12/10/20: DreamHack’s new look; Tespa shutters brand; Wim Stocks exits

Good morning! (aka Cyberpunk Day) This is your weekly Esports Brief.

The annual DreamHack Day brought news yesterday that the long-running esports circuit was undergoing a brand refresh with an identity focused on the gaming community. The new look was created in partnership with WPP brand agency Superunion with the marketing initiative featuring a “reinvigorated logo, dynamic color palette, bold typeface, and energized graphics.”

“We are super excited to share this refreshed DreamHack brand — it both celebrates our first 25 years, and looks ahead at our next 25 years,” said Marcus Lindmark, President, DreamHack and SVP, Project and Event Operations at ESL Gaming. “It is vital for us to continue being an arena where our community can come to connect, explore, win, play a part, and be themselves through the gaming lifestyle experience.”

In addition, the company is launching “8 Weeks of DreamHack” on social media beginning Dec. 14. Highlights include a retrospective of BYOC through the years; a live Q&A with members of the DreamHack crew; a Best of Main Stage, including Fashion Show highlights, music performance highlights, and more; a Cosplay Hall of Fame; and more.

COMPETITION

Collegiate esports tentpole brand Tespa is being retired. The Activision Blizzard brand is also opting to cancel Chapter Programming as a result of COVID-19. The announcement noted that, starting in 2021, the company’s collegiate initiatives will focus on evolving its Overwatch, Hearthstone, and Call of Duty programming “to focus on the franchises that our students continue to be passionate about!” “Our vision isn’t changing – we believe in the power of gaming as a force for good, and want to bring people together through meaningful experiences,” the announcement read. “Our collegiate competitions will be continuing this Spring, and we can’t wait to share those announcements with everyone, along with some other secrets we have in store! We’ll still be active on our Tespa channels until the end of this year, so tuned, and don’t forget to stay in touch with our new socials as we enter the new year.”

Riot expanded details on the success of this year’s League of Legends World Championship, clocking in with more than one billion hours watched, according to the publisher, marking the highest tally ever. Over the course of 38 Play-In matches, fans watched 160.92 million hours of play, for a 61.76% uptick over the same period in 2019, while the AMA increased 87.18% YOY to 3.6 million. Meanwhile, the Finals hit another record, breaking 23.04 million Average Minute Audience.

Epic Games is extending its virtual run on esports events through 2021 due to the pandemic. Among the in-person events that will not take place once again next year will be the Fortnite World Cup, although online competitions will continue throughout the next year. The company noted that the “intent is to eventually hold global in-person tournaments again.” The Fortnite Championship Series will continue throughout 2021, with the Chapter 2 – Season 5 FNCS is currently on the docket for February 4.

Supercell opened the doors to its 2021 plans for the Brawl Stars Championship with an expansion that will now see eight open regional seasons next year while the number of regions is buffed to seven. Overall, 16 teams will go to the 2021 World Finals. The first season will open in February with the first broadcast in March.

NACON and Toyota GAZOO Racing revealed that the Grand Final of the 2020 eSports WRC championship has been postponed to 2021 as a result of the pandemic. That said, NACON and its partners are very pleased to announce that the new esports WRC season will start in January 2021 in WRC 9 with 13 rounds on deck.

Super League Gaming announced the Super League Arena monthly esports tournament series. Game titles already planned include Fortnite, CS:GO, Apex Legends, Rocket League, Madden and more. “Super League stands for something special within esports – a platform where players can be celebrated as competitors, even if they have not made it to the varsity or pro level…yet,” says Matt Edelman, Chief Commercial Officer of Super League Gaming. “The Super League Arena tournament series will highlight this unique aspect of Super League’s DNA, which has been challenging for tournament organizers to showcase in a COVID world. We’re excited to launch this program, both for our existing community of more than 2.5mm registered players, and for the tens of millions who continue to pursue their personal esports path.”

The Call of Duty Endowment announced that the Second Annual C.O.D.E. Bowl will take place on Dec. 11. Presented by USAA, the competition looks to drive awareness and funds for veteran employment and will feature esports teams from all five U.S. Department of Defense military branches as well as the UK military’s British Army, Royal Air Force and Royal Navy. This year will include new teams from the US Marine Corps, US Air Force, and the US Space Force.

BIG EAST esports teams will square off with teams from the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference on Dec. 13. Participating teams for the BIG EAST include Butler, DePaul, Creighton, Marquette, St. John’s, Seton Hall and Xavier. Participating teams from the MAAC are Fairfield, Marist, Niagara, Quinnipiac and Siena with the Electronic Gaming Federation set to operate the event.

Rocket League’s Esports Shop is getting an overhaul, and will now feature items from all available teams with nine new teams now being added to the platform for a total of 18 squads. The nine new teams are: Alpine Esports, Team BDS, Endpoint, Team Envy, Guild, Team Liquid, Oxygen Esports, Solary and Susquehanna Soniqs. Meanwhile, the NA RLCS X Winter Split Regional runs live on Twitch starting today.

