The Esports Advocate
Esports business news: deals, legal, and governance.
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Invictus Gaming Completes Restructuring
The Chinese esports organization Invictus Gaming (IG) has finalized a corporate restructuring, marking a significant shift in its operational and financial strategy.
- Chinese esports organization Invictus Gaming (IG) has completed a corporate restructuring backed by multi-million dollar strategic investments from live streaming platform Huya and MCN company Young Sports.
- Founder Sicong Wang will retain his position as the major shareholder of Invictus Gaming following the restructuring.
- The partnership provides IG with strategic operational support, including Huya’s technology and customer resources alongside Young Sports’ expertise in team management.
NODWIN Gaming Acquires Trinity Gaming
NODWIN Gaming, an India-based esports and gaming firm and subsidiary of Nazara Technologies, has acquired Trinity Gaming, a prominent gaming agency and creator service provider.
- NODWIN Gaming has acquired 100% of the gaming agency and creator service provider Trinity Gaming for approximately $2.83 million (₹240 million INR).
- The deal structure consists of up to $567,400 (₹48 million) in cash and $2.3 million (₹192 million) in NODWIN Gaming equity shares.
- Trinity Gaming founders Abhishek Aggarwal and Shivam Rao will become shareholders in NODWIN Gaming and continue to lead their business operations.
Raleigh, North Carolina, to Host ESL One Event in 2025
Raleigh, North Carolina, has been selected to host an ESL One Dota 2 Major from April 7–13, 2025, at the Raleigh Convention Center.
- Raleigh, North Carolina, will host an ESL One Dota 2 Major at the Raleigh Convention Center from April 7–13, 2025.
- The tournament will feature a $1 million prize pool and include 12 teams, consisting of four direct invites and eight regional qualifiers.
- Local officials are leveraging the N.C. Esports Incentive Grant Fund, a state-backed program established in 2021, to attract major tournament operators to the region.
Riot Reveals Details on Valorant Champions Tour in 2025
Riot Games has unveiled the structural framework for the 2025 Valorant Champions Tour (VCT), signaling a significant expansion of its global competitive ecosystem.
- The 2025 Valorant Champions Tour (VCT) season will feature 48 teams competing across four regional leagues: EMEA, Pacific, CN, and Americas.
- The competitive calendar is expanded to run from January through October 2025, concluding with the Champions Paris event held from September 12 to October 5.
- Regional league play begins in January 2025 with Kickoff events, starting with VCT CN on January 11, followed by EMEA (Jan 15), Americas (Jan 16), and Pacific (Jan 18).
Microsoft Research Partners with iRacing to Advance AI in Sim Racing
Microsoft Research and the sim racing platform iRacing have entered a strategic partnership to advance artificial intelligence within virtual racing environments.
- Microsoft Research and iRacing announced a partnership on November 25, 2024, to develop Large Action Models (LAMs) for virtual racing environments.
- The collaboration aims to integrate advanced AI features into the iRacing platform, including sophisticated AI-driven opponents, real-time coaching, and virtual crew chiefs.
- Microsoft Research intends to use the iRacing simulation environment to refine AI systems capable of understanding and interacting within both virtual and physical worlds.
FTC Challenges Microsoft’s Activision Blizzard Merger in New Appeals Court Filing
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has escalated its legal opposition to Microsoft’s $67.8 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard, filing a new challenge with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.
- The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has filed a lawsuit in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit challenging Microsoft’s post-merger integration of Activision Blizzard.
- The FTC argues that Microsoft’s decision to cut approximately 1,900 jobs across its gaming divisions contradicts previous court testimony regarding the independent operation of the acquired company.
- The agency claims these mass layoffs, which impacted 8% of Microsoft’s 22,000-person gaming workforce, undermine the court's ability to order effective relief in the ongoing merger appeal.
