FC Barcelona's esports stable will compete in Spain in one of the most important League of Legends leagues. FC Barcelona, although it is not having a great time with its soccer squad, is also expanding to new horizons and, therefore, has announced that it will have its own League of Legends team.

FC Barcelona will enter the Superliga, the largest video game competition in Spain and one of the most important in Europe, behind only the LEC.

„With the entry into this competition, FC Barcelona reinforces its commitment to esports, a strategic sector for the club in which it has been immersed for more than two years and where it seeks to become a benchmark,“ says the organization.

FC Barcelona is not new to esports, as it has 3 other teams in eSports: one in Rocket League, one in Hearthstone and one in eFootball (PES).

Competition

FC Barcelona will compete, curiously, against a team organized by one of its players: Gerard Piqué.

The Spaniard joined Ibai Llanos also to announce a team in the same tournament, indicating the importance of having representation in it.

Superliga is the most important League of Legends competition in the Spanish state and one of the best in Europe in terms of audiences and talent, with 2.6 million hours watched and a final that had 300,000 unique viewers last season.

Der Beitrag FC Barcelona announces formation of its own League of Legends team erschien zuerst auf esportbetting.net.

One of the best boxers in history has announced his entry into the e-sports sector by creating his own club. Manny Pacquiao is one of the biggest names in traditional sports in the last decade being a boxing legend and one of the athletes who will leave a legacy in history.

A few hours ago Pacquiao announced a new step in his career outside the ring, which is none other than the creation of an esports club based in his homeland, the Philippines, which has been baptized with the name Team Pacquiao GG.

The presentation will take place on December 4

Pacquiao himself has shared that the presentation of the club will take place tomorrow, Saturday, December 4, the day on which we will discover the project and the teams that will be within the boxer's esports club, which could bet on games like Valorant or DOTA 2, very popular in his country.

In addition, the club will also have its section of content creators and, in fact, Een Mercado, a well-known Filipino cosplayer and streamer, has already announced that she will be part of Pacquiao's club.

Der Beitrag Historic boxer Manny Pacquiao creates his own esports club erschien zuerst auf esportbetting.net.

Our friends at Esports IQ are back at the beginning of the year with a bang. This time not with a small report but with a great guide entitled „The 2021 Guide to Esports Influencer Marketing„.

The rapid growth of eSports is changing the face of digital entertainment. Similar growth in digital media has also allowed influencers to thrive in almost every major category imaginable. These two megatrends have given rise to the notion of eSports influencers: personalities from popular titles who attract a large following and power a refreshing communication vehicle.

But the big question is, how do we find these influencers and how do we empower them to speak on our behalf? And that's what this report focuses on, as well as talking about:

• Challenges marketers face when it comes to eSports.
• How to use eSports iQ audience analytics to find influencers and activate brand ambassadors.
• Brands that have successfully leveraged the right esports influencers.
• Why brands don't need sponsorship to leverage influencer marketing and generate amazing results.

The report is divided into four parts for ease of reading:

• Part 1: Understanding the relationship between e-sports and video games.
• Part 2: The power of personality and how artificial intelligence (AI) helps marketers.
• Part 3: How to integrate influencers and brand ambassadors.
• Part 4: Managing demographics and final thoughts.

Der Beitrag „The 2021 Guide to Esports Influencer Marketing“ por Esports IQ / Group erschien zuerst auf esportbetting.net.

Forecasted data for 2021 shows some stagnation in revenue and audiences compared to 2020.

Newzoo today released the report that everyone was waiting for. The one from whose graphs a multitude of White Papers, reports, consultancies, etc. will drink. It is the „Global Esports & Live Streaming Market Report 2021“.

And watch out for the data because it must be said that they are not very good. We highlight some data

• Global e-sports revenues will be $1.084 billion in 2021. Less than the approximately 1.1 billion predicted by Newzoo itself for 2020.
• In 2021, more than 75% of the total market will come from media rights and sponsorship. We are still not changing our business model.

The global esports streaming audience is stagnating and is estimated to be lower than in 2020. The report can be downloaded from this link.

Der Beitrag Newzoo Report: Global Esports & Live Streaming Market Report 2021 erschien zuerst auf esportbetting.net.

Sports lifestyle company Oakley has signed Call of Duty player Seth „Scump“ Abner, who becomes their first ever sponsored pro gamer. The American is the 2017 CoD World Champion and one of the best-known players in the League at present. Currently competing for OpTic Chicago, the 25-year-old will use Oakley’s eyewear gaming solution, Primz Gaming Lens technology.

Why Scump Has Teamed Up with Oakley

Speaking on his partnership, Scump called Oakley a „very prestigious brand in the glasses space.“ Scump has 28 Major wins to his name, while he is also the only player in Esports to win consecutive gold medals at the XGAMES. Continuing, the former Team Envy player spoke of just how useful such technology could be to his performances:
“I can’t see anything. Having glasses that help me see and are comfortable are the two most important things I need in a pair. Playing at the highest level, I need to be able to see everything and react to everything perfectly with no discomfort. You don’t want to have to worry about things inside of the game because of things outside of the game. These Oakleys are pretty much an attachment of me now.“

Why Scump Is Still a Leading Name in Esports

Scump, also known as The King and The Ginja Ninja, and his OpTic Chicago teammates are currently competing in the second Call of Duty League, while the first Major of the year gets underway on Wednesday, March 3. Scump has shown that he is focused on life outside of Esports to, having invested in drink company CTRL at the end of 2019. Meanwhile, in signing with Oakley, he joins stars from the NFL and NBA on their books. Scump’s father was a former professional baseball player.

