The Esports Advocate
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Apex Legends Confirmed for 2025 Esports World Cup
The Esports World Cup Foundation has officially confirmed that Electronic Arts’ battle royale title, Apex Legends, will return as a featured competitive game for the 2025 Esports World Cup.
- Electronic Arts has confirmed that Apex Legends will return as a competitive title at the 2025 Esports World Cup in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
- The 2024 Apex Legends competition at the Esports World Cup featured a $1 million total prize pool, with the winning team, Alliance, earning $600,000.
- It remains unconfirmed whether the 2025 event will be a mandatory stop on the official Apex Legends Global Series (ALGS) calendar or an optional exhibition tournament.
NODWIN Gaming Continues Rights Deal With The Game Awards
NODWIN Gaming has extended its partnership with The Game Awards, securing the distribution rights for the annual event across a broader range of international markets.
- NODWIN Gaming has extended its distribution partnership with The Game Awards to cover India, Myanmar, Uzbekistan, Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand, Malaysia, Vietnam, and Taiwan.
- The distribution strategy for the event will utilize a multi-channel approach, including television, OTT platforms, online streaming, and influencer channels.
- This agreement builds upon an initial rights deal established between NODWIN Gaming and The Game Awards in 2023.
Call of Duty League Signs Three-Year Deal With Esports World Cup Foundation
The Call of Duty League has entered into a three-year partnership with the Esports World Cup Foundation to integrate competitive Call of Duty and Warzone into the foundation’s annual eight-week summer tournament series.
- The Call of Duty League (CDL) has signed a three-year partnership with the Esports World Cup Foundation to feature the league in the annual eight-week summer competition in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
- As part of the agreement, the CDL will extend its competitive calendar into August starting in 2025 to accommodate the tournament schedule.
- The partnership includes both the professional Call of Duty League and the Warzone title.
Counter-Strike 2 Confirmed for Esports World Cup 2025
The Esports World Cup Foundation has officially confirmed that Counter-Strike 2 will return as a featured competitive title for the 2025 Esports World Cup.
- Counter-Strike 2 has been officially confirmed as a competitive title for the 2025 Esports World Cup, which will take place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, during the summer.
- The Esports World Cup is an eight-week competition funded by the Saudi Government’s Public Investment Fund and facilitated by the ESL FACEIT Group.
- Other confirmed titles for the 2025 event include Rainbow Six Siege, Dota 2, Street Fighter 6, Free Fire, Honor of Kings, Call of Duty: Black Ops 6, and Call of Duty: Warzone.
M80 Acquires Beastcoast
North American esports organization M80 has acquired the esports entity Beastcoast for an undisclosed sum.
- M80 has acquired esports organization Beastcoast for an undisclosed amount, integrating its teams and media business into M80's existing operations.
- Beastcoast CEO Grant Zinn will join M80 as Chief Business Development Officer to support expansion into South America and titles like Pokémon.
- The acquisition includes Beastcoast’s Dota 2 team and a media business that generates 175 million annual views across social and content platforms.
PUBG Mobile Esports Partners With Qiddiya Gaming
PUBG Mobile Esports has entered into a sponsorship agreement with Qiddiya Gaming, a government-owned mega-city project in Saudi Arabia.
- PUBG Mobile Esports has signed a sponsorship deal with Qiddiya Gaming, a Saudi Arabian government-owned city project.
- The partnership will debut at the PUBG Mobile Global Championship (PMGC 24), taking place December 6–8, 2024, at the ExCel Centre in London.
- Marketing activations for the deal include arena signage, social media branding, and integration into the game’s 'World of Wonder' creative mode.
Dota 2 Confirmed for the Esports World Cup 2025
The Esports World Cup Foundation has officially confirmed that Valve’s multiplayer online battle arena title, Dota 2, will return to the Esports World Cup in 2025.
- Valve’s Dota 2 has been officially confirmed as a competitive title for the 2025 Esports World Cup in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
- The 2024 edition of the Dota 2 competition at the Esports World Cup featured a total prize pool of $5 million, with the winning team, Gaimin Gladiators, receiving $1.5 million.
- The Esports World Cup is an eight-week event funded by the Saudi government’s Public Investment Fund and is tentatively scheduled for the summer of 2025.
Shikenso Analytics Partners With MOONTON Games
MOONTON Games, the publisher of the mobile MOBA title Mobile Legends: Bang Bang, has entered into a strategic partnership with the German analytics firm Shikenso Analytics.
- MOONTON Games has partnered with German firm Shikenso Analytics to measure and value sponsorship performance for the Mobile Legends: Bang Bang (MLBB) ecosystem.
- The partnership focuses specifically on the M6 World Championship, which is taking place in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, from November 21 to December 15, 2024.
- Shikenso Analytics will provide data-driven insights on brand exposure across livestreams and social media to help MOONTON optimize its sponsorship propositions and identify high-performing channels.
TJ Sports Vice President Eric Feng on Why Valorant Asian Cup Is Important
The Valorant Radiant Asia Invitational (VRAI), hosted by TJ Sports in Chengdu, China, serves as a strategic initiative to bridge gaps in the regional esports calendar.
- TJ Sports is expanding the Valorant Champions Tour (VCT) CN schedule in 2025, extending the season from its current January–August window to January–October.
- The Valorant Radiant Asia Invitational (VRAI) was established by TJ Sports to address the lack of competitive play during the four-month VCT off-season, with plans to scale the event in 2025.
- TJ Sports is evaluating strategies to increase VCT CN's Western influence in 2025, including the potential introduction of an official English broadcast or a partnership model for third-party co-streaming.
Nazara Technologies Invests $15.7M in Sportskeeda and NODWIN Gaming
Nazara Technologies, an India-based gaming and sports media firm, has secured board approval for a series of strategic investments totaling approximately ₹1.96 billion ($23.1 million USD).
- Nazara Technologies has approved five new investments totaling approximately ₹1.96 billion ($23.1 million USD) to expand its portfolio across esports, media, and AI.
- The company is allocating ₹690 million ($8.15 million) to acquire shares from Sportskeeda’s management, bringing Nazara’s ownership stake in the publication to 100%.
- Nazara is investing ₹640 million ($7.56 million) into its subsidiary NODWIN Gaming through the subscription of Optionally Convertible Preference Shares.
Street Fighter 6 Confirmed for Esports World Cup 2025
The Esports World Cup Foundation has officially confirmed that Street Fighter 6 will return as a competitive title for the 2025 Esports World Cup in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
- Street Fighter 6 has been officially confirmed as a competitive title for the 2025 Esports World Cup in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
- The 2025 event lineup also includes Free Fire, Honor of Kings, Call of Duty: Black Ops 6, and Call of Duty: Warzone.
- The 2025 tournament is expected to feature a prize pool of at least $1 million USD, consistent with the previous year's competition.
Luminosity Joining North American Challengers League
Enthusiast Gaming Holdings Inc. has announced that its esports subsidiary, Luminosity Gaming, will enter the North American League of Legends ecosystem by joining the North American Challengers League (NACL) in Spring 2025.
- Enthusiast Gaming's esports division, Luminosity Gaming, will join the North American Challengers League (NACL) in Spring 2025.
- The primary objective for Luminosity Gaming’s entry into the league is to secure promotion into the top-tier LTA North competitive circuit.
- Enthusiast Gaming views the NACL as a cost-effective entry point to participate in professional League of Legends esports.