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Tencent Cancels In-Person Annual Global Esports Summit 2024
Tencent Holdings has officially canceled its in-person Global Esports Summit for 2024, marking a significant departure from the event's seven-year history.
- Tencent has canceled its annual in-person Global Esports Summit for 2024, ending a seven-year tradition of physical events.
- The company replaced the in-person summit with an online live conference titled "Empower Esports Worldwide," which took place on Monday, June 24, 2024.
- Mars Hou, vice president of Tencent Games and general manager of Tencent Esports, stated that the shift reflects a new industry trend and a search for more efficient communication methods.
Honor of Kings Invitational Season 2
Level Infinite, a gaming brand under Tencent, has announced the operational details for the Honor of Kings Invitational Season 2.
- Tencent's Level Infinite will host the Honor of Kings Invitational Season 2 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, from June 29 to July 7, 2024.
- The tournament features a $300,000 USD total prize pool and serves as a qualifier for the Honor of Kings Invitational Midseason at the Esports World Cup in Riyadh.
- Thirteen international teams will compete in the event, including Team Vitality, Vivo Keyd Stars, Loops, and various regional representatives from the Philippines, Brazil, Turkey, and Indonesia.
Star Sports to Broadcast BGMS Season 3
NODWIN Gaming has secured a broadcast partnership with the Star Sports network for the third consecutive year to air the Battlegrounds Mobile India Masters Series (BGMS) Season 3.
- NODWIN Gaming has secured a broadcast deal with Star Sports to televise the Battlegrounds Mobile India Masters Series (BGMS) Season 3 for the third consecutive year.
- The tournament is scheduled to be broadcast live on the Star Sports network from July 19 to August 11, 2024.
- TVS Raider has been named the official mobility partner for the event, and Philips OneBlade has been signed as the official styling partner.
PUBG Mobile World Cup Group Draw
The PUBG Mobile World Cup (PMWC) has finalized its group stage structure, organizing 24 international teams into three distinct groups—Red, Green, and Yellow—to compete for advancement in the upcoming tournament held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
- The PUBG Mobile World Cup (PMWC) will feature 24 teams competing in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, as part of the broader Esports World Cup.
- Participating teams were divided into three groups—Red, Green, and Yellow—based on their performance in regional leagues including the PEL, PMPS, PMRC, and PMJL.
- The tournament structure begins with a Group Stage where the top 12 teams qualify directly for the Main Tournament.
Esports World Cup Foundation Partners With stc Group
The Esports World Cup Foundation has secured a partnership with the Riyadh-based telecommunications provider stc Group, designating the company as an elite and founding partner for the inaugural Esports World Cup.
- The Esports World Cup Foundation has named Riyadh-based stc Group as an elite and founding partner for the inaugural Esports World Cup.
- The Esports World Cup is scheduled to take place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, over an eight-week period starting July 3 and ending August 25, 2024.
- The event features a total prize pool of $60 million USD across a diverse range of titles, including Call of Duty, Dota 2, League of Legends, and Street Fighter 6.
Riot Details EMEA Changes to Valorant Tier 2 Ecosystem in 2025
Riot Games has announced a comprehensive restructuring of the Valorant Tier 2 ecosystem in the EMEA region for 2025.
- Riot Games is restructuring the 2025 EMEA Valorant Tier 2 ecosystem into a three-stage structure, culminating in a new 'Challengers EMEA' tournament at the end of each stage.
- Qualification for the VCT EMEA promotion tournament, Ascension, will transition to a points-based system in 2025, with teams earning Championship Points based on their performance throughout the season.
- Challengers Spain will expand to include teams from Italy and Portugal, removing import restrictions for players from those countries to better align with the Premier Zone ecosystem.
GamerLegion Extends Partnership With Shikenso Analytics
GamerLegion, a Germany-based esports organization, has extended its partnership with the esports analytics firm Shikenso Analytics for an additional year.
- GamerLegion has extended its partnership with Shikenso Analytics for one additional year, continuing a professional relationship that began in 2022.
- Shikenso Analytics will utilize its AI-driven technologies to monitor and evaluate the performance of GamerLegion’s brand collaborations across social media and streaming platforms.
- The partnership aims to provide data-backed insights to help GamerLegion optimize existing sponsorship exposure and secure new commercial partnerships.
Team Vitality Signs Warzone Roster
The French esports organization Team Vitality has expanded its competitive footprint by signing a new Call of Duty: Warzone roster.
- Team Vitality has signed a new Call of Duty: Warzone roster to compete in the Esports World Cup in Riyadh and the World Series of Warzone.
- The new roster consists of Joni “Patzukka” Nikkanen (Finland), Henrijs “Enxiun” Kukulitis (Latvia), and Steve “Stewo” Fuckner (Germany).
- This addition brings Team Vitality’s total to seven teams competing in the Esports World Cup’s multi-title club competition.
FIFA Reveals FIFAe World Cup Featuring Rocket League
FIFA has entered into a strategic partnership with Epic Games to integrate the vehicular soccer title Rocket League into its global esports circuit, FIFAe.
- FIFA has partnered with Epic Games to integrate Rocket League into its global FIFAe esports competition.
- The move serves as a strategic replacement for the FIFA video game franchise following EA Sports' decision to drop the FIFA license in 2022.
- The inaugural FIFAe World Cup featuring Rocket League will consist of 16 national teams, each composed of three players and one substitute.
Cloud9 Finalizing Deal With New York Subliners
North American esports organization Cloud9 is in the process of finalizing a partnership with the Call of Duty League (CDL) team, the New York Subliners.
- Cloud9 is finalizing a partnership with the Call of Duty League (CDL) team New York Subliners to represent the organization at the Esports World Cup in August.
- The partnership focuses on the Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III competition, with reports suggesting Cloud9 may consider a full acquisition of the team in the future.
- Cloud9’s interest in the roster is driven by financial incentives provided through the Esports World Cup Club Support Program, which rewards clubs for signing teams to compete in the multi-title event.
Dr Disrespect Pushed Out of Midnight Society
Popular YouTube streamer Herschel “Guy” Beahm IV—better known as Dr Disrespect—has been dropped from the company he helped found, Midnight Society, and longtime sponsor Turtle Beach appears to be removing any reference to the popular streamer, following multiple reports that he allegedly had sexualized conversations with an…
- Midnight Society has officially terminated its relationship with co-founder Herschel “Guy” Beahm IV, known as Dr Disrespect, following allegations of inappropriate sexualized messaging with a minor.
- The studio stated that it made the decision to act after becoming aware of the allegations on June 21, 2024, citing a need to uphold the standards of its 55 employees and community.
- Studio Head Robert Bowling confirmed the termination, stating that the decision was based on the fact that Beahm engaged in inappropriate messaging with a minor.
Amouranth Buys Into Wildcard Gaming
In June 2024, prominent content creator Kaitlyn Siragusa, widely known as Amouranth, acquired an ownership stake in the Houston-based esports organization Wildcard Gaming.
- Content creator Kaitlyn 'Amouranth' Siragusa has acquired an ownership stake in the Houston-based esports organization Wildcard Gaming for an undisclosed amount.
- Amouranth holds an equal share of ownership alongside the existing partners and will serve as an active decision-maker rather than a figurehead.
- Her operational role includes promoting the organization’s milestones, participating in watch parties for major events, and attending team meet-and-greets, though she will not be involved in player personnel decisions.