Kinguin, the world’s first digital marketplace for gamers, has been named major sponsor of Anonymo, a Polish professional esports organisation that competes in Counter-Strike:Global Offensive (CS:GO). 

It means that Kinguin is now the lead sponsor of two top-tier esports teams from Poland – the other being League of Legends‘ devils.one.

As part of the partnership, Kinguin will provide Anonymo with access to the Kinguin Esports Performance Center (EPC). The EPC is the most professional and advanced esports training facility in Europe, with Anonymo receiving its own dedicated, branded top-class training room. The facility, which is based in Warsaw, is the first professional training facility for esports organisations in Europe and provides teams with access to training and analyst rooms, psychologists and physiotherapists, professional chefs and gym facilities. 

From the beginning of last year EPC has been used by world-leading esports organizations, including OG, FaZe Clan, Team Vitality, MiBR, Evil Geniuses, 100 Thieves, Furia and many others.

Kinguin branding will feature on Anonymo jerseys, and both parties will also be collaborating for a Polish CS:GO tournament and various community projects.

Anonymo CEO, Mateusz Kowalczyk said: “We’re really excited to name Kinguin as our lead sponsor and look forward to collaborating with the organisation on numerous projects in the future. Our ambition, as an organization is to become a mainstream esports organisation that competes on the international stage and the sponsorship with Kinguin will be paramount to helping us achieve that. Having access to the world class training facilities at Kinguin’s Esports Performance Center in Warsaw is also going to help with our progression, at what is currently a pivotal stage of development for the team.”

Kinguin has a long history of sponsoring esports organisations and events and was one of the first digital marketplaces to launch a dedicated website where customers could purchase CS:GO skins. 

Team Kinguin, the organisation’s own esports team launched in 2015, and was regarded as one of the best CS:GO teams in history owing to their international roster of talent.  The team later rebranded as devils.one in 2019 and over the years, both teams have helped numerous professional gamers forge their careers in CS:GO, DOTA 2 and League of Legends esports. 

Kinguin has also previously sponsored numerous International CS:GO tournaments, such as the Dreamhack Masters Malmö, IEM Katowice and ESL CS:GO Pro League, as well as numerous esports organisations such as Fnatic, G2 Esports and the Copenhagen Wolves. 

Meanwhile, newly formed esports organisation Anonymo launched at the start of 2021. It recently unveiled its competitive CS:GO lineup, which consists of legendary Polish CS:GO veteran Janusz “⁠Snax⁠” Pogorzelski, in-game leader Wiktor “⁠mynio⁠” Kruk, as well as Kamil “⁠KEi⁠” Pietkun and Kacper “⁠Kylar⁠” Walukiewicz and Paweł “innocent” Mocek. 

The team has previously competed in local Polish and European tournaments, including the ESL Polish Championships and the Dreamhack Open January 2021: Europe. The team is now set to compete on the international CS:GO stage later in 2021. 

Kinguin CEO and Founder, Viktor Romaniuk Wanli, said: “We’re really happy to unveil our sponsorship of Anonymo, a leading, professional Polish esports organisation. Kinguin has a rich history of sponsoring various esports teams and events – particularly in the CS:GO scene – and we’re delighted to re-enter the CS:GO space and start a completely new chapter through this partnership. It means Kinguin now sponsors two of the biggest esports teams in Poland that compete in two of the biggest esports in the world – CS:GO and League of Legends.”

Staying with Kinguin, in February this year, the company announced its marketplace had registered 10 million customers globally – representing an increase of 20% since the beginning of 2020.

North American organisation NRG Esports has entered a partnership with Nashville-based The General insurance company. 

The deal will see NRG’s Rocket League team renamed as The General NRG, complete with branded jerseys. NRG’s The Grid broadcast will also be presented by The General. 

The General NRG is set to debut at the Rocket League Championship Series Season X North America Major on 22 May, and both parties will continue to develop and roll out fan-focused activations through the remainder of Rocket League Championship Season X and into Season XI.

