The Esports Advocate
Esports business news: deals, legal, and governance.
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EA SPORTS FC Pro Hits Viewership Milestones
The EA SPORTS FC Pro esports program has achieved significant viewership milestones during its debut season, signaling strong engagement for the competitive circuit surrounding the EA SPORTS FC 24 title.
- The EA SPORTS FC Pro Open set a record as the most popular tournament in EA football esports history, achieving an average minute audience (AMA) of over 165,000 and more than 6 million hours watched between November 2023 and January 2024.
- Viewership for the FC Pro Open more than doubled compared to the previous year’s EA SPORTS Cup.
- Across its first six weeks, the FC Pro Open generated over 17.5 million views across 109 live channels, including official broadcasts and co-streams.
Esports World Cup to Host StarCraft II Championship
The ESL FACEIT Group has confirmed that the 2024 ESL Pro Tour Championship for StarCraft II will be held as part of the inaugural Esports World Cup in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
- The 2024 ESL Pro Tour Championship for StarCraft II will be hosted at the Esports World Cup in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, this summer.
- The tournament will feature 18 of the world's top StarCraft II players competing over five days for a prize pool that has yet to be announced.
- Joona “Serral” Sotala and Clément “Clem” Desplanches have secured the first two spots in the event based on their victories at the ESL SC2 Masters Summer and Winter tournaments.
ESL Veteran Niels Wolter Joins NODWIN Gaming
NODWIN Gaming, an India-based tournament operator and gaming festival company, has appointed industry veteran Niels Wolter as its new chief integration officer.
- Niels Wolter, a veteran executive with over 18 years of experience at ESL Gaming, has joined India-based tournament operator NODWIN Gaming as Chief Integration Officer.
- In his new role, Wolter will report directly to the NODWIN executive team to oversee the integration of company subsidiaries and optimize cross-network collaboration.
- This appointment follows NODWIN Gaming’s recent €8M ($8.67M USD) equity investment in the German esports marketing agency Freaks 4U Gaming, announced in January 2024.
BLEED Esports Partners With ZOWIE
Singapore-based organization BLEED Esports has entered into a strategic partnership with ZOWIE, the gaming and esports peripheral brand owned by BenQ.
- Singapore-based BLEED Esports has entered into a strategic partnership with the BenQ-owned gaming peripheral brand ZOWIE.
- Under the agreement, ZOWIE will supply gaming monitors to BLEED players and collaborate on an exclusive content series featuring behind-the-scenes footage and team highlights.
- The ZOWIE brand will receive prominent placement on BLEED’s official jerseys, social media channels, and streaming platforms.
LCS 2024 Spring Finals Changes: North America
Riot Games has announced a strategic shift for the 2024 League of Legends Championship Series (LCS) Spring Finals, moving the event from a traditional external venue to the Riot Games Arena in Los Angeles.
- Riot Games will host the 2024 LCS Spring Finals at the Riot Games Arena in Los Angeles on March 30–31, moving away from the previous year's external roadshow model.
- Riot Games is reducing the total number of roadshows for both the LCS and LLA leagues as part of a strategic shift in investment priorities.
- The company plans to retain a roadshow format for the 2024 Summer Finals, with specific location and activation details to be announced later in the year.
ESL FACEIT Group Goes All-In on Acer
The ESL FACEIT Group (EFG) has announced a significant expansion of its long-standing partnership with Acer, establishing the PC manufacturer as the exclusive original equipment manufacturer (OEM) for its major 2024 esports tournament circuits.
- ESL FACEIT Group (EFG) has extended and expanded its partnership with Acer, naming the company the exclusive original equipment manufacturer (OEM) for its 2024 Dota 2 and Counter-Strike 2 tournament circuits.
- Acer’s Predator gaming brand will provide hardware for major 2024 events, including the Intel Extreme Masters (IEM) series, ESL Pro League Seasons 19 and 20, ESL Challenger tournaments, and DreamLeague Seasons 21 through 23.
