European esports organisation OG names FUN88 as its official global betting partner.

The multi-year agreement between OG Esports and the Asia-facing betting operator will be centred on OG’s Dota 2 roster, and focus on building community interaction to grow the sport and ensure its long-term sustainability. 

Commenting on the partnership a FUN88 spokesperson said:

“FUN88 is delighted to team up with OG’s elite Dota 2 roster, which embraces the same core values and commitment to excellence as Fun88. We believe in partnerships that can boost and leverage esports’ growing appeal across emerging markets – and this partnership will deliver that message across the world. 

“Esports represents a thriving trend in many of our target territories and we hope that we can grow our influence in these markets via this long-term association.”

“We have an unswerving desire to develop premium esports content. Now we are working alongside the most engaging team in the entire esports ecosystem, we want to offer customers fresh and progressive ways to interact with the games they love.”

While CEO of OG, Juan M. R. Luna, added:

“The OG Esports Dota 2 legacy is built on the values of friendship, trust and competitive excellence. We are thrilled to welcome FUN88 to both esports and the OG Family. This signifies a great tie-up between the market leading online gaming brand and the TI back-to-back champions.”

“Similar to our company’s belief ‘Dream OG’, FUN88’s brand slogan ‘Live Your Dream’ represents the same idea that we are committed to partner together to ignite world-wide Dota 2 players and fans’ passion and excitement to pursue their dreams.”

In addition to Dota 2, OG also competes in Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, and the organisation also has agreements in place with Red Bull, SteelSeries, Secretlab, Socios.com, and DM Script.

FUN88 was established in 2009, and has since grown to be a leading betting brand across Asia. Currently the operator is Official Shirt Sponsor of Newcastle United FC, Official Partner of the Caribbean Premier League (cricket), and Official Asia Partner of Tottenham Hotspur FC.  

AYO.NEWS says:

FUN88 is well versed in running effective partnerships with traditional sports teams, so this should be a solid partnership for OG, and again signals the rapidly growing importance of esports to traditional bookmakers. 

‘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 Entertainment Group (EEG), has reported revenue of $222K for the three months ending 30 September 2020. 

The results, which are the first to be impacted since EEG’s acquisition of Argyll Entertainment earlier this year, also show operating expenses have snowballed to $3.7M – up from just $700K in the same period last year – with the marked increase attributed to growing payroll, stock compensation, marketing, legal, and professional service fees. 

Overall, the period saw a net loss of $1.8M, with the company’s total assets valued at $10.4M at the close of September. 

In October, EEG saw a noticeable “uptick” in business, seeing a total handle of over $16M, and revenue breaking $600K for the month. The company is now estimating the fiscal year will see revenue amount to $13M, growing to $25M the following year – generated mainly from its Argyll and VIE.gg platforms.

Reflecting on the results Esports Entertainment Group CEO, Grant Johnson, said:

“We have achieved many significant milestones since uplisting to the NASDAQ in April.The COVID-19 pandemic has absolutely accelerated the rapid growth of esports leading to mainstream broadcasts to national TV audiences on ESPN and Fox.

“These trends helped us set new record audience viewing stats with our partner Allied Esports for the globally recognized Legend Series, just one of many accomplishments during the quarter.

“We believe the successes achieved this year provide an extremely strong foundation for long-term growth while offering investors a true pure play opportunity in the burgeoning world of global esports.”

The period also saw EEG enter an agreement to acquire Helix eSports and ggCircuit for $43M, and acquire the assets of FLIP Sports. Additionally, EEG extended its partnership with esports organisation Dignitas, which is owned by Harris Blitzer Sports and Entertainment, securing naming rights to its popular CS:GO team. 

AYO.NEWS says:

EEG has been spending big to scale its presence over the last few months, so it’s not surprising to see results like these. The real test is going to be what happens over the next year or so. Will EEG’s strategy of rapidly building a comprehensive gambling offering through numerous early acquisitions, while increasing brand visibility through high-profile partnerships like those with Allied Esports, Dignitas, MLB’s Philadelphia Union, NHL’s LA Kings, and MLS’ LA Galaxy, pay off?

‘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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Women-led organisation Queens Gaming Collective has officially launched following a $1.5M seed funding round led by BITKRAFT Ventures.

Supporting BITKRAFT were several entrepreneurs and high-profile female business leaders including Assia Grazioli-Venier and Rachel Springate (founding partners of Muse Capital), Rosie O’Neill (Sugarfina co-founder), Amy Finnerty (former MTV, Sony Music, and Maker Studios exec.), and Dre Hayes (president of Kappa USA).

Queens Gaming Collective will also benefit from the support of an impressive advisory board, including top experts from the H. Wood Group, along with senior executives from Amazon, Spotify, TikTok, and Twitch.

Additionally, NBA All-star Baron Davis and digital marketer Karen Civil have been announced as brand ambassadors for the new organisation, and Taylor Heitzig-Rhodes, formerly with talent agency Evolved, has joined the project as Partner and Head of Talent.

Discussing the launch Co-founder and CEO of Queens Gaming Collective, Alisa Jacobs, explained:

“Queens is changing the game. Gaming is a lifestyle, and Queens is a global movement built for and led by diverse women dedicated to radical representation, economic inclusion, and collaboration over competition. Beyond a lifestyle brand, we’re building a community that celebrates the successes and advancement of our creators.”

While co-Founder and Chairman of Queens Gaming Collective, Justin J. Giangrade, added:

“Queens is driving innovation and empowerment for women worldwide. The Queens leadership team brings incomparable expertise in gaming and entertainment to empower women with long-overdue resources, access, and opportunities to a previously neglected group that makes up nearly half of the total market.”