Brett Lautenbach, President of NRG Esports, commented: “We’re thrilled to bring The General into the world of esports and NRG. Coming in as the entitlement partner of our historic Rocket League team is such a natural fit for The General. We’re excited that they will be a part of our journey towards another World Championship title.”

NRG co-owner and former pro basketball player, Shaquille O’Neal, who is said to have forged the partnership with The General, added: “The explosion of the esports industry has been really exciting, and it’s just getting started. Both The General and NRG connect with similar audiences, so a partnership here is a natural fit. I can’t wait to watch it come to life.”

Elicia Azali, Chief Revenue Officer for The General, said: “The General is thrilled to partner with NRG and is excited to support the team as it looks to secure more hardware for its already robust trophy case. We’re incredibly thankful that Shaquille recognised the clear alignment between the two brands and was instrumental in bringing us all together for this partnership.”

NRG also fields rosters in Apex Legends, Fortnite, Valorant, Call of Duty (Optic Chicago), Overwatch League (San Francisco Shock), and is partnered with the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, iBUYPOWER, Turtle Beach, ROCCAT, US Army, Army National Guard, events DC, LEGION by Lenovo, crep protect, MTN DEW GAMEFUEL, metro by T Mobile, Popeyes, Zippo, HermanMiller, and NetApp. 

bringing in the big man @SHAQ for the exciting announcement around NRG Rocket League’s new name and partnership

please welcome @TheGeneralAuto to the team pic.twitter.com/SPAZVfLNF8

— NRG (@NRGgg) April 28, 2021

Tier One Entertainment, the Singapore-based esports talent agency, has secured investment from VC fund Gobi Partners and Warner Music Group. 

Singapore-based family office Octava, Japanese internet company KAYAC, and Atlas Ventures also participated in the Pre-Series A funding round. 

Though financial details have not been disclosed, Tier One has said it will be using the new capital to establish local operations in other Asian nations. Specifically, Tier One plans to hire back-end teams to support its esports team, Blacklist International, and to set up a content creation hub in the Philippines. 

Founded in 2017 by esports veteran Tryke Gutierrez, entrepreneur Brian Lim, and popular cosplay and gaming star Alodia Gosiengfiao, Tier One is currently operational in Singapore, Malaysia, Myanmar, and the Philippines. 

CEO and Founder of Tier One Entertainment, Tryke Gutierrez, commented: “The gaming industry is going through a golden age and this funding will help accelerate our growth by allowing us to replicate our success in other markets. In just a few years of operations, we’ve found a winning formula in esports and gaming by developing a robust business model around top tier content creation and authentic distribution. 

“We firmly believe that we are an Asian behemoth in the making and now that we have more support from established venture capital firms around the globe, Tier One Entertainment is now poised for explosive growth.”

AYO.NEWS says:

Tier One is going from strength-to-strength, showing just how fast things can happen in the world of gaming and esports. The company already has the backing of major investors from the gaming space like BITKRAFT Ventures, so adding a firm like Warner Music Group to the mix can only accelerate things further. 

Staying with Warner Music and Asian esports, just last week the group inked a deal with online tournament platform Esports Players League (ESPL). 

Huya, the Chinese live streaming platform, has agreed a major five-year League of Legends esports media rights deal with TJ Sports.

The agreement gives Huya exclusive Mandarin-language broadcasting and distribution rights for League of Legends Pro League (LPL), League of Legends Development League (LDL), and LPL All-Star Event, in China (excluding Hong Kong, Macao, and Taiwan) for five years. 

Video-on-demand (VOD) rights are also included for three years. 

According to a filing to the US Securities and Exchange Commission, the deal cost Huya ￥2,013M RMB ($310M USD).

Esports Observer, which broke the news, says Riot Games has also confirmed that Huya will be authorised to create derivative promotional video and written content, including replays, highlights, news, and commentary, using official TJ Sports-authorised League of Legends resources. 

