The Esports Advocate
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Seasoned Riot Games Veteran Joins Mobile Global Esports
Mobile Global Esports (NASDAQ: MGAM) has appointed Devin Murphy as its new director of strategic development.
- Mobile Global Esports (NASDAQ: MGAM) has appointed Devin Murphy as its new director of strategic development to help establish best practices in the Indian university esports sector.
- Devin Murphy brings over eight years of experience from Riot Games, where he served in various roles including senior esports event coordinator for the League of Legends Championship Series (LCS).
- The hiring of Murphy occurs while Mobile Global Esports faces significant corporate instability, including a potential Nasdaq delisting following a deficiency warning issued in April 2023.
Overwatch League Forgives Delinquent Franchise Fees of All Teams
Activision Blizzard has eliminated all outstanding entry fees for the 20 franchises participating in the Overwatch League.
- Activision Blizzard has eliminated all outstanding franchise entry fees for all 20 Overwatch League teams across Europe, Asia, and North America.
- The decision to forgive these debts, which were estimated last year to total between $390 million and $420 million across the Overwatch League and Call of Duty League, is viewed as a move to clean up the company's balance sheet ahead of its acquisition by Microsoft.
- Publicly-traded esports company OverActive Media was the first to confirm an agreement to eliminate its outstanding fees, which also included a new sponsorship deal with the league.
Overwatch League Eliminates OverActive Media’s Outstanding Entry Fees
OverActive Media, a publicly traded esports organization, reached a significant financial agreement with the Overwatch League (OWL) in June 2023.
- OverActive Media reached an agreement with the Overwatch League (OWL) to eliminate all outstanding franchise entry fees.
- The deal, which includes the elimination of fees, a new sponsorship agreement, and an early payment of league revenue share, is valued at $10.8 million CAD ($8.04 million USD).
- The majority of the financial impact from this agreement will be recorded by OverActive Media in the 2023 fiscal year.
Play for Power: The LCS Lockout Battle Begins
The League of Legends Championship Series (LCS) faced a significant labor dispute in June 2023, triggered by a walkout organized by the LCS Players Association (LCSPA).
- LCS players voted to stage a walkout at the start of the Summer Split to protest Riot Games' decision to remove the requirement for franchised teams to field North American Challenger League (NACL) rosters.
- The policy change eliminated a mandate that previously required teams to use a portion of their $2M–$3M annual stipend to operate secondary teams, resulting in only three of the ten franchised organizations committing to maintain an NACL presence.
- The LCS Players Association (LCSPA) is currently not a formal union, though Executive Director Phil Aram indicated that the walkout serves as a foundational step toward potential future unionization.
XSET Makes Strategic Staff Cuts
XSET, an esports and gaming lifestyle organization, initiated strategic staff reductions in early June 2023.
- XSET has initiated staff reductions within its content production department, marking the company's first layoffs of 2023.
- At least two employees were let go as part of a strategic effort to streamline the department and operate under a leaner budget.
- The layoffs occurred in early June 2023, shortly after the company announced a new partnership with esports venue operator Glytch.
GameSquare’s Ninja Labs and Complexity Partner With Vivior
GameSquare, a publicly traded esports and gaming organization, has entered into a strategic partnership with the Swiss vision care startup Vivior.
- GameSquare has entered a partnership with Swiss vision care startup Vivior, involving its subsidiaries Complexity Gaming, Ninja Labs, and ZONED Gaming.
- Ninja Labs and Vivior will collaborate to develop a gamified health and wellness platform that rewards users with in-game items and real-life prizes for healthy habits.
- The partnership includes the development of products designed to mitigate physical issues common in gaming, such as vision strain, poor posture, and blue light exposure.
M80 Secures $3M in Seed Funding Round
The esports organization M80 successfully secured $3 million in a seed funding round, as announced in June 2023.
- Esports organization M80 secured $3 million in a seed funding round led by ExpertDojo, VT Technology Ventures, and Practical Venture Capital.
- M80 plans to utilize the capital to expand its operations across esports, content creation, and consumer products.
- The company is launching a new division called M80 Labs to transition into a web3-enabled gaming and esports entity.
XSET Partners With Glytch
The esports and gaming lifestyle organization XSET has entered into a one-year partnership with Glytch, a company specializing in the development of esports stadiums.
- Esports and gaming lifestyle organization XSET has entered into a one-year partnership with esports stadium developer Glytch.
- The agreement includes branding placement for Glytch on XSET team jerseys, social media channels, and streaming platforms like Twitch and YouTube.
- XSET and Glytch will collaborate on original content featuring XSET’s professional Apex Legends and Valorant teams.
HyperX Partners With Arizona State University for Player Performance Prediction Study
HyperX partnered with the adidas-ASU Center for Engagement Science Lab at Arizona State University to conduct a study focused on identifying the physiological and psychological triggers of negative player behaviors, specifically "tilting" and "rage quitting."
- HyperX sponsored a six-month study at the Arizona State University (ASU) Center for Engagement Science Lab to analyze the biometric triggers behind gamer 'tilt' and 'rage quitting.'
- Researchers collected biometric data—including heart rate, skin conductivity, eye movement, and facial expressions—from 45 experienced gamers playing League of Legends, Valorant, and Call of Duty.
- A machine learning algorithm trained on the collected data successfully predicted player 'tilt' 15 to 20 minutes before it occurred in test subjects.
Wisdom Gaming Cuts Staff in Fresh Round of Layoffs
Wisdom Gaming, a Bloomington, Minnesota-based esports production company and tournament organizer, has initiated its fourth round of staff layoffs since the summer of 2022.
- Wisdom Gaming is facing a severe financial crisis and may face bankruptcy within a few months if it fails to secure additional capital.
- The company initiated a new round of layoffs in May 2023, resulting in the termination of 17 employees.
- This latest reduction marks the fourth round of staff cuts at Wisdom Gaming since the summer of 2022, leaving approximately 30 employees remaining at the company.
LPL and LCK Players to Skip Road to Asian Games
Professional players from China’s League of Legends Pro League (LPL) and South Korea’s League of Legends Champions Korea (LCK) will not participate in the Road to Asian Games, a qualifying event for the 19th Hangzhou Asian Games.
- Professional players from China’s League of Legends Pro League (LPL) and South Korea’s League of Legends Champions Korea (LCK) will not participate in the Road to Asian Games qualifying event.
- The decision to skip the event, scheduled for June 15 – July 16 in Macau, is primarily due to scheduling conflicts with ongoing league-related competitions.
- The Road to Asian Games serves as a qualifying tournament for the 19th Hangzhou Asian Games, but participation is not mandatory for teams to compete in the main event.
South Korea Approves Microsoft Acquisition of Activision Blizzard
The Korea Fair Trade Commission has officially approved Microsoft’s proposed $69 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard.
- The Korea Fair Trade Commission has officially approved Microsoft’s $69 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard.
- China’s State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR) has granted unconditional approval for the $68 billion merger.
- South Korea joins a growing list of jurisdictions that have cleared the deal, including the European Union, Japan, Saudi Arabia, Brazil, Serbia, Chile, and Ukraine.