Complexity-Limit, the world’s #1 raiding World of Warcraft guild has teamed up with new partners for this year’s Race to World First: Shadowlands.

The guild, which is partnered with Complexity Gaming, has announced their return to Race to World First in the latest World of Warcraft Expansion, Shadowlands. Starting on 15 December, Complexity-Limit will race to conquer the shadowy realm of Revendreth, battling Sire Denathrius in the Mythic Castle Nathria and kicking off the World of Warcraft story for Shadowlands.

This year’s event will feature new participating talent, event partners, and content segments, designed to provide a well-rounded viewing experience and engage a diverse group of fans. 

General Manager of Complexity Gaming, Sören Vendsahm, explained:

“Race to World First is a competition unlike any other – it’s an incredibly demanding endeavor that challenges players to think critically over long periods of time.

“All eyes are on Complexity-Limit as the guild attempts to defend their rank as the world’s top raiding guild, and we’ll be supporting them every step of the way through unique experiences for viewers and help from our partners.”

Complexity will be placing increased focus on creating unique content and engagement opportunities for fans. Through an ongoing partnership with Twitch, it will stream around 16-18 hours of live Race to World First content exclusively on the organisation’s channel, along with individual Twitch streams from Limit members including Maximum, Thdlock, Imfiredup, and Lightee. 

OTK Network will also be producing a daily roundtable show hosted by leading World of Warcraft influencers Asmongold, REALMizkif, Esfand, and Rich Campbell on their channel.

Complexity-Limit has announced Blue Microphones as its official microphone partner, with the company supplying the new Yeti X World of Warcraft Edition professional USB microphone to players, while Herman Miller Embody Gaming Chairs will also be supplied to the guild. 

Texas-based Balanced Media Technology will support the event, streamlining asset reaction with Raider.io from World of Warcraft’s API to inject real-time game stats including boss kills, position rank, and instance class compilation into the Complexity-Limited broadcast. WoW Head will be providing additional analytical support. 

This year’s Race to World First: Shadowlands event will see six of Complexity-Limit’s guild members competing from a safe bubble environment at Complexity’s headquarters, the GameStop Performance Center (GSPC), from 15 December. 

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ESPAT TV has announced the launch of the Creative Collective, and a major partnership with the Ridley Scott Creative Group.

The New York-based esports and gaming focused production company says the Creative Collective, which is described as a consortium of content creators, producers, marketers, and filmmakers, will create multifaceted content for the esports and gaming community. 

Included in the collective is Ridley Scott Creative Group’s family of companies (RSA Films, Scott Free Films, Black Dog Films, and Darling); sports and esports event, movie, and TV production company PRG; esports and gaming content creator, and owner of Esports Stadium Arlington, Esports Locker; video production and content company Unbridled Media; and TikTok content agency Movers and Shakers. 

ESPAT TV Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer, Dante Simpson, told TEO that the partnership with Ridley Scott Creative Group was driven by a combination of the group’s desire to find something new during the COVID-19 pandemic, and lucky timing. 

He went on to explain how all of the partners were bringing different production styles and expertise, aimed at specific audiences and platforms, from organic, community-focused content to high-end Hollywood level productions. 

Apparently, though much of the collective’s output will be commercial, it will also include ‘passion projects’ that tell important stories. 

AYO.NEWS says:

We can’t wait to see what comes from this venture! With so much heavyweight creative talent onboard, including the visionary force behind blockbusters like Blade Runner, Gladiator, and The Martian, the sky really is the limit. Once again, it underlines how the boundaries between traditional entertainment, like TV and film, is rapidly blurring with social media and gaming. 

‘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.

Real estate developer Scott Greenberg has announced plans for a $30M esports arena in Chicago. 

Greenberg, who is president of ECD Co. and CEO of Smash Hotels, is considering a site at 2500 S. Wabash Ave, near Chicago’s South Side. The 106,000 square foot venue will serve food and drink and have a capacity of 800 spectators. 

According to the Chicago Tribune, ECD is partnering with Chicago-based virtual reality company MassVR for the project, which will also feature an IMAX-style video canvas. 

If the City Council approves the project, construction could begin in summer 2021, with an opening slated for summer the following year. 

AYO.NEWS says:

In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, which has seen many esports venues forced to shutter (including MassVR’s existing venue), it may seem crazy to embark on a project like this, but hopefully by 2022 things will be back to something approaching normality. 

Staying with America, hoteliers, and esports, last month Los Angeles-based Subnation was selected by GSD Group to act as Marketing Advisor, Event Partner, and Content Producer for Atari® Hotels – one of which is planned for Chicago. 

‘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.

Evil Geniuses has appointed former Red Bull executive, Michael Fudzinski, as its new Chief Revenue Officer.

In his new role, Fudzinski will be responsible for overseeing the Seattle-based esports organisation’s global partnerships, marketing, events, and communications departments, with the goal of streamlining marketing and revenue operations. 

