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Big news in the Esports world this week as XIX Vodka, a brand created by The Sidemen, has been announced as the official vodka sponsor of the 2023 Esports Awards in Las Vegas. This partnership demonstrates the increasing interplay between premium brands and Esports, highlighting the latter's elevated global status. While the financial details remain undisclosed, it's yet another testament to the growing appeal and expansive reach of Esports. Furthermore, an exclusive XIX Vodka bar will be set up at the award ceremony, offering an elevated experience for guests. The Sidemen Co-Founder, Vikram “Vikkstar123” Barn, will also be present at the event, emphasizing the direct involvement of Esports figures in fostering these partnerships. This year’s awards will be presented by none other than luxury automaker Lexus, another significant non-endemic brand investing in the Esports ecosystem. Other partners are Xfinity, Oakley, and 5GRV which showcase how various industries are recognizing the impact of this global industry. Moreover, nominations for the Good in Gaming award, presented by Team Liquid, are now open. This illustrates the acknowledgment and reward of contributions that go beyond just competition in the Esports industry. This increasing cross-industry collaboration screams opportunity. The industries are no longer solitary, but rather, they are using each others strengths to establish a more expansive and inclusive future. This validates, once again, that Esports is not a passing trend, but a substantial, growing entity. Looking forward to celebrating the achievements of our Esports community at the awards event. Stay tuned for more updates!

🚀A Shifting Esports Landscape In our latest newsletter, we navigate the dynamic changes in the Esports landscape. From an anticipated 7% market growth propelling it to a monumental $6 billion by 2028, to the intricacies of challenges encountered by FazeClan, we meticulously explore the peaks and valleys within the expansive world of esports. 📈📉 Takeaway: The esports ecosystem is rapidly evolving and attempting to fit itself into a model that allows for long-term success and profitability. Many publishers that once managed their esports leagues in-house are considering the transition to external tournament organizers to help facilitate and manage logistics. We believe that the transition to a more open system, where TOs and grassroots tournaments increase visibility and player participation, is the best way to ensure more viewership, larger prize pools and the long-term health of the game in the esports ecosystem. Unlock the full newsletter experience here: https://lnkd.in/gTrdgfFh  Don't miss out on weekly insights – subscribe here: https://lnkd.in/euHGjrhi 

Big news for the US Esports scene! Spain-based GGTech and MECENAS have announced plans to bring the international Esports and gaming event, GAMERGY, to the United States for the first time. Slated for a stop in Miami, Florida, March 21- 24, 2024, organizers promise an impressive expo that should captivate all the fans and stakeholders of the industry. Why is this important? GAMERGY is not just about Esports competitions. It's an immersive festival, combining music shows, meet-and-greets with influencers and content creators, with ample opportunities for branding and exposure for partnering companies. Expanding such a diverse and large scale event into the US signals positive growth and global recognition for the industry. Previous events hosted games like Valorant, League of Legends, Fortnite, and more, and GGTech’s recent work in collegiate-level competitions for Riot’s top titles including League of Legends and Valorant may provide clues to likely features. For stakeholders in the Esports industry, this is a welcome opportunity to explore new partnerships and avenues for growth. For newcomers, it's a perfect introduction to the vibrant, dynamic world of Esports and gaming culture. From all the excitement and camaraderie of the competitions, to the latest and greatest in gaming evolution, GAMERGY is a masterclass in why Esports continues to surge in popularity, and why there's never been a better time to get involved! Let's look forward to March 2024, as the gaming world anticipates a remarkable GAMERGY debut on US soil!

DreamHack became less esports & more like PAX - As it should be. Many seem to forget that while esports has the PR spotlight, it's approximately 1.77% of the entire video game industry. Especially in a tier-2 country like Australia, it just doesn't make financial sense to go all-in on esports, which is something that most tournaments & teams found out the hard way. I keep saying it and I'll say it again, Australia & New Zealand hit the 'esports winter' years before anyone else and are attempting to crawl out of it. We have already made the learnings that people are just starting to experience. Every single Tier-1 team has changed ownership or died off & almost all player salaries have disappeared from the space. Meanwhile, PAX Australia is one of the largest shows in Australia (for any industry) and gets 75,000-100,000 people through the door each year. Esports fans enjoy other things, casual gamers love to spend money on merch & pop culture is only growing. Why not mix it up and have a little bit of flavour towards esports? I think DreamHack is 100% on the right path and I've been publicly calling for movement like this for years now. If you don't agree I'm always open to hear it! https://lnkd.in/g7BRzWqB

