Movies/TV

Linear esports channel ESTV has joined forces with North American amateur esports training club Esports Tower. The exclusive partnership will see both parties showcase the Esports Tower Rumble series to a global audience.  Image credit: ESTV RELATED: ESTV inks partnership with Betegy David Adams, CEO and founder of Esports Tower, spoke on the announcement: “We are

Esports tournament organiser PGL has named analysis and visualisation company Skybox Technologies as an official partner for the PGL Major Stockholm 2021 CS:GO championship.  As a part of the agreement, PGL will use Skybox Technologies’ 3D match visualisation and analysis software. This will power both real-time and post-match insights and analysis during broadcasts of the

Esports tournament organiser ESL has announced the promotion of Andreas Jernberg to Managing Director of ESL Nordics Through his new role, Jernberg will take on responsibility for ESL’s products in the Nordic market, including the two original DreamHack festivals Summer and Winter. Image credit: ESL Gaming/ Andreas Jernberg via LinkedIn RELATED: ESL Pro League adds Furia,

Peripherals brand HyperX has been named as a partner for VCT Game Changers, Riot Games’ VALORANT programme that provides opportunities for women in the scene.  According to the release, the partnership will focus on VCT Game Changers EMEA and is expected to last for the remainder of the series’ first season. Any details regarding activations

The University of York and esports production company Promod Esports have teamed up to launch a new esports production studio. According to the release, the project is the UK’s first university-led esports production studio. The university’s ‘3Sixty’ room has been transformed into a research and development space, teaching facility, and commercial studio for esports production.

Singapore-based esports and gaming company Tier One Entertainment has announced its first foray outside Southeast Asia by expanding to Japan. The expansion will see Tier One open an office in Japan this year. The brand will also look to increase its presence in the country by hiring local personnel.  Image credit: Tier One Entertainment RELATED:

Esports technology startup Champria announced a $1m (£ 730k) pre-seed round led by Kickstart Fund, a venture capital fund from the United States. Aside from Kickstart Fund, the round also included the New Mexico Arrowhead Innovation Fund, Gokul Rajaram, David Carrico, and a number of other angel investors. Image credit: Champria RELATED: FaZe Clan secures

Esports tournament organiser PGL has announced a commercial partnership with German IT company Shikenso Analytics. The deal will see Shikenso Analytics provide data insights and analytics for PGL’s Stockholm CS:GO Major.  Image credit: PGL RELATED: ZOWIE named official monitor partner of PGL Major Stockholm 2021 As a result of the agreement, Shikenso Analytics will offer

Esports technology company ESE Entertainment has reached a definitive share purchase agreement to acquire European esports media firm Frenzy. The deal will see ESE acquire 100 per cent of Frenzy for a price of CAD $1,242,500 (~£726.2k) in cash and 656,606 common shares of the company. Moreover, an extra CAD $1,242,500 will be payable over six

This piece first appeared in Edition 9 of The Esports Journal RELATED: Skyler Johnson on CTRL’s inception, place in esports Like so many of today’s North American esports royalty, Skyler Johnson started the grind by finding heads with his crosshairs in Call of Duty 4. Before there was really such a thing, Johnson was a proto-professional

ZOWIE, the esports division of technology and electronics corporation BenQ, has been named as the official monitor partner of the PGL Major Stockholm 2021. As a result, the division will provide monitors to all teams taking part in the CS:GO tournament. Image credit: ZOWIE, PGL RELATED: Fantasyexpo secures PGL Major Stockholm broadcasting rights in eight countries

North American esports organisation FaZe Clan has announced details of a merger with B.Riley Principal 150 Merger Corp (BRPM).  The company will thus become a publicly listed company on NASDAQ in the following months. The transaction implies the valuation of the company is in excess of $1B (~£726.2M), thus making FaZe the first ‘esports unicorn’

Esports bookmaker Pinnacle has announced the third edition of its Pinnacle Cup CS:GO tournament.  The cup, set to be played between November 8th – 23rd, will once again feature a $100,000 prize pool, with the victor receiving $80,000.  Image credit: Pinnacle, GRID RELATED: Pinnacle Solution launches Esports Hub betting platform Pinnacle has also revealed that

Middle Eastern esports organisation NASR Esports has announced a partnership with short-form video social media platform TikTok. As a result of the deal, TikTok branding featured on the team’s newly redesigned jersey. Moreover, the partnership will include content collaborations aiming to engage both parties within MENA’s gaming community. Image credit: NASR Esports RELATED: Galaxy Racer

Esports Insider is set to make its return to offline events with ESI London on November 8th-9th.  The must-attend event is for anyone interested in esports’ ever-evolving business world. However, if you are still unsure on whether to purchase a ticket, here are five reasons to attend ESI London 2021. RELATED: Esports industry showcase ESI