Before joining Red Bull to lead US event partnerships Fudzinski has held roles with ESPN, the Olympic Authority, and Octagon. During his stint with Red Bull, he was the liaison to NBC for its Red Bull Signature Series, and later secured deals with major global brands including Audi, BF Goodrich, Garmin, and Pennzoil. Most recently he was responsible for global partnerships as VP at the Drone Racing League. 

Commenting on the news CEO of Evil Geniuses, Nicole LaPointed Jameson, said:

“Michael’s expertise from outside the esports space will only strengthen our organisation.

We’re marrying his best-in-class practices with our endemic knowledge and competitive excellence to continue our dominance on the world stage in 2021 and expand on our principles of building champions.”

While Fudzinski himself added:

“Just as action-sport transcended their perceptions in the early 90s, propelled by mainstream events like the X Games, esports are poised on a similar trajectory.

“Evil Geniuses’ 21-year history along with innovative new programs in the collegiate, diversity & inclusivity space and expanding amateur teams will differentiate us from the competition, helping us lead the next chapter of defining what will be the esports legacy.”

Evil Geniuses is one of the oldest esports organisations, having been founded way back in 1999. Today it competes in League of Legends, DOTA 2, CS:GO, and fighting games. The organisation currently has partnerships with Monster Energy, RAZER, LG UltraGear, America’s Navy, Motorola, Secretlab, Twitch, and PEAK6.

AYO.NEWS says:

Fudzinski’s appointment with Evil Geniuses is just another sign of how the industry is rapidly professionalising on the backend, and how monetisation is becoming of paramount importance. We’re sure his experience and connections will stand the organisation in good stead as it looks to secure more long-term commercial partnerships. 

‘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.

Garena has announced Cristiano Ronaldo as the latest global brand ambassador for its flagship Free Fire battle royale game. 

Billed as one of the most significant gaming industry tie-ups of recent times, the partnership between one of the world’s most popular mobile games and a global sporting icon is sure to boost the title’s exposure significantly. 

In addition to Ronaldo starring as a new character name, Chrono, many additional features and details have been added to the game’s universe. 

Commenting on the collaboration Free Fire Producer at Garena, Harold Teo, said:

“This is a really significant partnership for Free Fire. Cristiano Ronaldo is a role model for many of us, and being able to collaborate with him and present him to hundreds of millions of people around the world is truly exciting. Our partnership with Cristiano Ronaldo offers even more ways for our communities all over the world to enjoy Free Fire.”

While Ronaldo himself added:

“It’s a great feeling having not only a character in Free Fire modelled after me, but also having the whole universe within the game changing along with it.

“The Garena team has worked into the game tons of new features and elements for Operation Chrono. I hope Free Fire players all over the world are just as excited as I am!”

And, SportQuake CEO, Matt House, chipped in with:

“Football, gaming, and tech are coming together to create exciting new collaborations and this one between Cristiano Ronaldo and Free Fire is on another level.

“The amount of planning, creativity and detail that has gone into making Chrono is just amazing and is really exciting for Free Fire players. This partnership demonstrates the endless possibilities for both industries.”

AYO.NEWS says:

Yep, this is a pretty big collaboration, and we can’t even imagine how much Garena has paid for this, but given Ronaldo’s immense worldwide appeal, we’re sure it will be a sound investment and further raise the profile of Free Fire. 

Staying with Free Fire, at the end of last month, Google and Garena announced a Play on Challenge for Brazil this month. 

‘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.

Fantasy platform Esports One has secured $4M USD in a funding round led by XSeed Capital, Eniac Ventures, and Chestnut Street Ventures.

Esports One is an all-in-one fantasy esports platform that utilises a proprietary player performance database, and computer vision, to create real-time competitive viewing experiences. 

The Los Angeles-based company says it intends to use the capital to expand its platform access to global event organisers, and add support for new titles including Fortnite, Rainbow Six Siege, Rocket League, and Valorant.  An increased focus will also be placed on monetisation and accessibility, while the company continues to scale internally. 

Commenting on the news, Esports One founder and CEO, Matt Gunnin, said:

“2020 has been an unusual year, to say the least, for all of us. None of us can overlook the challenges we’ve faced, so there were mixed emotions as we dealt with stay-at-home orders, but at the same time saw incredible growth on the platform. Since the 2020 League of Legends Spring Split alone, Esports One saw a 300% increase in platform users along with a growth rate above 25% month-over-month.

“With the funds, we’re developing new fantasy esports games for titles like Rainbow Six: Siege, Rocket League, Valorant, and Fortnite. We’re also developing the core product to best meet the needs of fantasy esports fans with new features and tools, including virtual currency to be used to enter new contests, buy customizations and earn prizes, as well as mobile apps for both iOS and Android.”

The latest funding round brings the total investment raised by the company so far to $7.3M. 

AYO.NEWS says:

Fantasy esports has been steadily growing over the last few years, but is still somewhat in the shadows. However, as platforms like Esports One mature, and the esports audience snowballs, its future looks bright to say the least. We’re sure this extra funding will help the company make serious inroads, and once again it’s great to see esports bucking the global economic trend and continuing to attract significant investment. 

‘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.