DouYu Q3 2024 Earnings Results
DouYu International Holdings Limited experienced a significant financial downturn in the third quarter of 2024, characterized by a 21.8% year-over-year decline in total net revenues to ¥1.06 billion RMB ($146.3 million USD).
- DouYu's total net revenue for Q3 2024 fell 21.8% year-over-year to ¥1.06 billion ($146.3 million), while net income dropped significantly to ¥3.4 million ($0.5 million) from ¥76.4 million ($1.05 million) in the prior year.
- Livestreaming revenue, the company's core business, declined 34.7% to ¥752.1 million ($103.8 million) due to a reduction in both paying users and average revenue per paying user.
- Average mobile monthly active users (MAUs) decreased to 42.1 million in Q3 2024, down from 51.7 million in the same quarter of the previous year.
Rainbow Six Siege Esports Roadmap: 2025
The 2025 Rainbow Six Siege esports roadmap outlines a strategic restructuring of the global competitive ecosystem, developed through the ongoing partnership between Ubisoft and tournament organizer BLAST.
- Ubisoft and BLAST have restructured the 2025 Rainbow Six Siege esports season into a streamlined global format consisting of four regional leagues: EML (Europe, MENA, Turkey), SAL (South America), NAL (North America, Central America, Colombia, Ecuador), and APL (Asia Pacific).
- The 2025 season begins in May with a LAN kick-off event called 'Reload' in Brazil, followed by two stages of regional league play, a November Major, and a concluding Six Invitational to crown the World Champion.
- Each of the four regional leagues will feature 10 teams competing in a round-robin format, with the top four teams from each region qualifying for the Major at the end of Stage 2.
Riot Reveals Changes to LoL Esports European Regional Leagues in 2025
Riot Games is implementing significant structural changes to the League of Legends European Regional Leagues (ERLs) for the 2025 season.
- Riot Games is granting European Regional League (ERL) tournament organizers greater autonomy in 2025 by allowing them to design custom competition formats tailored to their specific communities.
- Broadcasting requirements are being relaxed, giving organizers the option to host remote or studio setups and removing the mandate to air every match.
- Tournament organizers will have increased discretion to grant teams co-streaming rights for all ERL matches, including first-person view streams.
Riot Games Transitions LPL English Broadcast to Co-Streaming Model
Riot Games has officially transitioned the English-language broadcast of China’s League of Legends Pro League (LPL) to a co-streaming-only model.
- Riot Games has suspended its official English-language broadcast for the League of Legends Pro League (LPL) in favor of a co-streaming-only model.
- The shift follows data showing that only 29.4% of non-Chinese LPL viewership occurred on official channels, while 70.6% was generated through co-streaming.
- Individual content creators are central to this transition, with streamer Marc “Caedrel” Lamont alone accounting for 18.4% of total LPL viewership.
OverActive Media Secures Long-Term Franchise Agreement with Riot Games
OverActive Media has finalized a new long-term partnership agreement with Riot Games, securing its continued participation in the League of Legends EMEA Championship (LEC).
- OverActive Media has secured a new long-term partnership with Riot Games, ensuring its continued participation in the League of Legends EMEA Championship (LEC).
- The agreement eliminates $2 million in franchise payables that were previously scheduled to be due in 2025.
- OverActive Media now holds 100% ownership of its franchises with no remaining associated liabilities.
Tencent TiMi Studio Group L1 Global Esports GM Resigns Over Alleged Corruption
Zhang Yijia, the general manager of Tencent’s TiMi Studio Group L1 Esports Center and a prominent figure in the Chinese esports ecosystem, has resigned following allegations of supplier corruption.
- Zhang Yijia, general manager of Tencent’s TiMi Studio Group L1 Esports Center and president of the King Pro League, has resigned due to allegations of supplier corruption.
- Tencent confirmed that an internal email cited supplier corruption as the reason for Zhang Yijia's departure from the company.
- Zhang Yijia was a foundational figure in Tencent's esports division, overseeing the production and operations of major titles including Honor of Kings and QQ Speed.