August
Company
Documents about August
Microsoft, Activision Blizzard Extend Deal Deadline to October
Microsoft and Activision Blizzard have formally extended the deadline for their proposed $69 billion acquisition from July 18 to October 18, 2023.
- Microsoft and Activision Blizzard have extended the deadline for their $69 billion acquisition from July 18, 2023, to October 18, 2023, to resolve remaining regulatory concerns.
- If the deal is not completed by August 29, Microsoft will owe a $3.5 billion termination fee, which increases to $4.5 billion if the deal remains incomplete by September 18.
- The extension allows both companies to address regulatory requirements in the UK, where Microsoft and the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) have entered a two-month legal pause to negotiate a potential compromise.
Crunchyroll Partners With EVO 2023
Crunchyroll and the Evolution Championship Series (EVO) have established a partnership for the 2023 iteration of the fighting game tournament, held August 4–6 at the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino in Las Vegas.
- Crunchyroll has partnered with the EVO 2023 fighting game tournament, held August 4–6 at the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino in Las Vegas.
- Both Crunchyroll and EVO are owned in full or in part by divisions of Sony, which facilitated the collaboration.
- EVO 2023 experienced significant growth, recording an 81% increase in player registrations compared to previous events.
Galaxy Racer and RTE Merger Continues to Take Shape
Riva Technology and Entertainment (RTE), a subsidiary of MSM Corporation International Limited, has formalized an implementation agreement to acquire the remaining equity of the esports organization Galaxy Racer (GXR).
- Riva Technology and Entertainment (RTE) and Galaxy Racer (GXR) have signed a formal implementation agreement to finalize their merger, with an expected closing date by the end of August 2023.
- The merged entity will be rebranded as 'Celestial' and will operate as a media and sports conglomerate with a primary focus on the MENA region and the Indian subcontinent.
- Following the acquisition of all remaining GXR shares, GXR will represent 75% of the total value of the combined RTE and MSM Corporation International group.
Astralis Plans Meeting in August to Vote on Delisting From First North Growth Market Denmark
The Danish esports organization Astralis has scheduled an Extraordinary General Meeting for August 8, 2023, to conduct a shareholder vote regarding the delisting of its shares from the Nasdaq First North Growth Market Denmark.
- Astralis will hold an Extraordinary General Meeting on August 8, 2023, to vote on delisting the company from the Nasdaq First North Growth Market Denmark.
- The delisting proposal requires approval from two-thirds of the votes and capital present at the meeting to proceed.
- Key stakeholders, including the executive management team, the board of directors, and major shareholder Jakob Lund Kristensen, have committed to voting in favor of the delisting.
ESL Impact Season 4 Invited Teams Revealed
ESL FACEIT Group has announced the details for the fourth season of its ESL Impact competition series, a global initiative dedicated to professional women in Counter-Strike: Global Offensive.
- ESL FACEIT Group is hosting the ESL Impact Season 4, an all-women professional CS:GO tournament series featuring a $150,000 USD prize pool.
- The Season 4 Global Finals are scheduled to take place as a live event during DreamHack Valencia from December 8–10, 2023.
- Twenty-eight top all-women teams will compete starting September 13 to secure one of eight available spots in the Global Finals.
Remnant II Dominates, As We Start Tracking Steam CCU
Remnant II emerged as the dominant market force in late July 2023, achieving a spectacular debut on Steam with over 88,000 peak concurrent users (CCU) and 6,300 positive reviews.
- Remnant II launched in late July 2023 with over 88,000 peak concurrent users on Steam and 6,300 positive reviews, positioning it to exceed one million units sold.
- GameDiscoverCo Plus has introduced a new Steam CCU tracking metric that monitors player counts twice daily to provide more granular popularity data than traditional sales charts.
- The mystery adventure title Sanfu demonstrated the growing influence of Chinese-developed games by reaching 21,000 peak concurrent users on Steam despite having no English translation.