ACTIVATION

ESL designated the U.S. Air Force as the first official Armed Forces Partner of the ESL CS:GO Pro Tour in North America. The partnership will now include DreamHack Masters, DreamHack Showdown, ESL Pro League Season 13, DreamHack Open Online, ESL Pro League Season 14, Intel Extreme Masters North America, ESEA and CSGO HUB in the United States. In addition, the partnership includes the Aim High broadcast integration as well as the introduction of ‘Wingman Wednesday’ tournaments on ESEA, while the U.S. Air Force will also be the Report Card partner on the new CSGO HUB.

BLAST Premier landed partnerships with HyperX, Power, OMEN and KPMG for the Fall Final Counter-Strike tournament. BLAST will be working towards creating campaigns, activations and activities to ‘engage, reward and excite fans tuning in around the world.”

STREAM HATCHET TRENDS

With the increasing popularity of female streamers, Stream Hatchet analyzes the top peak female streamers of November. In a male dominated industry, highlighting female creators is incredibly important to developing a welcoming, inclusive community. Valkyrae, a content creator for 100 Thieves, leads all others as YouTube Gaming continues to dominate peak viewer charts. Be sure to tune in and support all of these amazing streamers!
· Valkyrae was the top female streamer reaching 123K peak viewers in November. This is after she was also crowned the top female streamer of Q3 with 6.1M hours watched.
· Streamer zbing z. is from Thailand and the only international content creator that made the list. On YouTube, she has over 12.5M subscribers!
· After taking a break from streaming earlier this year, pokimane returned with incredible success generating 4.2M hours watched in Q3 and coming in at fifth on November’s female peak list.
For more information about live streaming viewership and trending channels, please visit www.streamhatchet.com/insights.

PLATFORMS

ESPAT TV continues to rev up new deals, this time announcing the launch of its “Creative Collective”, a New York based group built designed to create “disruptive, culturally driven, gaming and esports-centric premium produced content.” Joining the collective is the Ridley Scott Creative Group, creating live TV, advertising, branded entertainment and more for the gaming ecosystem. In addition to the RSCG, the ESPAT TV collaborative will be complimented by the innovation experts of PRG and the Esports Locker. “It is rare to have a creative group that consistently produces top-tier work while at the same time achieving such strong performance,” said ESPAT TV co-founder and CEO Dante Simpson. “The Ridley Scott Creative Group has proven itself capable of delivering against a range of production needs, and their diverse assortment of skills and collaborative culture will benefit the clients we are now adding.”

In addition, Talon is partnering with ESPAT to serve as its digital media licensing provider with Talon contributing pictures and video onto ESPAT’s licensing platform to “build a comprehensive content library that will have global exposure.” “As we continue to see the demand for esports content grow exponentially we are excited to be partnering with ESPAT to serve our fans and the community,” said Sean Zhang CEO of Talon Esports. “ESPAT is providing digital media rights holders a passive revenue stream, with real-time global accessibility for the editorial and commercial user. Content derived from the lens of a team is unmatched, from behind the scenes at the facility to the adrenaline from a live event, we look forward to supporting the South East Asia region and being the distribution platform for Talon Esports..”

Zytara, a FinTech company, is launching a digital banking platform designed for gamers and esports enthusiasts. The initiative will include a checking and savings account, a virtual and physical debit card, and access to investing tools while the mobile app serves up tolls such as branded cards and automated payments for online gaming tournaments, player-to-player transfers and parental controls if necessary. Dedicated partnerships with esports organizations or integrations with third-party platforms that gamers use and love are coming to fans worldwide in 2021.

Industry stalwart Zorine Te is launching Boss Battles on YouTube. The series will span five episodes and feature Te interviewing women executives throughout esports, beginning with former ESL North America CEO Yvette Martinez-Rea.

Daily fantasy sports and esports prop betting platform ThriveFantasy entered into a strategic partnership with Envy Gaming and become the Official Daily Fantasy Esports Platform for the org. “We know gaming fans crave interactive experiences that can bring them closer to their favorite players and teams – and that is exactly what ThriveFantasy is powering with their focus on a fantasy esports ecosystem and prop betting,” said Adam Rymer, CEO at Envy.

