Hive Gaming, Level 4, 76-78 Liverpool Street, Sydney (2026)

06/09/2023

In VALORANT Champions 2023, the game's season-ending international event, there were 1.29 million peak viewers, slightly less than in 2022. It's the third-most watched VALORANT tournament ever, after last year's Championship and VCT 2023: LOCK//IN São Paulo. VALORANT Champions 2022 had 1.5 million peak viewers and 525,000 average viewers over 115 hours.

The most-watched match this year was the grand final between Paper Rex and Evil Geniuses, won by the North American team. The upper bracket final between the same teams had the second-highest peak viewership. LOUD and Fnatic, fan favorites, finished third and fourth.

The absence of LOUD in the final may have affected viewership; they were the most-watched team during the tournament (18.7 million hours watched).

The VALORANT teams will now take a break before the off-season, which will include numerous third-party tournaments worldwide before the new season begins in January 2024.

05/09/2023

The renowned energy drink brand Red Bull has joined forces with GameSquare, an esports company, as well as the University of Technology Sydney (UTS) and various hardware brands to establish Australia's inaugural Red Bull Gaming Hub.

This esports and gaming-oriented facility is situated within the UTS Tower at the University of Technology in Sydney, New South Wales, and is equipped with gaming PCs, esports training spaces, and streaming equipment.

Beyond serving as a venue for practice, streaming, and competitive gaming, the new hub is envisioned as a pivotal hub for fostering student collaboration and educational initiatives, as stated by its creators. Moreover, the facility will exclusively employ UTS students, providing them with a unique opportunity to gain practical experience in an authentic esports environment while pursuing their academic studies.

Furthermore, this newly established venue will offer valuable support to students enrolled in UTS's Bachelor of Computer Science and Games Design program. It will function as a playtest center, enabling students to evaluate their game creations in a real-world context, thus helping them understand what works and what doesn't. Lastly, the Hub will serve as the venue for the upcoming qualifiers of the Red Bull Campus Clutch tournament scheduled for later this year.

21/08/2023

Wei Yue, formerly the Esports Director at Ubisoft Montréal, has joined Amazon Games as its Competition and Esports Director.

After more than four years at Ubisoft, overseeing the Rainbow Six Siege esports programme, Yue will now support the competitive vision of one of Amazon Games’ upcoming titles.

Prior to Ubisoft, Yue spent over eight years at Activision Blizzard. Starting as a Customer Support Representative in 2010, Yue moved to managing esports programmes in 2015. As Associate Manager for the EMEA Esports scene, Yue was responsible for the regional ex*****on of Hearthstone, Activision Blizzard’s collectable card game.

With more than 10 years of industry experience, Wei Yue joins Amazon Games to guide the direction of one of its new esports titles. In the announcement, the former Ubisoft Esports Director shared: “I couldn’t be more excited to have this unique opportunity to engrain the competitive vision and esports ecosystem directly into the DNA of the product.”

While the studio has announced several upcoming multiplayer games, including a cooperative online title by developer Glowmade and Disruptive Game’s online multiplayer action-adventure, as of writing this article, it is unclear which project Yue will work on.

20/08/2023

Game publisher Activision, part of Activision Blizzard, is presenting a new tournament in Call of Duty Warzone, its flagship battle royale FPS.

The tournament fields a $150,000 prize pool divided into two segments. The first $20,000 will be awarded to the best teams after each of the first four days, and the rest of the pool will be allocated during the finals weekend.

The tournament will see well-known Warzone and Call of Duty pros play against content creators and streamers. Activision noted in a release that the tournament aims to answer the “age-old debate” of whether streamers or pro players are better in the game.

The players will include some of the most-known Call of Duty League players such as the Call of Duty World champions Tyler ‘aBeZy‘ Pharris Anthony ‘Shotzzy‘ Cuevas-Castro and well-known streamers such as DiazBiffle, Asim and Scummn.

Are you going to be tuning in!?

13/08/2023

$2m PUBG Global Series 2 takes centre stage in Riyadh

PUBG developer Krafton will host the PUBG Global Series 2 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia from August 10th to August 20th.