2024 is a vital year for the Esports industry! There is no doubt that there are lots of uncertainties and unknown paths for every organization in this industry. But, what is certain is the passion among the younger generation that is growing rapidly and during the past few years despite all the odds, this industry has not only endured but also is having significant growth day by day! However, this is just the beginning, and if we want to be more responsive to the needs of the market, the key is to collaborate, take risks, and invest. The needs of the Esports industry in 2024, based on a range of prominent industry stakeholders: Miles Yim, Associate Director, The Story Mob: “I’d like to see major entities in the esports industry invest more resources into partnerships with esports programs at the collegiate and high school levels. I’ve always been surprised that more esports teams don’t jump at the chance to sponsor a school’s computer lab or provide branded gear to a club. Through direct engagement with scholastic clubs, there’s a tremendous (yet mostly underappreciated) opportunity to raise organizational brand awareness and plant the idea of a career path in esports and gaming, all of which helps ensure the future of esports.” Craig Levine, Co-CEO, ESL FACEIT Group - EFG: “The esports industry needs to reshape the engagement model for fandom and unlock new monetization mechanics. Traditional sports business is largely driven by media rights and advertising because it’s a passive experience; in video games and esports, that mechanic needs to be different because younger audiences engage with content differently. Tarik Amhamdi, Co-CEO & Co-Founder, Shikenso Analytics: The industry faces the challenge of articulating its value proposition and economic significance with clarity and precision. Achieving sustainable and substantial growth demands that the entire ecosystem introspectively examines key metrics, data, and facts. The era of glossing over realities is behind us; now is the moment for candidness and straightforwardness. Nicolas Maurer, CEO, Team Vitality: More organizations in the esports industry need to keep on building a profitable and sustainable financial model for the next few years.  For example, we had to quickly adapt and course correct to protect the organization in the short term and then later looked at restructuring the organization’s spending so that we could sustainably continue in this passionate industry. #collegesports #esports #jönköping #sweden

After a difficult year in 2023, the #esports industry is recovering in 2024 as some brands and #advertisers return to the space. But while esports winter might be thawing somewhat, it’s become clear that not all esports organizations have been equally able to withstand the cold. Here’s a look into how four leading esports orgs are positioning themselves for long-term stability and #sustainability, independent of the whims of brand #marketers. In this piece by Alexander Lee, we speak to Andy Miller, Victor Goossens of Team Liquid, Damon Harman of Integrated Content, and Sabrina Ratih and Henning Christiansson of G2 Esports.

In a significant move for Esports, Riot Games has partnered with PC maker iBUYPOWER, who will now serve as the official PC for numerous Valorant Champions Tour Americas and VCT Game Changers leagues. Kudos to the Esports Advocate for the news. As revealed, iBUYPOWER's role will extend beyond merely providing on stage competition PCs; the partnership will also see the roll-out of official VCT Americas “‘Spec-Approved” PCs to the general public - an impressive endeavor to bring competition-grade hardware to Esports enthusiasts everywhere. Further adding to the excitement, is the “iBUYPOWER ACE” moment, aimed at celebrating high-skill, triumphant moments with PC giveaways to fans. Offline and online community events and giveaways for the 2024 season underline iBUYPOWER’s commitment to fan engagement. Branding visibility on multiple channels, including VCT broadcasts, social media and live streaming platforms during the 2024 season, demonstrate the brand's deep integration with the Esport ecosystem. This partnership will shape not just the immediate future of the VCT leagues, but potentially have broader implications for subsequent Esports partnerships. For industry stakeholders, this brings a leading tech brand closer, potentially ushering in innovative collaborations. And for newcomers, the “Spec-Approved” PCs are an inviting doorway into the Esports world, where enthusiast can compete on professional-grade hardware. Games are no longer just for pastime, and Esports continues to push boundaries, proving itself to be a respected, internationally recognized industry. Stay tuned for more updates in the Esports world from Winzard - your trusted source for everything Esports.