TEAMS

The Ultimate Gaming League and Antares Gaming announced the launch of four gaming franchises comprised of current and former NFL stars as well as pro gamers. The teams, named Da Fam Gaming, Ochocinco Gaming, 4 Brothers Gaming and Glitxh Gaming, will take part in a draft on Dec. 21 where the captains of each team will draft members to their semi-pro gaming teams that will compete in ongoing seasons of Call of Duty, NBA 2K, Madden and FIFA. Da Fam Gaming is led by captain and San Francisco 49ers quarterback Josh Johnson and running back Marshawn Lynch. Also joining Da Fam Gaming is Baltimore Ravens cornerback Marcus Peters and Pro Madden player BAM. Ochocinco Gaming takes the namesake of famed wide receiver Chad “Ochocinco” Johnson, joined by cornerbacks and avid gamers Darius Slay (Philadelphia Eagles) and Desmond King (Tennessee Titans). Las Vegas Raiders defensive end Maxx Crosby captains 4 Brothers Gaming and Raiders running back Josh Jacobs and quarterback and gaming manager Brogan Roback fill out the roster.Sidney Jones IV captains Glitxh Gaming and is joined by NFL wide receivers Preston Williams (Miami Dolphins) and Rashard Higgins (Cleveland Browns). Also joining the team is Avonte Maddox, cornerback for the Philadelphia Eagles.

FaZe Clan is launching a “first-of-its-kind” program designed to develop all potential new members via the FaZe Academy. The first recruits for the FaZe Academy have already been selected and will undergo a training program and those who pass through the FaZe Academy will be recruited and make their official debut as the first-ever FaZe Clan Freshman Class in January 2021. “FaZe Academy is seeking the best in the world – from the undiscovered charismatic vlogger to the elite multi-hyphenate global content creator who is already making waves,” said Jaci Hays, COO of FaZe Clan. “It is designed to help them achieve their goals, and better understand how far they can take their entrepreneurial spirit and unmatched talent. We want to support their personal brands, help them navigate superstardom while also achieving our larger vision for FaZe Clan.”

Panda Global unveiled a rebrand that includes a new logo and brand identity. As part of its rebranding, the team will now be known as Panda and has launched its e-commerce website featuring newly branded apparel.

READYUP SPOTLIGHT

INDUSTRY

Tonight also sees The Game Awards 2020, airing across a slew of platforms that include multiple channels on Twitch, YouTube, Twitter, etc. Specials presenters and appearances will include names such as Keanu Reeves, Brie Larson, Gal Gadot, and Tom Holland, with the event set to feature “around 12 to 15” brand new game announcements, in addition to new material from previously-announced titles, per IGN.

A recent study efforts led by CSL International and the Esports Entry Advisory of the esports sector found “significant pent-up demand for more in-person events.” Post-pandemic, and with implementation of venue safety protocols, EEA expects the esports sector to perform. Surveys distributed by the group show that 77% of gamers throughout North America are interested in attending an in-person esports event as soon as possible, while 79% of event venues and destinations are “very interested or significantly interested” in hosting these events in the future. At the same time, only 17%of those surveyed have actually been to an event and less than 40% of host venues/destinations have hosted esports events.

ROSTER MOVES

Wim Stocks, Chairman of CSL and WorldGaming is stepping down from his role with the company after eleven years with the organization. In a post, Stocks noted that “There is no feasible way to thank everyone who helped me on this mission of love. I am grateful quite literally to thousands of people – including hundreds of partners and brands to whom I am deeply appreciative, so many of these people who are now amongst my most profound of friends.” The organizations were acquired by Playfly Sport earlier this year.

Ford Models announced the signing of pro Fortnite player and gaming influencer for Misfits Gaming, Griffin “Sceptic” Spikoski to its Esports and Gaming division. “It is an honor to bring such a talented and focused individual to our division,” said Justin M. Jacobson, Manager for the Ford Esports and Gaming talent division. “Sceptic has already achieved so much in his young career and we are excited about the opportunity to help him continue to grow and flourish.”

Evil Geniuses is bringing on former Red Bull Executive, Michael Fudzinski, as the org’s new Chief Revenue Officer. Fudzinski most recently oversaw global partnerships initiatives as VP at the Drone Racing League.

Zytara announced that Andy Brown and Moritz Baier-Lentz have joined the company’s board of advisors. This follows the news released earlier this week around the company’s plans to launch the esports banking platform in early 2021. Brown is the CEO of Sand Hill East, while Baier-Lentz is a Partner of BITKRAFT Ventures, the globally leading early and mid-stage investment platform for gaming, esports, and interactive media.

ON THIS DAY
1993: Doom is released

Trivia
In honor of Cyberpunk 2077 finally arriving today, Keanu Reeves – who appears in the game – portrayed Officer Jack Traven and matched wits with Dennis Hopper in which 1994 film? (Email [email protected] with your answer and be sure to include your name, company and city).

Answer to Our Last Sports Trivia Question
What is the name of Mario’s dinosaur ride/sidekick? Answer: Yoshi. Kudos: Rob Casalaina-ITN/NY; Scott Jenkins-Gracenote/NY; Brian Traynor-Endeavor/NY; Luke Watson-Entertaining Concepts/NY; Andy Pittman-TAMU/College Station; Bowser Jameson/Koopa; Julie Schell/Chicago; Jason Morrow-Toyota/Houston; Greg Dudsic/Venice; Joey Olson/San Francisco; Andy Babb-Super League Gaming/Santa Monica; Glen Gale/Las Vegas