Queens Gaming Collective has 18 content creators, players, and streamers representing it, including 2017 WNBA champion Alexis Jones, content creator Kiera Please, DJs Coco and Breezy, singer Cray, gamer and recording artist bunnymightgameeu, and influencer Ava.gg. 

The new organisation has also secured a partnership with peripheral brand Razer. 

AYO.NEWS says:

With a nice wad of cash and so much heavyweight talent involved in this from the outset, it’s going to be interesting to see where Queens Gaming Collective goes. Of course, as with all projects that start out with a strong social mission, the challenge will be maintaining its ideals while dealing with commercial realities over the long term. But, right now, it’s all looking promising. 

Staying with BITKRAFT Ventures, yesterday it was revealed the fund led a seed financing round for early-stage mobile game studio LILA games, which is aiming to create a new genre of mobile shooter game.

‘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.

Chinese entertainment giant Tencent has confirmed it plans to invest over $30M USD in the Peacekeeper Elite esports ecosystem next year.

The Chinese version of PUBG Mobile, Peacekeeper Elite is a hugely popular title in the country, and according to Tencent, the investment will go towards prize money and marketing, to grow its esports ecosystem, which includes the Peacekeeper Elite Championship (PEC) and Peace Elite League (PEL). 

2020’s PEC featured prize money of around $1.82M and saw four Chinese and eleven international teams compete, including T1, NaVi, and Unicorns of Love (UoL). The title was won by Chinese team NV-XQF, which secured $760K in prize money. 

Plans for 2021 include increasing the prize pool for the third season of the Peace Elite League (PEL) by some $3M, and hosting an annual global championship dubbed “G-League”, which will feature a $2M prize pool. 

PEL and PEC are hosted by Tencent and esports tournament organiser VSPN – which last month raised almost $100M in a Series B funding round led by Tencent Holdings. 

An impressive line-up of non-endemic sponsors have also been confirmed for Peacekeeper Elite, including car manufacturers Maserati and Tesla, electronics firm OPPO, lighter brand Zippo, ice cream company Häagen-Dazs, ice tea brand Wang Lao Ji, and instant noodle brand Master Kong. 

AYO.NEWS says:

While $30M is chump change for Tencent, if a significant amount of it goes on prize pools, it’s going to make Peacekeeper Elite competitions much more attractive for both Chinese and international teams. And, as for the sponsors? Getting the backing of companies like Maserati and Tesla adds some serious prestige along with valuable revenue. 

‘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.

New talent and management agency, EMERGE Esports, has officially launched in Singapore. 

According to the agency, it is aiming to “boost the growth of the esports ecosystem in Singapore by providing aspiring and existing esports talents with the tools and opportunity to succeed in the industry.”

Despite just launching, EMERGE Esports already boasts a roster of around 40 athletes and gaming personalities, including Singapore’s most popular cosplayer “XIAOYUKIKO“, top DOTA 2 streamer Dominik “Blackˆ” Reitmeier, and former captain of EVOS SG’s Mobile Legends squad, Robert “Oh Deer Bambi” Boon. 

The agency says it has also forged working relationships with brands including Embily, Partea, Redbull, Reubiks Academy, Royale Ergonomics, and SteelSeries.

EMERGE is also managing local esports organisation Kingsmen, which competes in Mobile Legends Bang Bang, PUBG Mobile, and VALORANT. 

Regarding the launch, Chief Gaming Officer at EMERGE Esports, Pang Xue Jie, said:

“We are excited to be part of this journey which will pave the path for many youngsters and gaming enthusiasts to pursue a career in the esports industry. We would like to establish an ecosystem that nurtures all budding talents in this field and not just the esports athletes.

“Esports is competing closely with traditional sports, garnering millions in revenue each year. Gaming has evolved beyond a hobby for many and we believe the launch has come at an opportune time. Given its accessibility and rising popularity, it will not be a surprise if esports surpasses traditional sports in revenue in near future.”

To establish EMERGE in the local Singaporean market, the agency has run an offline marketing campaign dubbed ‘EMERGE Against All Odds’, which references Singapore’s traditional “rag-and-bone men” or “Karang Guni” – who collect unwanted items for recycling. It saw the agency send out its own “Dream Collectors”, to speak with residents and workers about their dreams and life goals. 

AYO.NEWS says:

South East Asia has one of the most vibrant esports and gaming scenes, especially in terms of mobile, and given EMERGE’s already extensive talent roster and commercial links, there’s every reason to expect the business to thrive. We’re looking forward to seeing what happens next. 

‘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.

Jordanian organisation FATE Esports is set to launch a fan engagement app via Blocksport. 

The collaboration with the Swiss-based SportsTech company, will result in an app offering fans team-related games, discounts, experiences, and other exclusive benefits.

Though organisations from around the world have already launched engagement apps via Blocksport, including Russia’s Virtus.pro, and Brazils’ FURIA, FATE is the first esports organisation in the Middle East to embrace this kind of gamified fan engagement.

FATE Esports was founded in 2017, and is now active in team management, player scouting, event organisation, talent management, and live broadcasting. Currently, the organisation has commercial partnerships with HyperX and Orange, and fields rosters in Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, and Tekken 7. 

AYO.NEWS says:

Though it seemed Socios.com, from Malta-based Chiliz, was looking strongest in terms of its fan engagement platform for a while, with its tokenised voting offering, Blocksport really seems to be taking a lead when it comes to esports organisations now. 

Staying with Blocksport, last month the company announced the appointment of former IBM Vice President, Heinrich Zetlmayer, to its board of directors. 

‘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.