The tournament features the top 24 teams from around the world, with eight PUBG Global Partner Teams and 16 teams that have fought through regional qualifiers across three different regions: APAC, Americas, and EMEA.

PSG 2 will feature a $2m prize pool and grant PGS points needed to secure a spot for the PUBG Global Championship (PGC) 2023, the premier global PUBG Esports tournament.

The PGS is one of the three big PUBG esports events for the year, alongside the PUBG Nations Cup and the PUBG Global Championship. After a two-year hiatus, KRAFTON brought back the series in 2023, with the first tournament being held in Malaysia back in late April.

Let's see how this amazing tournament turns out!

04/06/2023

Step into the exciting world of esports with ONE Esports and Samsung's brand new mobile app! Brace yourself for an immersive experience exclusive to Samsung Galaxy smartphone users in Southeast Asia. Get ready to unlock a treasure trove of gaming and esports content right at your fingertips.

From heart-pounding videos to in-depth interviews, expert guides, and captivating articles, the app brings you all the action straight from ONE Esports' website. Immerse yourself in behind-the-scenes profiles of your favorite esports players and teams, and gain pro-level tips and breakdowns of those jaw-dropping championship-winning plays.

What makes this app truly special is its tailored content for each market. Whether you're fluent in English, Bahasa Indonesia, Tagalog, Thai, or Vietnamese, ONE Esports has got you covered. It's all about delivering an unparalleled experience that speaks your language.

And the best part? The app comes pre-loaded on select Samsung Galaxy A and Galaxy M series devices, including the Galaxy A54 5G and Galaxy A34 5G. Don't worry if you don't have one of those devices, though! You can easily download the app from the Samsung Galaxy Store or Google Play, ensuring everyone can join in on the excitement.

This partnership between ONE Esports and Samsung has been long-awaited since its announcement in 2022. The collaboration has already sparked epic activations, including a thrilling mobile esports tournament. Now, in 2023, their vision has come to life with the launch of this incredible app. Get ready to level up your esports journey like never before!

04/06/2023

GameSquare Esports, the leading North American esports company, has just unveiled an exciting collaboration with Vivior, an innovative health start-up hailing from Switzerland. This groundbreaking partnership goes beyond the ordinary, encompassing GameSquare's esteemed esports teams, talented roster, and various other properties.

Prepare for a spectacle as these two brands join forces in a multi-year, multi-million dollar deal that will spark the creation of awe-inspiring products, captivating content, and unforgettable activations. Adding to the excitement, ZONED Gaming, an agency owned by GameSquare, will take on the prestigious role of Vivior's marketing agency of record and trusted advisor.

Vivior, with its sights set on the vibrant world of esports, is making a powerful statement with this collaboration. While this marks Vivior's inaugural foray into a large-scale partnership with an actual esports organization, the company has been no stranger to catering its products to gamers and esports athletes since its inception.

One of the thrilling outcomes of this alliance is the imminent launch of a remarkable health and wellness platform. This platform will reward players who adopt healthy habits, offering them enticing in-game items like XP and skins, alongside tangible real-life rewards and prizes. But that's not all! These visionary companies will also be hard at work developing innovative products that specifically target common concerns faced by gamers, such as vision, screen time, posture, and blue light exposure.

To add even more excitement to the mix, brace yourself for an upcoming Fortnite tournament focused on health and well-being—details to be disclosed soon. Additionally, prepare to witness an abundance of activations featuring Complexity's talented roster and influential personalities, all geared toward promoting a healthier gaming lifestyle.

Get ready for an era where gaming and wellness converge, courtesy of GameSquare Esports and Vivior. This partnership is set to revolutionize the esports industry, creating an exhilarating synergy between gaming prowess and the pursuit of well-being.

16/01/2023

How do Wolves tackle China’s esports ecosystem? 🐺 🇨🇳

Given esports’ popularity among younger generations, it’s no surprise to see the number of football clubs that have entered the industry over the years.

The likes of PSG, Schalke, FC Barcelona, among many others have launched esports divisions for varying reasons that range from competitive success to strengthening its community. However, one club in particular stands out from the rest: Wolverhampton Wanderers.

The Premier League football club entered the esports industry in 2018 and has competed in Rainbow Six Siege, FIFA and Rocket League. However, what makes Wolves Esports unique is its distinct focus on operations in China, esports’ largest market.

