The Esports Advocate
Esports business news: deals, legal, and governance.
Documents
FaZe Holdings Board Fires CEO Lee Trink
FaZe Holdings officially terminated the employment of CEO Lee Trink on September 9, 2023.
- FaZe Holdings terminated CEO Lee Trink on September 9, 2023, requiring his immediate resignation from the company's board of directors.
- Christoph Pachler, who serves as FaZe's Chief Operating Officer and Chief Financial Officer, has been appointed as interim CEO effective immediately.
- The leadership change follows the September 1, 2023, departure of Daniel Shribman, the chairman of the board and chief investment officer of B. Riley Financial, which is FaZe's largest shareholder.
Longtime Epic Games Exec Donald Mustard Announces His Retirement
Donald Mustard, the longtime Chief Creative Officer at Epic Games, announced his retirement in September 2023, marking the end of a nearly 25-year career in the gaming industry.
- Donald Mustard, the Chief Creative Officer at Epic Games, announced his retirement from the company in September 2023.
- Mustard is widely recognized as a primary architect of Fortnite, overseeing its expansion into the battle royale genre and its extensive series of pop culture and entertainment crossovers.
- Mustard joined Epic Games in 2008 following the company's acquisition of ChAIR Entertainment, a studio he co-founded in 2005.
Enthusiast Gaming and Metavision Collaborate with Netflix to Launch ONE PIECE Fortnite Content
Enthusiast Gaming and Metavision have partnered with Netflix to launch a promotional experience within Fortnite Creative, marking a significant milestone as the first instance of a streaming service utilizing the platform to deliver branded gaming content.
- Enthusiast Gaming and Metavision collaborated with Netflix to launch a custom Fortnite Creative experience promoting the live-action adaptation of the ONE PIECE manga series.
- This project marks the first instance of a streaming service utilizing the Fortnite Creative platform to deliver a promotional gaming experience to its audience.
- The custom map, designed by 3D Lab using the Unreal Editor for Fortnite (UEFN), features a ship-to-ship combat mode between the Straw Hats and the Marines.
2023 LEC Finals Broadcast Partners Announced
Riot Games has finalized its broadcast and co-streaming partnerships for the 2023 League of Legends EMEA Championship (LEC) Season Finals, held in Montpellier, France, on September 9–10, 2023.
- Riot Games announced the broadcast and co-streaming partners for the 2023 LEC Season Finals, which took place in Montpellier, France, on September 9–10, 2023.
- The event featured localized broadcasts in 15 different languages, supported by regional partners including OTP (France), LVP (Spain), Frenzy (Poland), and Afreeca (South Korea).
- The 2023 LEC Season Finals featured competition between six teams: Fnatic, MAD Lions, G2 Esports, Team BDS, EXCEL, and SK Gaming.
OverActive Media Launches Content Creator Academy
OverActive Media, a publicly traded Canadian esports and gaming organization, has launched the Content Creator Academy to expand its influence and engagement capabilities within the creator economy.
- OverActive Media has launched the 'Content Creator Academy,' an initiative featuring a roster of 20 influencers aligned with its professional esports teams.
- The academy's roster supports the company's competitive teams, including the Toronto Ultra (Call of Duty League), Toronto Defiant (Overwatch League), and MAD Lions (League of Legends EMEA Championship).
- The initiative leverages a combined reach of over 15 million followers across streaming and social media platforms, including Twitch, YouTube, TikTok, Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and Trovo.
LGD Gaming Ends Five-Year Partnership With PSG for Dota 2 Team
Chinese esports organization LGD Gaming has officially concluded its five-year partnership with the French football club Paris Saint-Germain (PSG).
- LGD Gaming has ended its five-year partnership with French football club Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) for its Dota 2 team, effective September 2023.
- The team will revert to competing under the LGD Gaming brand name, dropping the PSG.LGD moniker immediately ahead of The International 2023 tournament.
- The partnership, which began on April 19, 2018, resulted in significant competitive success, including second-place finishes at The International 2018 and 2021.
Overwatch League in Talks With Third-Party Tournament Organizers for 2024
Activision Blizzard is reportedly in negotiations with third-party tournament organizers to facilitate the Overwatch League circuit for the 2024 season.
- Activision Blizzard is in negotiations with third-party tournament organizers to facilitate the Overwatch League circuit for the 2024 season.
- The league is reportedly in talks with ESL FACEIT Group to manage competitions in North America and Europe.
- Current production partner WDG Esports is being considered to handle Overwatch League operations in Asia.
International Olympic Committee Forms Esports Commission
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has formally established an Esports Commission to oversee the integration of virtual sports into the Olympic movement.
- The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has established an official Esports Commission to explore the integration of virtual sports into the Olympic movement.
- David Lappartient, the current president of the Union Cycliste Internationale and former head of the IOC Esports Liaison Group, has been appointed to chair the new commission.
- The IOC maintains a strict policy against including popular competitive titles featuring violence, such as League of Legends, Dota 2, Valorant, and Counter-Strike 2.
London Royal Ravens Moving to Charlotte, North Carolina
The Call of Duty League franchise formerly known as the London Royal Ravens has officially relocated to Charlotte, North Carolina, and rebranded as the Carolina Royal Ravens.
- The London Royal Ravens have officially relocated to Charlotte, North Carolina, and rebranded as the Carolina Royal Ravens.
- This move marks the end of the Call of Duty League's presence in Europe, following the previous relocation of the Paris Legion to Las Vegas.
- The franchise is owned by Infinite Reality, which acquired the team's parent company, ReKTGlobal, in a $470 million all-stock deal in July 2022.
Murty Shah Leaves Rocket League Esports Leadership Role for Game Development
Murty Shah, a long-standing leader in the Rocket League esports ecosystem, has transitioned from his role as product and operations lead for Rocket League Esports to a new position as product manager for the game itself at Psyonix and its parent company, Epic Games.
- Murty Shah has transitioned from his role as product and operations lead for Rocket League Esports to become a product manager for the core Rocket League game at Psyonix/Epic Games.
- Shah’s move marks the end of an eight-year tenure in the Rocket League esports division, during which he helped build the program from online weekly events to the professional-level Rocket League Championship Series (RLCS).
- In his new capacity as product manager, Shah will focus on the ongoing development and future of the Rocket League game title while based in Los Angeles.
eFuse Postpones Creators League, Announces Layoffs
In September 2023, the esports software company eFuse initiated a significant corporate restructuring, resulting in a series of layoffs across multiple departments.
- eFuse has initiated a company-wide restructuring involving layoffs across multiple departments, with reports estimating the number of affected employees in the dozens.
- The company has officially postponed its 'Creators League' project following community backlash regarding its undisclosed use of blockchain technology.
- eFuse is offering full refunds to all customers who purchased community passes for the Creators League, with processing expected to take approximately seven days.
How Free Fire (Probably) Saved Galaxy Racer India
Galaxy Racer India recently avoided a total shutdown and the layoff of its seven full-time staff members, securing a conditional six-month extension for its operations.
- Galaxy Racer (GXR) reversed plans to shut down its India division and lay off seven full-time employees, opting instead to keep the office open for at least six more months.
- The decision to maintain operations was driven by Garena’s announcement that the mobile battle royale game Free Fire would return to the Indian market.
- GXR India had previously struggled with revenue and viewership after the Indian government banned Free Fire in February 2022 due to national security concerns.