TECNO Mobile Named Title Sponsor of Skyesports Champions Series
Smartphone manufacturer TECNO Mobile has secured the title sponsorship for the Skyesports Champions Series, a prominent esports tournament focused on the mobile title Battlegrounds Mobile India (BGMI).
- TECNO Mobile has been named the title sponsor for the Skyesports Champions Series (SCS), a 10-day tournament featuring Battlegrounds Mobile India (BGMI).
- The tournament features a total prize pool of Rs. 25,00,000, equivalent to approximately $30,500 USD.
- The competition involves 16 finalist teams, including organizations such as Team Soul, GodLike Esports, Revenant Esports, and Orangutan Gaming.
100 Thieves Renews Partnerships With Heineken USA
The Los Angeles-based esports and gaming lifestyle organization 100 Thieves has extended its partnership with Heineken USA for an additional year.
- 100 Thieves has extended its partnership with Heineken USA for an additional year, continuing the relationship that began in August 2022.
- The renewed deal includes the construction of a Heineken-branded bar at the 100 Thieves compound in Los Angeles for use in gaming and future activations.
- Heineken USA will continue to support 100 Thieves' production efforts, including content for 'The Courage and Nadeshot Show' and various original social media shorts.
Challengermode Selected as Official Platform Partner of IESF World Esports Championship Qualifiers
The International Esports Federation (IESF) has appointed the Sweden-based esports platform Challengermode as the official platform partner for the global qualifiers of its 15th World Esports Championship.
- The International Esports Federation (IESF) has appointed Sweden-based platform Challengermode as the official platform partner for the 15th World Esports Championship qualifiers.
- Regional qualifiers hosted on the Challengermode platform begin on May 1, covering Europe, Africa, the Americas, Asia, and Oceania.
- The tournament features a multi-title lineup including Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, Dota 2, PUBG Mobile, TEKKEN 7, eFootball, and Mobile Legends: Bang Bang.
Battle of Golden Spatula: Market Analysis of the Auto-Chess Spin-off in China
Battle of Golden Spatula, a mobile auto-chess spin-off of Teamfight Tactics, has achieved significant commercial success in the Chinese market.
- Battle of Golden Spatula, a Teamfight Tactics spin-off co-developed by Tencent and Riot Games, has become a top-performing title in China, ranking in the top 10 for both downloads and revenue.
- The game was released in China on August 26, 2021, and is primarily developed by Tencent’s NEXT Studios.
- Industry analysts suggest the game was developed as a locally produced title to bypass regulatory hurdles associated with importing Teamfight Tactics into the Chinese market.
Four High-Profile Developers Left Tempo Storm in the Last Six Months
Tempo Storm, a California-based esports organization, has experienced a significant exodus of senior development talent tasked with creating its upcoming card-based strategy game, The Bazaar.
- Tempo Storm experienced a significant turnover of senior development talent between August and October 2022, losing three of the four high-profile industry veterans hired in 2021 to lead the development of their game, The Bazaar.
- Design Director Eric Flannum, Senior Game Designer Gregory Marques, and Senior Game Designer Stephen Dewhurst all departed the company in late 2022, leaving only COO Erin Krell from the original group of four key hires.
- Veteran game developer Troy Sheets, who joined Tempo Storm in December 2022, was laid off in January 2023 after only one month of employment.
XSET Co-Founder Marco Mereu Officially Exits Company
Marco Mereu, a co-founder of the esports organization XSET, officially confirmed his departure from the company in November 2022, noting that his exit occurred in August of that year.
- XSET co-founder Marco Mereu officially confirmed his departure from the organization in November 2022, noting that he had actually left the company in August 2022.
- Internal tension between leadership was signaled in early September 2022 when CEO Greg Selkoe announced the promotion of Steve Birkhold to the COO role without mentioning Mereu by name.
- Despite his exit from the company's operations, Mereu is understood to remain a stakeholder in XSET.