The Esports Advocate
Esports business news: deals, legal, and governance.
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Layoffs Hit Oxygen Esports
Oxygen Esports, a Boston-based organization with interests in the Call of Duty League, Valorant, Rocket League, and Rainbow Six Siege, has initiated significant layoffs across its divisions.
- Oxygen Esports has initiated layoffs across multiple divisions, following reports that its primary funding partner, the Kraft Group, planned to cease financial support for the organization's esports operations.
- The company has officially exited the Valorant competitive scene, with multiple employees confirming their departure from the organization on August 29, 2024.
- Helix eSports, the LAN center subsidiary owned by Oxygen, has shuttered its locations in North Bergen, New Jersey, and Patriot’s Place in Foxboro, Massachusetts.
Esports World Cup: 120M Hours Watched
The Esports World Cup, held from July 3 to August 25, 2024, generated 120 million hours of watch time over its eight-week duration.
- The Esports World Cup (EWC) recorded 120 million hours watched over its eight-week competition period from July 3 to August 25, 2024.
- The EWC ranked as the fourth most-watched esports series of 2024, trailing the MLBB Professional League, LCK, and Valorant Champions Tour.
- League of Legends and Counter-Strike 2 accounted for more than 64% of the total 120 million hours watched.
Valve Shuts Down In-Game Advertisements Ahead of The International Copenhagen
Valve has announced the removal of all in-game advertisements and sponsorships for The International 2024, the premier Dota 2 tournament held in Copenhagen.
- Valve has banned all in-game advertisements, including team banners, base logos, and player name tags, for The International 2024 to minimize distractions.
- The policy change was implemented without advance warning to participating teams, drawing public criticism from organizations like Gaimin Gladiators.
- The removal of in-game inventory threatens the sponsorship value for professional teams, with industry insiders expressing concern that it will decrease future brand interest in Dota 2.
PGL Acquires Matchmaking Assets of Esportal AB
PGL, an international esports tournament organizer, has acquired the matchmaking assets of the Sweden-based company Esportal AB.
- PGL has acquired the matchmaking assets of the Swedish company Esportal AB following the parent company's decision to file for bankruptcy in July 2024.
- The acquisition is limited to the Esportal matchmaking platform for Counter-Strike and Dota 2, excluding other business units such as the Inferno Online Group gaming centers.
- PGL plans to spend 3–4 months migrating, reorganizing, and potentially rebranding the platform to support its goal of creating a global, world-class matchmaking service.
Gen.G Esports Plans Regional Office in Saudi Arabia
Gen.G Esports has initiated an expansion into Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, marking the organization as the first entity to leverage the Qiddiya City Club Program.
- Gen.G Esports is the first organization to participate in the Qiddiya City Club Program, an initiative designed to incentivize gaming and esports companies to establish operations in the Saudi Arabian government-backed project.
- As part of its expansion into Riyadh, Gen.G is partnering with local and international entities including the Saudi Esports Federation, the Esports World Cup Foundation, stc play, and LG Electronics Business Solutions Saudi Arabia.
- The Qiddiya City Club Program provides participants with premium office space and facilities in Riyadh's stc Square from 2025 to 2027 before transitioning to custom-designed facilities within Qiddiya City starting in 2028.
ASUS Republic of Gamers Signs Deal With Qiddiya City
ASUS has entered into a strategic partnership with Qiddiya City, a major Saudi Arabian government-backed development project, to integrate its Republic of Gamers (ROG) brand into the city’s burgeoning gaming and esports ecosystem.
- ASUS Republic of Gamers (ROG) has entered into a strategic partnership with the Saudi Arabian government-backed Qiddiya City project to collaborate on events, marketing, and technology infrastructure.
- ASUS will establish a regional headquarters in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, though the specific timeline for this launch remains to be determined.
- The partnership includes plans to co-design a flagship ROG retail store within the Gaming and Esports District currently under construction in Qiddiya City.
Xsolla Signs Memorandum of Understanding With Savvy Games Group
Global video game commerce firm Xsolla has entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Saudi Arabia government-owned Savvy Games Group.
- Xsolla has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Saudi government-owned Savvy Games Group to support the Kingdom’s Vision 2030 economic goals.
- The partnership includes the establishment of the Xsolla Savvy Game Development Academy, alongside new incubator and accelerator programs for local and international game studios.
- Xsolla plans to open a regional headquarters in Riyadh to provide development, technology, and business support services to publishers and developers in the Middle East.
Esports World Cup Claims More Than 500M Total Viewers
The Esports World Cup Foundation reported significant engagement metrics following the conclusion of its inaugural eight-week tournament held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, from July 2 to August 24, 2024.
- The Esports World Cup in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, reported over 500 million total viewers and 2 million in-person attendees during its eight-week run from July 2 to August 24, 2024.
- The event featured competition across 21 different games and generated over 250 million hours of total content consumption.
- The Esports World Cup Foundation awarded more than $60 million in total prize money, with $20 million allocated specifically to the Club Championship.
PGL Details Counter-Strike 2 Ranked Competitions for 2025-2026
PGL has announced its competitive calendar for Counter-Strike 2 ranked tournaments spanning 2025 and 2026.
- PGL will invest over $17 million in the Counter-Strike 2 competitive scene across 10 ranked tournaments scheduled throughout 2025 and 2026.
- Each of the 10 tournaments will feature a $1.25 million prize pool, with the winner receiving $425,000.
- PGL is providing $450,000 in additional hospitality support per event to cover travel, accommodation, food, and practice facilities for participating teams.
Raidiant Teams With Xfinity on Multiple Initiatives
Raidiant has entered into a strategic partnership with broadband service provider Xfinity to manage multiple esports initiatives, focusing on collegiate competition and professional development.
- Raidiant has entered a partnership with broadband provider Xfinity to serve as the official tournament operator and broadcast production company for the "Xfinity Run it Back" collegiate esports series.
- The Xfinity Run it Back tournament will feature top collegiate teams competing in Rocket League and Valorant, with Raidiant managing all production, commentary, and content creation.
- The collaboration includes the launch of the "Raidiant Report Card," an initiative designed to provide students with hands-on experience in broadcast production and esports operations.
Complexity Partners With Sonic Labs
Complexity Gaming has entered into a strategic partnership with Sonic Labs, establishing the blockchain platform as the organization’s official and exclusive blockchain sponsor.
- Complexity Gaming has named Sonic Labs as its official and exclusive blockchain sponsor.
- The partnership includes the development of a Complexity-branded Web3 integrated fan application and branding rights on team uniforms.
- Sonic Labs will sponsor Complexity’s monthly Counter-Strike NA Revival Series tournaments and the upcoming Counter-Strike NA LAN event scheduled for May 2025.
Riot Games Reveals Plans for Valorant Champions Tour in 2025
Riot Games has outlined its strategic roadmap for the 2025 Valorant Champions Tour (VCT), focusing on global expansion, structural adjustments to the competitive ecosystem, and a refined tournament calendar.
- The 2025 Valorant Champions Tour (VCT) will feature three major global events: Masters in Bangkok (February), Masters in Toronto (June), and the season-ending Champions tournament in Paris.
- International league rosters will expand from 11 to 12 teams in 2025, with winning teams from the tier-2 Ascension circuit required to defend their spots at the end of the season.
- The 2025 season will run from January to October and introduce a new Championship Points system to determine qualification for the year-end Champions event.