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.

Early-stage mobile game studio LILA Games has raised $2.8M, in a seed financing round led by BITKRAFT Ventures. 

The round also attracted participation from Galaxy Interactive and several angel investors, including Mike Sherrill, co-founder of Machine Zone; Kristian Segerstrale, CEO of Super Evil Megacorp; and Ludovic Bodin, former CEO of CMUNE. 

LILA Games, which is currently working on Project B.L.A.C.K – what it calls the “most ambitious F2P shooter game ever designed” – says it will use the new capital to expand its team in India, hiring across product management, development, game design, and art. 

The studio was founded by Joseph Kim, former Chief Product Officer at SEGA and Studio Lead at FunPlus, having led the overall development of the hit 4X title King of Avalon; Paul Leydon, former lead game designer at FunPlus and MZ, having worked on multiple #1 top-grossing titles including Game of War; and Avinash Pandey, a Y Combinator alum who has led development on more than 50 mobile apps and games, including a real-time multiplayer shooter that notched up over 40 million organic installs. 

Commenting on the news, BITKRAFT Ventures Founding General Partner, Jens Hilgers, said:

“LILA Games is made up of an outstanding founder team, and they are focused on a very sizable genre that has room for innovation on mobile.

“While we’ve seen many iconic games spawn in the FPS genre on PC, the mobile market is young and extremely popular and will follow. There is a significant opportunity to build out new sub-genres and ample room to explore. The audience is eagerly waiting for new gameplay mechanics and alterations – and that is exactly what LILA Games is building.”

While CEO at LILA Games, Joseph Kim, added:

“We are attempting to build the most ambitious mobile shooter game ever designed. And while we sold our investors on the product vision, as co-founders we created the company to build a new type of organization.”

According to the studio, it is “focused on attacking orthodoxy and creating a games studio with incredible structural advantage.” This is being achieved through strong cultural values, differentiated operating processes, and the beneficial costs associated with operating in India. 

AYO.NEWS says:

In summer, BITKRAFT Ventures raised an impressive $165M to invest in gaming, esports, and interactive media, and it’s cool to see some of it is going to a studio working on such an ambitious project. It’s also really cool to see more investment in the Indian video games sector, which is brimming with enthusiast talent right now. 

Of course, now the pressure really is on the LILA Games team to turn Project B.L.A.C.K into a true game changer. 

‘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.

Simona has an inspirational chat with Clinton Sparks – entrepreneur, investor, author, music producer, songwriter, multi-platinum DJ, and CBDO and Co-owner of Boston-based esports and gaming organisation XSET.

Grammy-nominated Sparks is responsible for selling over 75 million records, is owner of Get Familiar Radio, and Co-founder and owner of Bootē, a state of the art women’s athleisure line. He has worked with some music’s biggest stars including Lady Gaga, Beyonce, Rick Ross, Diddy, Pitbull, Ludacris, Big Sean, Akon, 2 Chainz, Eminem, Kanye West, Busta Rhymes, Tyga, and The Clipse, and has become a force in esports and gaming, first with FaZe Clan, and now with XSET.

Find out what makes XSET different from other esports and gaming organisations and where its going, get invaluable tips for success in business, and lots of real, no BS advice for winning big in life.

Discover more about XSET here, and get your FREE copy of How to Win Big in the Music Business here.

Staying with XSET, just last week the organisation welcomed esports, music, and culture star Erin Ashley Simon to its ownership team, and announced BMX pro Nigel Sylvester had joined the crew.

British competitive gaming culture brand EXCEL ESPORTS has extended its partnership with Belong Gaming Arenas. 

Belong Gaming Arenas is the official arena supplier for EXCEL’s League of Legends teams, and the extension will see both parties continue to work together to provide tools and content to help educate and bring gamers together. 

In addition to providing experiential opportunities and giveaways, enabling gamers to take their skills to the next level, EXCEL and Belong Gaming Arenas will also be collaborating to promote Belong’s Arena Clash events – a series of competitions providing players from across the UK with a platform to start their own path into esports. 

EXCEL and Belong Gaming Arenas originally teamed up in June 2019, and have since worked on several community events at Insomnia Gaming Festival and Belong Oxford Street, where EXCEL’s League of Legends players took part in meet-and-greets and 1v1s.

Discussing the extended partnership Chief Commercial Officer at EXCEL, Robin McCammon, said:

“We’re extremely pleased to extend our partnership with Belong Gaming Arenas, an important organisation within the UK gaming space that supports the growth and development of esports at a grassroots level. 

“As EXCEL continues to evolve, it’s important we work with partners that align with our vision. This partnership will help us continue to nurture and showcase the best UK talent the space has to offer and we look forward to future activations where we can bring both our communities together.”

While Head of Belong UK, Andy Dopson, added:

“We are delighted to renew our partnership with EXCEL. Partnering with the EXCEL team allows us to bring their fans and our community together across our gaming network. 

“We will continue to offer exciting new events and content alongside EXCEL as well as offering safe, inclusive community spaces across the UK where casual and competitive gamers can compete in organised grassroots esports tournaments and socialise with others who share their passion for gaming.”

EXCEL’s League of Legends teams compete across two leagues; the League of Legends European Championship (LEC), and the Northern League of Legends Championship (NLC). 2020 was a landmark year for EXCEL’s LEC team, who achieved their best results yet, and narrowly missed out on a spot in the playoffs. 

London-based EXCEL also competes in Fortnite, and is home to that title’s prodigy, Jaden “Wolfiez” Ashman, who hit the headlines as the youngest gamer to earn $1 million in esports. The organisation also has a multi-year partnership with telecoms giant BT, as the team’s Lead Partner. 

AYO.NEWS says:

Despite the name ‘EXCEL’ still conjuring up images of spreadsheets, the organisation definitely seems to have found a renewed energy, having just revealed a major brand update, complete with totally new visual identity and purposeful manifesto. Now, let’s hope the UK can just shake the curse of COVID, and live arena events can start rolling again. 

‘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.