As esports winter takes hold, many companies in the industry have had to take a hard look at the role of competitive gaming within their business strategies. Almost every leading esports organization has felt the need to diversify or die — although exactly how far to expand beyond competition remains a point of debate in today’s esports boardrooms and front offices. With esports leagues widening their revenue sharing opportunities as brands threaten to pull away from the space, 2023 has been a year of reinvention and reconstruction for the esports industry. To take the pulse on the current role of competitive gaming in esports, Digiday spoke to executives at six prominent esports organizations. Here’s what they had to say — along with some context, courtesy of Digiday. In this piece by Alexander Lee, we speak to Arnold Hur of Gen.G, Joshua Brill of Fnatic, Justin Kenna of GameSquare Holdings Inc., Jasmine Skee of Guild Esports, and Sam T. of Misfits Gaming Group.

Team i2K have reached our 5th year in Esports!! In what looks like our most successful and productive year so far, so much hard work and effort has gone in to many campaigns. We have launched our new Team wear with our new sponsor Hyve, We signed a sponsor contract with gaming Hygeine company Klutch1 who are releasing new product ranges that increase performance for gamers. We launched a team into the new game Apex Legends Mobile by EA SPORTS and we won 6 out of the 8 tournaments hosted by The Esports Club (TEC) powered by JBL Professional Quantum headphones. We won 5 in a row and the broadcast team at The Esports Club famously quipped “This is Team i2K just being Team i2K”! We then went out and signed the 4 biggest content creators in EA SPORTS FIFA Mobile, which include De Mysterio with 100,000 subs on YouTube, Jonaldinho with 300,000 followers on Twitter, and saumya the best player in the world and Notorious FIFA with 100,000 subs on YouTube. After this we compiled a team for the Call of Duty Mobile World Championships 2023 by ESL FACEIT Group - EFG and snapdragon gamers into the Indian region. Where we rallied through 5 stages of matches against hundreds of teams, to end up in the final 8 teams in India. We finished 5th with some amazing performances live streamed to 500,000 viewers. We missed out on qualification to the world finals in the USA but won over $2000 in the process! We have signed a team to launch into Riot Games Valorant on the PC platform and we are going to compete in the Coupe de France tournament towards the end of the year. We are aiming to break into the top 100 teams in Europe and to make an impactful launch into this esports arena. We are in the building followers phase of our 5 year plan and this means that we are investing into content. We have announced an exciting collaboration with renowned video editor Dostmalone. And we plan to launch a highlights from the codm world champs montage, and a 5 year celebration video. We are also launching a podcast which will be released once a week and will also interview opponents as well as personalities from our content and competing rosters. It’s amazing what people can do when they join together, with 1 vision, and with a passion for Gaming driving them forward each day. All of this is possible without funding and a good ethos and reputation. What will happen next year we don’t know, but watch this space. We are open to investment enquiries and more sponsorship deals to help accelerate our journey to becoming one of the biggest esports brands in the world! #i2KTakeOver #Esports #Lifestyle #Brand #Sports #Gaming #Gamer #Business #Passion #Hobby #Entrepeneur #startup #startupcompany #Investment #Content #Competition

I want to thank Encom & Andorra Business for the amazing Esports City Talks event they did yesturday. In the ever-evolving landscape of esports, cities worldwide are keenly exploring avenues to become hubs of gaming excellence. A standout example is the Greater Raleigh's approach towards establishing itself as a national and international model for esports activation and sustainability. Having had the privilege of attending an enlightening Esports City Talk, I was particularly impressed by Loren Gold's insights into leveraging Raleigh's existing infrastructure for esports. It's a testament to forward-thinking—evaluating the city's logistical and technological readiness to host major esports events. Loren Gold's emphasis on the importance of knowing "what to measure and how to measure it" This perspective is crucial for cities embarking on the esports journey, highlighting the significance of data-driven decisions. Moreover, Gold's mention of transparency in data sharing with publishers sheds light on a collaborative approach to understanding the economic impact on the city. Such transparency not only fosters trust but also encourages a more informed strategy for future endeavors. Greater Raleigh's model exemplifies a strategic roadmap for cities aiming to carve out a niche in the esports domain. It underscores the value of readiness, measurement, and openness—principles vital for any city looking to thrive in the competitive arena of esports.