The Esports Advocate
Esports business news: deals, legal, and governance.
Documents
Roland-Garros eSeries by Renault 2024 Finalists Revealed
The French Tennis Federation has announced the eight finalists for the 2024 Roland-Garros eSeries by Renault, a mobile esports tournament featuring the game Tennis Clash.
- The French Tennis Federation has finalized the eight competitors for the Roland-Garros eSeries by Renault 2024, which will take place in Paris on May 25.
- The tournament's open qualifiers for the mobile game Tennis Clash attracted over 500,000 participants across 215 territories, resulting in more than 7.3 million matches played.
- The final event will be held at the Roland-Garros auditorium and is supported by official partners Mastercard and Renault.
Abios Powers Team Vitality Fan Engagement
Abios, an esports data and technology provider, has entered into a long-term partnership with the Paris-based esports organization Team Vitality.
- Esports data provider Abios has entered a long-term partnership with Team Vitality to supply match data for the organization's fan engagement prediction tool.
- The prediction tool allows fans to forecast Team Vitality's match outcomes to earn points, which can be redeemed for prizes such as merchandise and experiences with professional players.
- This initiative is an expansion of Team Vitality’s existing fan engagement ecosystem, which centers on the V.Hive app launched in November 2022.
GGTech Partners With Costa Coffee: Mexico
GGTech Entertainment has entered into a strategic partnership with Costa Coffee, a brand owned by The Coca-Cola Company, to integrate the coffee chain into its esports ecosystem in Mexico.
- GGTech Entertainment has partnered with Costa Coffee, a Coca-Cola Company brand, to integrate the brand into UNIVERSITY Esports and GAMERGY events in Mexico.
- The partnership includes brand activations and the development of a custom, brand-focused map within the game Fortnite.
- UNIVERSITY Esports is a global collegiate circuit operating in 26 countries across four continents, involving over 100,000 students from more than 2,000 universities.
Riot Announces Liga Republika 2024 for the Philippines
Riot Games has announced the launch of Liga Republika 2024, an expanded competitive League of Legends circuit for the Philippines.
- Riot Games has launched Liga Republika 2024, an expanded competitive League of Legends circuit for the Philippines that succeeds the 2023 Empyrean Cup.
- The tournament will feature 384 participating regional teams from Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao, representing a significant increase from the 256 teams that competed in 2023.
- The competition structure includes a May Kickoff Invitational, public open qualifiers from June to August, and a group stage in August for the top 16 teams.
Disguised Valorant Player JAYH Suspended for Suspicion of Match-Fixing
Valorant Challengers Malaysia & Singapore has issued a provisional suspension to professional player Wong "JAYH" Jia Heng, a member of the Disguised team, due to allegations of match-fixing.
- Valorant Challengers Malaysia & Singapore has issued a provisional suspension to professional player Wong 'JAYH' Jia Heng due to an investigation into alleged match-fixing.
- While the official charge is match-fixing, reports indicate the investigation centers on allegations that JAYH bet on a match involving his former team, NIP Group, in 2023.
- JAYH has publicly denied the match-fixing allegations, asserting that he has never engaged in such activities and was not contacted by tournament officials prior to the public announcement of his suspension.
Red Bull Wololo: El Reinado 2024
Red Bull has announced the return of its premier Age of Empires LAN tournament series, titled Red Bull Wololo: El Reinado.
- Red Bull will host the seventh edition of its Age of Empires LAN tournament, titled 'Red Bull Wololo: El Reinado,' from October 3–6, 2024, at Castillo de Almodóvar del Río in Cordoba, Spain.
- The tournament will feature competition across four titles: Age of Empires I, Age of Empires II, Age of Empires IV, and Age of Mythology: Retold.
- Official qualifiers for the event begin on April 30, with specific qualification processes tailored to each game, including online tournaments, in-game ladder rankings, and direct invites for reigning champions.
Talon Esports Partners With Planet Mojo
Talon Esports, a prominent Hong Kong-based organization, has entered into a strategic partnership with the Web3 gaming ecosystem Planet Mojo.
- Hong Kong-based esports organization Talon Esports has entered into a strategic partnership with the Web3 gaming ecosystem Planet Mojo.
- Talon Esports will provide professional player feedback and regional market expertise to assist in the development and balancing of Planet Mojo's upcoming mobile autochess game, Mojo Melee.
- The collaboration includes plans for Talon Esports to help design and facilitate future tournaments and competitive events for the game.
XP League North American Finals: Full Sail University
The XP League has announced that its 2024 North American Finals will return to Full Sail University in Orlando, Florida, marking the third consecutive year the institution has served as the event’s title sponsor.
- The 2024 XP League North American Finals will be held at Full Sail University’s Orlando Health Fortress in Orlando, Florida, from June 28–30, 2024.
- Full Sail University is serving as the event’s title sponsor for the third consecutive year.
- The tournament will feature over 250 youth competitors playing titles including Apex Legends, Fortnite, Overwatch 2, Rocket League, and Valorant.
ProGuides Will Shut Down at the End of May
ProGuides, an esports coaching platform, is set to cease operations at the end of May 2024.
- The esports coaching platform ProGuides is scheduled to wind down operations at the end of May 2024.
- Parent company Statespace, which acquired ProGuides in November 2022, has not provided official comment regarding the closure.
- Founded in 2015, ProGuides raised approximately $7.4 million in funding across three rounds prior to its acquisition.
Doppelherz Sponsors JingDong Gaming
German supplement brand Doppelherz has entered into a sponsorship agreement with the League of Legends Pro League (LPL) team JingDong Gaming (JDG).
- German supplement brand Doppelherz has signed a sponsorship deal with the League of Legends Pro League (LPL) team JingDong Gaming (JDG).
- The partnership includes branding placement on the left shoulder of the team's official jerseys.
- Financial terms and the specific duration of the sponsorship agreement were not disclosed.
Zenni Optical Partners With Evo
Zenni Optical has entered into a strategic partnership with the Evolution Championship Series (Evo), marking the first time the long-running fighting game tournament series has appointed an official eyewear partner.
- Zenni Optical has been named the first official eyewear partner in the history of the Evolution Championship Series (Evo).
- The partnership includes a branding presence at both Evo Japan and the main Evo 2024 event, which is scheduled for July 19–21, 2024, at the Las Vegas Convention Center.
- Zenni Optical and Evo will collaborate on educational content regarding eye health and launch a co-branded eyewear collection.
BIG Partners With Logitech G
Berlin International Gaming (BIG), a prominent Germany-based esports organization, has entered into a global strategic partnership with Logitech G. The collaboration aims to strengthen the presence of the Logitech G PRO Series within the German gaming market while leveraging BIG’s professional rosters to enhance brand…
- Berlin International Gaming (BIG) has entered into a global strategic partnership with Logitech G to promote the brand's professional-grade peripheral series.
- Logitech G will supply BIG’s professional rosters with its PRO Series lineup, which includes specialized headsets, mice, and keyboards.
- The partnership includes branding visibility for Logitech G across BIG’s social media channels, streaming platforms, and official team jerseys.