as Interim Partnerships Director. 

Sobh previously ran her own artist management agency, where she worked with well-known creators including Above & Beyond, and Benny Benassi. Mead was previously with Beko, leading global brand management and partnerships, where he spearheaded the Beko #EatLikeAPro campaign with FC Barcelona and UNICEF. 

Regarding the new appointments Founder and CEO of Fnatic, Sam Mathews, said:

“At Fnatic, we are always on the search for top talent across industries, and we are excited to welcome Lucien to leverage his deep expertise and network within the media and sports landscape.

“As a leader in esports performance, we are constantly working towards a more diverse and inclusive future, and we pride ourselves on being an equal opportunity employer as we continue to grow our business in 2020 and beyond. The team looks forward to working closely with both Soraya and George to ensure Fnatic continues to be at the top.”

While Boyer added:

“I am humbled to join a highly successful organisation led by such a visionary founder and CEO.

“There is no doubt that esports represents the most promising new frontier for sports, bringing it closer to the entertainment world. I believe that my unique mix of experience and leadership in brand, sport, media and the entertainment business will help guide Fnatic through the next stage of its success story.”

Staying with Fnatic, earlier this month the organisation announced a two-year partnership with global tech and betting company Parimatch. 

AYO.NEWS says:

Fnatic are again proving that successful esports organisations are now able to easily attract top talent from the traditional sports and entertainment sectors. We’re sure Boyer, Sobh, and Mead will fit right into the organisation, and their experience will come in handy as the lines between pop culture, sports, video gaming, and esports continue to blur. 

‘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

The Ukrainian Professional Esports Association (UPEA) has unveiled its five-year strategy for esports development. 

In addition to raising funds, developing streaming studios, opening an “esports ready” hotel and increasing the number of international tournaments in the country, UPEA also plans to promote Ukrainian esports to attract investment. 

In total, UPEA hopes to attract $100M USD of investment, of which $42M has already been raised towards the purchase and development of the esports hotel. A further $20M is planned to be invested into the project, which is based on the existing Dnipro Hotel. 

Discussing plans Board Chairman for UPEA, and Founder of Natus Vincere, Oleksandr Kokhanovskyy, said:

“We want Ukraine to be among the world leaders, and today we have all chances to enter the TOP-5 countries with the most developed esports ecosystem.”

UPEA’s announcement comes just weeks after the Ukrainian Ministry for Youth and Sports officially recognised esports as a competitive sport. 

Staying with Ukraine, a couple of weeks ago Natus Vincere signed a two-year CS:GO streaming deal with Chinese platform HUYA. 

AYO.NEWS says:

With the world facing an unprecedented economic crisis due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic esports, and video gaming in general, are emerging as some of the very few growth industries. As such, it’s clear the sectors can become important parts of the new economic models countries are scrambling to formulate. But, to be successful, politicians and policy makers need to act quickly, because there’s going to be a lot of competition!

‘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

Automobili Lamborghini’s inaugural edition of The Real Race attracted over 1.5 million viewers on social media and its official site. 

The Real Race first edition started in May with a launch event, followed by five qualifiers, and saw 2,500 gamers from 106 different countries take part. 

Germany’s Nils Naujoks was crowned winner of the first edition of the sim racing competition, played on the Assetto Corsa Competizione platform, and has won the once in a lifetime opportunity to train alongside Lamborghini Squadra Corse drivers, and drive a real Lamborghini race car. The champion will be joined by Italian Matthias Egger and South African Jordan Sherratt, who placed 2nd and 3rd with 20 points each. 

The Real Race final was a thrilling, star-studded evening that saw legends such as former British Formula One racing driver, David Coulthard, Italian Formula One presenter Federica Masolin and former Italian Formula One racing driver and five-time Le Mans winner Emanuele Pirro host the evening. 

In addition to the official competition, the finals also included a guest appearance from Italian motorcycle racer Pecco Bagnaia, the 2018 Moto2 World Champion, currently racing in MotoGP with Pramac Racing Ducati.

Reflecting on The Real Race, Chief Marketing & Communications Officer, Automobili Lamborghini, Katia Bassi, said:

“We are really excited that our first steps into the eSports space has proven a huge success. Lockdown has presented a whole range of opportunities and challenges and we are really proud that we were able to produce an eSports tournament series that resonated with the community.

“Our ambition was to create a new platform for fans of our brand and the motorsports and sim racing communities to play with using the virtual and real world. The Real Race has been a new chapter in our story, something different and innovative, just like our cars”.

AYO.NEWS says:

Given the popularity of the inaugural edition of The Real Race, we expect Lamborghini’s esports footprint to grow over the coming years – especially now that it has competition from fellow Italian supercar maker Ferrari, which has launched its own esports series in partnership with Hublot. 

‘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