The Esports Advocate
Esports business news: deals, legal, and governance.
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Shikenso Analytics Partners With KRÜ Esports
Shikenso Analytics has entered into a strategic partnership with the Argentina-based esports organization KRÜ Esports.
- KRÜ Esports has entered into a data partnership with Shikenso Analytics to measure and benchmark the performance of its sponsorships across social and streaming channels.
- The partnership aims to provide the Argentina-based organization with concrete data to evaluate the effectiveness of its existing commercial partnerships.
- KRÜ Esports, founded in 2020 by former professional soccer player Sergio “Kun” Agüero, currently maintains competitive rosters in Valorant and Rocket League.
Team Vitality Renews Deal With Lille Olympique Sporting Club
Team Vitality has renewed its strategic partnership with the French football club Lille Olympique Sporting Club (LOSC) for the 2024 season.
- Team Vitality has renewed its partnership with Lille Olympique Sporting Club (LOSC) for the 2024 season.
- The partnership focuses on competing in the French EA SPORTS FC 24 scene and the eLigue1 Uber Eats championship.
- Team Vitality signed player Ilian Bouchi and coach Johann “ManiiKa” Simon to represent the organization in EA SPORTS FC 24.
miHoYo’s Honkai: Star Rail Sponsors Chinese Dota 2 Teams LGD Gaming and AR for The International
In October 2023, the game developer miHoYo announced a sponsorship deal between its role-playing title, Honkai: Star Rail, and two prominent Chinese Dota 2 teams, LGD Gaming and AzureRay.
- miHoYo’s game Honkai: Star Rail has secured sponsorship deals with Chinese Dota 2 teams LGD Gaming and AzureRay for The International 2023.
- This partnership marks a rare instance of a video game developer sponsoring an esports team competing in a title developed by a different company, Valve.
- The sponsorship branding, featuring the Honkai: Star Rail logo, will appear on the jerseys of both LGD Gaming and AzureRay during the tournament held in Seattle from October 12–29, 2023.
EA Sports NHL 24 World Championship Details Revealed
The National Hockey League has outlined the structure and operational details for the 2024 EA Sports NHL 24 World Championship.
- The EA Sports NHL 24 World Championship will culminate in an in-person World Final featuring six players: four from North America and two from Europe.
- Registration for the tournament opens in December 2023, with official competition beginning in January 2024 and concluding in April 2024.
- DreamHack Sports Games will produce the event, while Battlefy will provide support for the online portion of the competition.
Tundra Esports Partners With Ballantine’s Scotch Whisky
Tundra Esports, a UK-based professional gaming organization, has secured a sponsorship agreement with Ballantine’s Scotch whisky.
- Tundra Esports has named Ballantine’s Scotch whisky as its official spirit partner for the Dota 2 tournament, The International 2023.
- The partnership includes Ballantine’s branding on Tundra’s new official team jersey, which is scheduled for release on October 6, 2023.
- The collaboration will feature a bespoke behind-the-scenes content series focusing on the members of Tundra’s Dota 2 team.
Stripe Policy Change Will Likely Affect Top Esports Tournament Organizers
Stripe has implemented a significant policy change that restricts the use of its payment processing services for esports tournaments involving monetary or material prizes.
- Stripe has updated its policy to classify esports tournaments with monetary or material prizes as 'Gambling' under its 'Prohibited Businesses' list, effectively banning the use of its payment processing for these events.
- Microsoft-owned tournament organizer Start.gg is the first major platform to notify users of the change, stating that Stripe accounts cannot be linked to tournaments with paid events starting October 9, 2023.
- As of November 1, 2023, users will be unable to use Stripe to register for any tournaments that involve paid entry or prize money.
BLAST Secures $13.4M USD in Funding
BLAST, a prominent global esports tournament organizer and entertainment company, has secured approximately €12.7 million in new funding, equivalent to roughly $13.4 million USD.
- Esports tournament organizer BLAST secured approximately €12.7M ($13.4M USD) in a new funding round announced on September 28, 2023.
- The investment round was led by the Export and Investment Fund of Denmark (EIFO) alongside various internal investors.
- BLAST plans to utilize the capital to expand its global esports ecosystems and enhance its in-house production, broadcast, and technology product offerings.
LEC Announces Sporting Financial Regulations for 2024 LoL Esports Season
The League of Legends EMEA Championship (LEC) has introduced new Sporting Financial Regulations (SFR) effective for the 2024 season.
- The League of Legends EMEA Championship (LEC) will implement 'Sporting Financial Regulations' (SFR) starting with the 2024 season to promote long-term financial sustainability.
- Teams must maintain the combined salaries of their top five players within a specific range defined by an upper 'SFR Threshold' and a lower 'SFR Floor,' the latter being 50% of the threshold.
- The LEC explicitly clarified that these regulations do not constitute a hard player salary cap, as they do not ban specific payment amounts to individual players.
Layoffs Hit Hearthstone Development Team
In September 2023, Activision Blizzard implemented a round of layoffs affecting the development team for the digital card game Hearthstone. The reduction in force resulted in the departure of at least 10 employees.
- Activision Blizzard laid off at least 10 employees from the Hearthstone development team in September 2023.
- Affected staff reported that the layoffs were conducted without advance notice.
- Activision Blizzard characterized the cuts as organizational changes resulting in a small number of redundant roles.
Brian Cooley Named Chief Marketing Officer at PlayVS
PlayVS, a North American scholastic esports platform, appointed Brian Cooley as its new Chief Marketing Officer in September 2023.
- Brian Cooley has been appointed as the new Chief Marketing Officer of PlayVS, a North American scholastic esports platform.
- Cooley reunites at PlayVS with CEO Jon Chapman, with whom he previously worked at the corporate education technology company EverFi.
- Jon Chapman assumed the role of CEO at PlayVS in June 2023, succeeding interim CEO Joe Gibson and founder Delane Parnell, who stepped down in May 2023.
EA Details Esports Plans for EA Sports FC
Electronic Arts has unveiled the competitive framework for its new football franchise, EA Sports FC, introducing a global esports program titled FC Pro.
- Electronic Arts has launched 'FC Pro,' a new 1v1 esports program for the EA Sports FC franchise featuring a total prize pool of $1M USD.
- The inaugural FC Pro season begins in October 2023 and concludes with the FC Pro World Championship in June 2024.
- The competition will be played exclusively on the PlayStation 5 version of the game across 10 global regions.
Carvana Partners With NRG Esports for Special Rocket League Competition
Carvana and NRG Esports have entered a one-year partnership to launch the Carvana | NRG Combine, a Rocket League competition designed to identify and support emerging talent.
- Carvana has entered a one-year partnership with NRG Esports to host a Rocket League competition titled the Carvana | NRG Combine.
- The competition offers a $10,000 grand prize and a one-year content creator contract with Carvana and NRG to the winning student esports athlete.
- The event is open to student esports athletes aged 18 and older, with the final phase taking place at the NRG Castle in Los Angeles starting November 11.