Wolves Esports competes in a range of popular Asian mobile titles including Honor of Kings, PUBG Mobile and Call of Duty Mobile — most of which have gone on to win countless tournaments.

Why did Wolves opt to invest in China’s ecosystem? “We have made great efforts to develop esports in China because it is in line with the development of the times,” said Clarie Teng, the General Manager of Wolves Esports China.

16/01/2023

Game publisher Riot Games has discussed the possibility of raising the minimum age requirement for players participating in the League of Legends EMEA Championship (LEC) from 17 to 18.

Riot Games originally stated in a blog post that it was changing its rules, with the reason for the change being that it would help ‘unlock’ new sponsorship opportunities for the competition’s teams.

However, it has now been revealed that the blog post was in fact an old version that was not meant to be published. The post has since been updated without the minimum age rule.

The potential change in minimum age requirements does raise questions as to whether the LEC will look to loosen its restrictions on teams having sponsorships that target fans 18 or above on their jerseys.

The likes of gambling and alcohol logo placements are currently prohibited by the publisher. Whilst some alcohol sponsorships have been permitted in the past, notably the LCS itself teaming up with Bud Light, gambling partners have been unable to appear on team jerseys and are prohibited, per the competition’s 2023 rulebook.

New sponsorship opportunities or verticals would be a boost for organisations, especially at a time when many brands are cutting advertising and marketing budgets due to an economic downturn.

Some LEC franchises are already sponsored by gambling firms. GG.Bet for example is a partner of Team Vitality — albeit that deal is for its CS:GO team.

16/01/2023

Brazilian esports organisation Fluxo has announced a sponsorship deal with LG Electronics for its recently created League of Legends team.

LG will promote its monitor brand Ultragear on the jerseys of Fluxo’s CBLOL League of Legends team, its academy roster and the trainee project.

When presenting its League of Legends team in December 2022, Fluxo displayed a clean jersey without any sponsors even though the organisation holds deals with companies like the bank Next and the delivery app iFood.

This is because of the organisation’s sponsorship policy of having specific partners for each game Fluxo competes in. Betting website EstrelaBet, for example, is a sponsor exclusively for its Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) team.

LG’s debut with Fluxo’s League of Legends team is scheduled for January 21st in the first round of the Brazilian League of Legends Championship’s (CBLOL) 2023 season. The organisation entered the league by purchasing a spot previously belonging to Rensga Esports.

19/12/2022

Riot Games has announced a change in start times for its esports leagues. The changes, which the company says are made after reviewing data from the previous two years of supporting its esports ecosystems, will affect all VALORANT Champions Tour (VCT) and League of Legends Esports leagues.

Starting with League of Legends, North America’s LCS will take place on Thursdays and Fridays at 12pm PT while the LEC moves to Saturdays, Sundays, and Mondays at 6PM CET. In addition, CBLoL and LCK start times have been altered.

For VALORANT Champions Tour, the Americas circuit will take place every Saturday, Sunday, and Monday from 12pm PT with the EMEA region playing on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday at 6pm CET. The Pacific circuit shares the same days as the Americas with a start time of 6PM KST.

They say this will ‘create flexibility to explore broadcast formats, increase cross-regional storytelling, and make it easier for co-streamers’ in addition to improving the viewing experience for those watching.

31/10/2022

Verizon partners with World Champion Fantasy

Telecommunications company Verizon has partnered with World Champion Fantasy (WCF), a fantasy sports startup focusing on esports.

The partnership aims to incorporate Verizon’s expertise and infrastructure into PlayerX, a fantasy esports project started by WCF. This includes tools, services and the Verizon tech stack.

PlayerX is a new fantasy esports platform launched by World Champion Fantasy which aims to create a twist on the known fantasy sports formula.

The platform allows for deeper customisation of one’s roster of players by adding music, avatars and other features. PlayerX is also a non-gambling platform, making it available for esports fans of all ages.

The two companies did not share much information on Verizon’s involvement, besides the fact that WCF will be able to use BlueJeans, Verizon’s video conference and collaboration platform.

Verizon will also help users access streaming player data and video, as well as create watch parties.

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