Each week, ESI Digest breaks down the weekly happenings in the esports industry, making sense of things so you don’t have to. As well as being housed on YouTube, ESI Digest is available on all major podcast platforms and is also available in written form below. On this week’s ESI Digest we cover; FURIA, BIG

Game developer Riot Games has announced that the finals of the 2021 League of Legends World Championship will be broadcast in cinemas. According to the release, over 70 cinemas across Europe will host the finals on November 6th, with tickets are already available on the official website for the event. As with every year, finals

Connecticut’s legal sports betting legislature, which includes language permitting licensed operators in the state to accept wagers on esports events, has officially come into effect this week. The bill HB 6451, authorising legal sports betting in the state, was passed earlier this year and launched officially in Connecticut on Tuesday. In the bill, esports is

UK-based esports organisation Guild Esports has announced the termination of its partnership with an unnamed European fintech company. In the release, the company has cited ‘delays in the sponsor’s launch and the payment of sums’ as the main reasons for the deal’s cancellation. (ESI Illustration) Image credit: Guild Esports, Chris Liverani RELATED: Guild Esports announces

Collegiate esports tournament organiser CSL Esports has announced a series of partnerships for the NACE Starleague.Peripherals firm CORSAIR, glasses manufacturer GUNNAR Optiks, gaming chair firm MAVIX, coaching platform Metafy and fitness company Future will all serve as sponsors of the collegiate esports league. Image credit: NACE Starleague RELATED: CSL Esports breaks down its new partnership

The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award (DofE) has announced that esports will be added to its DofE programmes.  According to the release, young people will now be able to pick esports as their DofE Skills activity. Esports must take place through an ‘organised and structured adult-led group’ in order to be recognised as a ‘skills activity’.

UK-based innovation hub HOST has announced the launch of the HOST Esports Studio at MediaCity, Salford. Alongside the launch, HOST has also announced partnerships with UK-based organisation Vexed Gaming and the University of Salford. Image credit: HOST RELATED: Durham University teams up with LDN UTD The Esports Studio will offer a training ground for esports,

This piece first appeared in Edition 9 of The Esports Journal RELATED: Southern University Law Center enters partnership with Esport Supply One of the key takeaways from the pandemic that we’re still struggling with is the fact that virtual schooling is simply not as effective as real-life teaching, even though the technology is in place to

Game publisher Riot Games, in collaboration with German automotive giant Mercedes-Benz, has unveiled a commemorative championship ring for the 2021 League of Legends World Championship. Riot Games and Mercedes-Benz will present each member of the 2021 World Championship winning team with one of the custom-fitted championship rings following the Worlds Final in Reykjavik, Iceland. Image

Famously critical, protective of their passions, and very online — video gaming audiences can be tough to crack into.  Growing a community on popular gamer platforms like Twitch, Twitter, Reddit and YouTube can be a daunting task for brands. As a result, activations get outsourced to marketing and social media agencies, each with different strategies

Tournament organiser ESL has unveiled BIG, Furia and Heroic as the latest partner teams for the ESL Pro League. According to the release, the three teams applied for a spot in the ‘Louvre Agreement’ individually, with the bids totalling almost $20m (~£14.5m).  Image credit: ESL RELATED: ESL Gaming unveils Norton partnership In March this year,

German television broadcaster SPORT1 and video game developer Psyonix have extended its existing Rocket League partnership.  As a result, the 2021-22 Rocket League Championship Series (RLCS) will be shown live on eSPORTS1 and eSportsONE in select European countries. Image credit: Psyonix RELATED: Activision Blizzard expands media rights deal with SPORT1 The year-long extension includes some European RLCS matches being

London-based organisation Fnatic has appointed Stuart Brown, formerly of The Football Association (FA), as its first Esports Operations Lead.  According to a release, the newly created role intends to provide all of Fnatic’s rosters with ‘best-in-class team management’. (ESI Illustration) Image credit: Fnatic RELATED: Fnatic announces ASOS as Official Retail Fashion Partner Brown joins the organisation

Swedish esports organisation Ninjas in Pyjamas and investment platform Aser Ventures have announced the launch of a joint venture called Shinobi Sports. The new venture will offer a suite of management, studio, and media services to sports teams looking to explore esports. Image credit: NiP / Aser Ventures RELATED: Ninjas in Pyjamas joins the LPL,

College esports social network Brag House has announced partnerships with McDonald’s and Coca-Cola for an esports tailgate party at the University of Texas at Dallas. As part of the deal, McDonald’s will provide food including chicken sandwiches, fries and cookies. Meanwhile, Coca-Cola will provide Coke products and will have a huge inflatable Frozen Fanta on