The Esports Advocate
Esports business news: deals, legal, and governance.
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OWCS World Finals Set for DreamHack Stockholm
Blizzard Entertainment and the ESL FACEIT Group (EFG) have announced that the inaugural Overwatch Champions Series (OWCS) World Finals will take place at DreamHack Stockholm in Sweden from November 22–24, 2024.
- The Overwatch Champions Series (OWCS) World Finals will take place at the inaugural DreamHack Stockholm from November 22–24, 2024, at Stockholmsmässan in Sweden.
- This event marks the first major in-person European tournament for Overwatch since the 2018 Overwatch World Cup qualifiers.
- Eight top-tier teams will compete in the tournament to determine the inaugural OWCS Champions.
NIP Group Creates Joint Venture With Homeinns Hotels Group
NIP Group, a publicly traded esports organization based in Shanghai, has entered into a strategic joint venture with the Chinese hospitality firm Homeinns Hotels Group.
- NIP Group (NASDAQ: NIPG) has entered a seven-year strategic partnership with Homeinns Hotels Group to develop and operate esports-themed hotels in China.
- NIP Group will hold a controlling stake in the joint venture, maintaining responsibility for investment, operations, and management of the properties.
- The partnership aims to expand the NIP Group brand into the physical hospitality sector by providing immersive experiences for esports fans.
FURIA Partners With Hellmann’s
The Brazilian esports organization FURIA has entered into a worldwide partnership with the Unilever-owned condiment brand Hellmann’s.
- Brazilian esports organization FURIA has entered into a worldwide partnership with the Unilever-owned mayonnaise brand Hellmann's.
- The partnership includes collaborative content creation, joint competitions, and exclusive marketing initiatives, featuring the tagline 'Hellmann’s: the irresistible flavor of FURIA.'
- Hellmann's branding debuted on FURIA’s uniforms during major events including IEM Cologne, the Brazilian League of Legends Championship (CBLOL), and the Esports World Cup in Riyadh.
ESL FACEIT Group Renews and Expands Partnership with DHL
ESL FACEIT Group (EFG) and DHL Group have announced a multi-year extension and expansion of their long-standing partnership, which has been active since 2018.
- ESL FACEIT Group (EFG) and DHL Group have signed a multi-year extension to their long-standing partnership, which began in 2018.
- The expanded deal covers EFG’s existing Dota 2 and Counter-Strike 2 competitive circuits while adding the Snapdragon Pro Series mobile esports league to the partnership.
- DHL will now serve as the official logistics partner for the Snapdragon Pro Series and provide support for multiple global DreamHack gaming festivals.
ESL FACEIT Group Partners With Unilever Brands for IEM Cologne, ESL Pro League
The ESL FACEIT Group (EFG) has entered into a strategic partnership with several Unilever nutrition brands, including Knorr, Pot Noodle, and Unox.
- ESL FACEIT Group (EFG) has entered a partnership with Unilever food brands Knorr, Pot Noodle, and Unox for the 2024 and 2025 Intel Extreme Masters (IEM) Cologne tournaments and ESL Pro League Season 21.
- The partnership includes interactive on-site activations, in-arena branding, and on-air broadcast segments, beginning with IEM Cologne 2024, which runs from August 7–18.
- Knorr will host an on-site booth at IEM Cologne featuring prize giveaways, merchandise, and a custom Counter-Strike 2 map where fans can compete for exclusive in-game items and skins.
Riot Games Promotes John Needham to President of Publishing & Esports
Riot Games has initiated a strategic organizational restructuring to better integrate its gaming, esports, music, and storytelling divisions.
- Riot Games has promoted John Needham to the newly created role of President of Publishing & Esports, where he will oversee publishing, esports, international operations, platform technology, and music.
- The company is establishing dedicated internal studios for animation and live-action production to expand its intellectual property beyond the success of the animated series Arcane.
- Christian Linke has been appointed to lead the new animation studio, continuing his work on Arcane in collaboration with Fortiche Production.
Mobile Legends: Bang Bang M6 World Championship Details
Moonton Games has announced the structural details for the upcoming Mobile Legends: Bang Bang M6 World Championship, which will return to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, the site of the inaugural 2019 tournament.
- The Mobile Legends: Bang Bang M6 World Championship will be hosted in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, returning to the city that hosted the inaugural event in 2019.
- The tournament features a total prize pool of $1 million USD for the competing teams.
- The event structure consists of a Wild Card Stage, where eight teams compete for a single slot, followed by a Main Stage featuring 16 international teams.
Industry Vet Jan Hoffmann Joins ELO Agency
London-based ELO Agency has appointed industry veteran Jan Hoffmann as its new vice president of operations.
- Jan Hoffman has been appointed as the new Vice President of Operations at the London-based ELO Agency.
- Hoffman joins ELO Agency following a two-year tenure as Head of Operations at Nigma Galaxy.
- His professional background includes leadership and operational roles at Fnatic, Rix.GG, X1 Entertainment, and Esports Agency, as well as experience as a professional player for MOUZ and Playing Ducks e.V.
Guild Esports, Sky Broadband Launch Fortnite Map, ‘Sky City’
Guild Esports has partnered with Sky Broadband to launch a custom-built Fortnite map titled "Sky City."
- Guild Esports has partnered with Sky Broadband to launch a custom-built Fortnite map titled 'Sky City,' developed by Guild Studio with support from UMI Games.
- The map launch is supported by an influencer-led 'Speed Showdown' campaign featuring creators with a combined reach of over 17 million subscribers across major social platforms.
- The 'Speed Showdown' consists of a series of live-streamed events where players can compete alongside creators to win real-world prizes provided by Sky Broadband.
Tracker Network Taps GRID Esports for Valorant Data
The esports data platform GRID Esports has entered into a strategic partnership with the gaming statistics and leaderboard provider Tracker Network.
- Tracker Network has partnered with GRID Esports to integrate the GRID Valorant Live Data API into its platform.
- The partnership aims to enhance the newly launched esports section of the Tracker Network by providing both historical and live data for the game.
- Financial terms of the agreement between the two companies were not disclosed.
SteelSeries Sponsors British University Esports Championship
National Student Esports (NSE), the governing body for university-level competitive gaming in the United Kingdom, has entered into a partnership with gaming peripheral manufacturer SteelSeries.
- National Student Esports (NSE) has named SteelSeries the official peripherals brand of the British University Esports Championship.
- Under the partnership, participants in the 2025 British University Esports Championship finals will use SteelSeries Arctis Nova Series gaming headsets.
- SteelSeries will provide branded merchandise to over 100 university gaming and esports societies to support grassroots recruitment efforts at freshers' fairs.
Android Sponsors TELUS Esports Series 4
The Canadian telecommunications company TELUS has announced a new partnership with Android to sponsor the fourth iteration of its competitive gaming tournament, the TELUS Esports Series.
- Android has entered a partnership to sponsor the TELUS Esports Series 4, though the financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.
- The 2024 tournament series features a total prize pool of $50,000 CAD ($36,500 USD).
- The competition is open to gamers aged 15 and older across North America, with registration and qualifying rounds closing on September 22, 2024, at 11:59 p.m. EST.