Huya’s net revenue for the final quarter of 2020 grew 21% to 3 billion yuan (approx. $458M USD), while net profit rocketed 59% to 253 million yuan (approx. $39M), and total active monthly users hit 179M for the quarter. 

Last August, rival Chinese streaming platform Bilibili signed an exclusive three-year $113M media rights agreement with Riot Games covering all international League of Legends competitions.

Short-form video platform TikTok has teamed up with North American gaming media platform, Enthusiast Gaming, to launch TikTok Gamers Got Talent. 

The content series premieres on Sunday, 9 May, 2021 at 7:00PM EST, and is being supported by e.l.f. Cosmetics. Over seven-weeks, the live series will follow contestants as they show off their diverse talents and compete in front of millions of fans for a chance to win $25,000 and e.l.f. Products. 

From guitar riffs to trick shots to cooking and everything in-between, TikTok Gamers Got Talent is an opportunity for gamers and gaming fans on TikTok to showcase their most impressive skills to a panel of celebrity judges.

According to e.l.f, its participation with TikTok Gamers Got Talent further reinforces its commitment to what it has dubbed “Gameup” – the intersection of gaming and makeup.

Once the top 20 contestants are selected, they will share their talents live in front of a rotating panel of celebrity judges. Each week, there will be a mix of veteran gamers and influential TikTok creators including Luminosity Gaming’s toripareno, nickeh30, Muselk, Canadian musician bbno$, and more. 

Premiering live on Sunday May 9, the first episode will feature an all-female judging panel including Luminosity Gaming’s Chica and Loserfruit, one of the world’s most popular professional gamers.

Nadia Niccoli, Director of Marketing, TikTok Canada, said: “TikTok continues to be a platform where culture starts and through TikTok’s Gamers Got Talent, a North American first, our gaming community will have an opportunity to reach new audiences, be discovered and entertained. We’re excited to have two industry giants in their respective areas, e.l.f. Cosmetics and Enthusiast Gaming, on board to support and show gamers the power of TikTok.”

Kory Marchisotto, Chief Marketing Officer, e.l.f. Beauty, added: “TikTok Gamers Got Talent marks our first foray into connecting with the TikTok gaming community and we’re proud to be the premiere sponsor of this live series. In true e.l.f. style, we are going all in – proving that anything is e.l.f.ing possible. We can’t wait to see some bad-ass girl gamers unleash their amazing talents.”

Thamba Tharmalingam, COO, Enthusiast Gaming, commented: “We are thrilled to partner with TikTok and e.l.f. Cosmetics, who share in our passion of gaming, to uniquely deliver this immersive and engaging experience to our gaming fan communities. This partnership provides a great opportunity to shine a light on the talented and passionate female gamers in our communities and we look forward to the talent and creativity that our audience will bring.”

To enter, you need to create a TikTok showing your hidden talent using #TikTokGGT, and upload it to GamersGotTalent.com. Submissions are open to residents of the United States and Canada between 27 April and 2 May. Contest rules are here.

Chinese multinational technology company Lenovo has renewed its sponsorship of Circuito Brasileiro de Counter Strike (CBCS). 

The agreement will see Lenovo’ Legion gaming brand continue to be promoted during the recently restructured series, and the company will also be supplying notebooks, monitors, and other peripherals. 

Lenovo will also be creating social media content throughout the tournament. 

Miah Campos, Head of CBCS Operations, commented: “We are very happy, Lenovo is a very important partner and this renewal that also validates the goals we have for the Counter-Strike scenario in Brazil from 2021 onwards”.

CBCS is the result of a collaboration between DC Set Group, Gamers Club, Gaules, Grupo Globo, and the Omelete Company. CBCS Elite League Season 1, its first regional major, kicked off last week, with teams including Havan Liberty, INTZ, Isarus, MIBR, SWS Gaming, and Sharks Esports competing. 

In addition to R$40,000 (approx. €6,000 euro) in prize money, the winning team will also get 1600 Regional Major Rankings: South America points. The team that’s racked up most points by October, will become the continent’s representative in the PGL Major Stockholm 2021.