The Esports Advocate
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Call of Duty Games Confirmed for the Esports World Cup
The Esports World Cup, a major international tournament series held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, has officially confirmed the inclusion of Call of Duty: Warzone and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III in its 2024 competition schedule.
- Call of Duty: Warzone and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III have been confirmed as official titles for the 2024 Esports World Cup in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
- The Call of Duty: Warzone tournament is scheduled for July 3–6 and will feature a $1 million USD prize pool across 21 competing teams.
- The Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III competition will take place from August 15–18 with 16 teams competing for a $1.8 million USD prize pool.
GRID and Abios Extend Esports Data Partnership
The esports data platform GRID and Abios, the esports division of the Kambi Group, have extended their strategic partnership for an additional year.
- GRID and Abios have extended their esports data partnership, originally established in July 2023, for an additional year.
- The partnership expansion adds official esports data feeds for League of Legends and Rainbow Six Siege to the Kambi Group’s betting network.
- These new titles join existing data feeds for Counter-Strike 2, Dota 2, and Valorant currently provided through the collaboration.
Sentinels Partner With Razer
The Los Angeles-based esports organization Sentinels has entered into a one-year partnership with the international gaming peripherals company Razer.
- Esports organization Sentinels has signed a one-year partnership agreement with gaming peripherals company Razer.
- The Razer Iskur V2 gaming chair, which retails for $649 USD, has been named the official gaming chair for Sentinels professional players.
- Financial terms of the partnership deal were not disclosed by either organization.
Weibo Gaming Partners With Xtreme Gaming and DKZ
Weibo Gaming has entered into strategic partnerships with two prominent Chinese esports organizations, Xtreme Gaming and DKZ, to bolster its competitive presence at the upcoming Esports World Cup in Riyadh.
- Weibo Gaming (WBG) has partnered with Xtreme Gaming (XG) and DKZ to compete under the WBG brand at the Esports World Cup (EWC) in Riyadh.
- As part of the deal, the Dota 2 team Xtreme Gaming will rebrand to WBG.XG, while the StarCraft II team DKZ will become the official StarCraft II division of Weibo Gaming.
- Weibo Gaming is one of 30 organizations participating in the Esports World Cup Club Support Program, which also includes Chinese organizations LGD Gaming and NIP Group.
Major Changes Planned for League of Legends Esports in 2025
Riot Games is implementing a significant restructuring of its global League of Legends esports ecosystem for the 2025 season.
- Riot Games is consolidating its global League of Legends esports structure by reducing the number of top-tier leagues from eight to five for the 2025 season.
- The 2025 overhaul includes the introduction of an all-new competitive event at the beginning of the season to expand the global calendar.
- Riot is implementing a new tier-2 promotion and relegation ecosystem in select regions to support the restructured professional landscape.
New Major Event Added to 2025 LoL Esports Calendar
Riot Games is expanding its global League of Legends esports calendar for 2025 by introducing a third major international event.
- Riot Games is expanding the 2025 League of Legends esports calendar to include three major global events, with a new, unnamed tournament launching in March 2025.
- The new March event will feature five regional slots, with participating teams determined by performance in the Split 1 January competitions.
- The 2025 World Championship will feature 17 total teams, with qualification slots influenced by performance at the Mid-Season Invitational (MSI).
Riot on Third-Party LoL Esports Events in 2025
Riot Games is adjusting its 2025 League of Legends global esports calendar to accommodate third-party tournament organizers.
- Riot Games will create a window in the 2025 League of Legends esports calendar in August, following the Mid-Season Invitational, to accommodate third-party events.
- While Riot has not confirmed participation in specific events, this scheduling adjustment provides space for teams to compete in third-party tournaments, such as the Saudi Arabian government-backed Esports World Cup.
- Riot maintains a hands-off organizational approach to third-party events but likely collects licensing fees for competitions run by outside entities.
Riot Reveals LoL Esports APAC League for 2025
Riot Games has announced the formation of a new consolidated APAC League for League of Legends esports, set to launch in 2025.
- Riot Games will launch a consolidated APAC League for League of Legends Esports in 2025, merging the existing PCS, VCS, LJL, and LCO leagues into a single regional structure.
- The inaugural 2025 APAC League will feature eight Tier-1 teams, with selection based on the 2024 Summer Split playoff results from the PCS and VCS.
- Future seasons will implement a promotion and relegation model, allowing guest teams from domestic leagues to advance into the Tier-1 APAC ecosystem.
LCS, CBLoL, and LLA Become Americas League in 2025
Riot Games is restructuring its global League of Legends esports ecosystem for 2025, consolidating eight existing leagues into five.
- Riot Games is consolidating its global League of Legends esports ecosystem from eight leagues down to five for the 2025 season.
- The LCS, CBLoL, and LLA will merge into a single 'Americas League,' which will be divided into Northern and Southern conferences.
- The Southern Conference will be based at Riot Studios in São Paulo and will feature six existing CBLoL teams, one LLA team, and one tier-2 guest spot.
Oxygen Esports Launches Quick Fix Media
Oxygen Esports has established a new division, Quick Fix Media, designed to function as an independent content and media incubator for the esports industry.
- Oxygen Esports has launched Quick Fix Media, an independent incubator designed to provide strategic and material support to esports media outlets.
- The incubator's first partnership is with Rocket League coverage sites ShiftRLE and Octane, which will continue to operate autonomously.
- ShiftRLE is launching the Shift Summer League, a competitive event for top European and North American Rocket League teams.
Esports Awards Signs Three-Year Deal With Esports World Cup
The Esports Awards has entered into a three-year partnership with the Esports World Cup Foundation to relocate its annual ceremony to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
- The Esports Awards has entered a three-year partnership with the Esports World Cup Foundation to host its annual ceremony in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
- The 2024 edition of the Esports Awards is scheduled to take place on August 24 in Boulevard City, Riyadh.
- The event will feature a multi-faceted program including a red carpet, a Lifetime Achievement mixer, an Esports Village, and the awards ceremony.
ProGuides Users to Transition to Coachify Under New Deal
Aimlabs, a subsidiary of Statespace, has finalized a partnership with the gaming coaching platform Coachify to facilitate the migration of users and coaches from its ProGuides platform.
- Aimlabs, a subsidiary of Statespace, has officially shut down its coaching platform ProGuides and entered a partnership to transition its users and coaches to the platform Coachify.
- Coachify will honor existing ProGuides student credits for up to one year, provided they are spent with coaches who hold a Coachify Premium account.
- Transitioning coaches will receive a special badge or certification on Coachify to verify their previous status as accepted ProGuides instructors.