- The partnership includes the integration of specific Predator hardware, such as the Helios 16, Helios 18, and Helios Neo laptops, alongside the Orion series desktops, across both online and offline tournament environments.
ESL FACEIT Group Partners With white.market
The ESL FACEIT Group (EFG) has entered into a strategic partnership with white.market, a peer-to-peer trading platform for Counter-Strike skins.
- ESL FACEIT Group (EFG) has entered a partnership with the peer-to-peer Counter-Strike skin trading platform white.market to integrate the service into its Counter-Strike 2 competitive ecosystem.
- The partnership covers the ESL Pro Tour and the FACEIT digital platform, specifically targeting users in the EU and Latin American regions.
- White.market will gain visibility through branded events, missions, and on-site activations at live ESL Pro Tour events, including the Intel Extreme Masters Katowice 2024.
Tradeit.gg Sponsors EPIC.LAN’s EPIC41
The UK-based esports organization EPIC.LAN has secured a sponsorship deal with the skin trading platform Tradeit.gg for its upcoming EPIC41 event.
- Skin trading platform Tradeit.gg has signed a sponsorship deal with UK-based esports organizer EPIC.LAN for the upcoming EPIC41 event.
- The EPIC41 Counter-Strike 2 BYOC LAN tournament is scheduled to take place from February 22–25, 2024, at the Kettering Leisure Village in the UK.
- The partnership will provide increased prize pools for all Counter-Strike 2 competitions held during the event.
GameAddik Acquires Elusive Talent Agency
GameAddik, a Quebec-based marketing and ad-tech firm, has acquired Elusive Talent Agency to bolster its influencer marketing capabilities.
- Quebec-based marketing firm GameAddik has acquired Elusive Talent Agency for an undisclosed amount to expand its influencer marketing capabilities.
- Elusive Talent Agency, founded in 2018, represents over 100 creators with a collective audience of 20 million and 100 million monthly YouTube views.
- As part of the acquisition, Elusive founder and CEO Kieran John will join GameAddik as the new vice president of talent.
NODWIN Gaming Invests $8.67M in Freaks 4U Gaming
NODWIN Gaming, a prominent gaming and esports festival company, has finalized an equity investment of €8 million ($8.67 million USD) in the Berlin-based marketing agency Freaks 4U Gaming.
- NODWIN Gaming has acquired a 13.51% stake in Berlin-based agency Freaks 4U Gaming through an €8 million ($8.67 million USD) equity investment.
- The total investment consists of a converted €3.6 million ($3.9 million USD) loan and a new €4.4 million ($4.77 million USD) purchase of additional shares.
- The partnership grants both companies exclusive access to each other's personnel, equipment, and facilities in their respective key territories.
Sentinels Partner With BenQ’s ZOWIE
The Los Angeles-based esports organization Sentinels has entered into a strategic partnership with ZOWIE, the gaming and esports peripherals brand owned by BenQ.
- Los Angeles-based esports organization Sentinels has entered into a partnership with BenQ’s gaming peripherals brand, ZOWIE, for the 2024 calendar year.
- The partnership focuses on promoting ZOWIE’s new product lineup, specifically the DyAc 2 monitor series, which includes a 540Hz model.
- Sentinels will create content highlighting why professional players choose ZOWIE hardware and will likely feature the brand on team jerseys and social media channels.
Bright Up Agency Teams With Shikenso Analytics
Bright Up Agency, a Berlin-based marketing firm specializing in esports and gaming, has entered into a strategic partnership with Shikenso Analytics, a Germany-based provider of sponsorship and marketing data.
- Berlin-based marketing agency Bright Up Agency has entered into a strategic partnership with Shikenso Analytics to utilize its AI-driven tools for sponsorship and performance measurement.
- Bright Up Agency will leverage Shikenso’s data solutions to provide its clients with insights into sponsorship values, industry trends, and performance metrics.
- Bright Up Agency was officially launched on January 18, 2024, by industry veterans Dominic Müller and Marco Niemann.