The American began his professional career in CoD back in 2011 with Team Obey, before moving on to compete for the likes of LeveraGe, Envy and CHI Huntsmen. He currently competes for OpTic CHI alongside Dylan “Envoy” Hannon, Matthew “FormaL” Piper and Brandon “Dashy” Otell, all of whom joined the team in November last year.

Der Beitrag Scump Becomes First Oakley Sponsored Pro Gamer erschien zuerst auf esportbetting.net.

A CoD Moblie eSports player has been murdered in Brazil. According to reports, the perpetrator himself is a professional from the scene.

As reported by several news sites, 19-year-old eSportswoman Oliveira Bueno da Silva, who was known as „Sol“ in the CoD Mobile scene, was murdered on Monday. The perpetrator is said to be professional Guilherme „Flashlight“ Alves Costa, also only 19 years old, who turned himself in to the police shortly after the crime.

Perpetrator shows no remorse

Jaguares Esports shared the harrowing news on Twitter. „Our player Sol was brutally murdered,“ reads a Whatsapp message also shared. „I wish I could put it across more delicately, but we are shocked. She disappeared a few days ago and was found dead – stabbed to death by a psychopath who also posted this on social media.“

🖤 pic.twitter.com/kZrG9sXf0w

— Jaguares Esports (@JaguaresGG) February 23, 2021

According to the portal R7, Flashlight stabbed his victim several times and then posted photos on Whatsapp groups before turning himself in to police. A video of the arrest shows him in good spirits while stressing that he was „in his right mind“ and „wanted to do it that way.“

Violence against women is a persistent problem in Brazil. According to the IPEA Atlas of Violence, a woman was murdered on average every two hours in 2018, resulting in a total of 4,519 female victims.

Sol was a CoD mobile eSports player for FBI E-sports. „She was a special person who we will remember every day when the sun rises, her light touches our bodies, and every time we look at the sun,“ a manager for the organization shared.

Der Beitrag CoD Mobile eSportswoman murdered erschien zuerst auf esportbetting.net.

Overactive Media has announced its plan to build an esports stadium that will cost nearly $500 million and will have 7,000 seats for its spectators.

OverActive Media, one of the world's largest esports conglomerates that owns majority stakes in MAD Lions, Toronto Ultra and Toronto Defiant, has announced its ambitious new project to build a new esports stadium in Toronto.

The project is valued at close to $500 million and will be completed by 2025 and will include an esports stadium and a hotel complex right next to it to accommodate event participants and fans who travel to the stadium to watch competitions.

The venue will have a capacity of 7000 spectators and Overactive Media will not only host e-sports events there but plans to host more than 200 events per year including concerts, corporate events, product launches and of course as many esports tournaments as possible.

The home of Toronto Ultra and Toronto Defiant

This arena will be the home of Toronto Ultra and Toronto Defiant, OverActive Media's Call of Duty League and Overwatch League teams. The venue will be where both teams will conduct their day-to-day business in addition to playing their matches in both competitions.

„It has always been our intention to build an arena that will not only serve as an iconic venue for our two franchises but emerge as a global hub for major international eSports events,“ says Chris Overholt, president of Overactive Media. „We have already begun negotiations to attract some of the world's leading esports events. The arena will redefine Toronto's event hosting opportunities in multiple ways.“

Der Beitrag Overactive Media to build a $500 million esports stadium erschien zuerst auf esportbetting.net.

The Swedish eSports organization Ninjas in Pyjamas and tech company Samsung are entering into a three-year partnership with each other. What does this mean for the teams?

Swedish eSports organization Ninjas in Pyjamas has landed a deal with tech giant Samsung. The partnership is for three years and includes the Valorant, CS:GO, Rainbow Six: Siege and FIFA teams.

NiP x Samsung: Swedes promise technology advantage.

„Samsung is one of the top five most recognized brands in the world, and words cannot express what this recognition means to our brand,“ NiP CEO Hicham Chahine says euphorically. For the Swedes, the partnership is also expected to bring technological benefits that should ultimately produce better team performances. Chahine is paying particular attention to the new smartwatches, which are designed to help professionals advance their development, both inside and outside the game.

„eSports players are always on the cutting edge when it comes to interactive content for their fan base. We hope to help break new barriers with our technologies and take their sport to a new level,“ Samsung's Head of Mobile specified the goals of the partnership.

The Ninjas recently drew attention for their cyberpunk-style rebranding. In December, they also announced a partnership with Premier League club Leeds United in FIFA 21, and shortly before that, NiP axed their Dota2 roster in response to wanting to return to the League of Legends Championship Series (LEC).

The organization remains best known for its FPS shooter teams, most notably CS:GO. But they've also been playing at the top of Valorant from the start, reaching the next round early in the Valorant Champions Tour (VCT).

Der Beitrag Ninjas in Pyjamas Signs Three-Year Partnership With Samsung erschien zuerst auf esportbetting.net.

A former employee has filed charges against Riot Games and its CEO Nicolo Laurent. The latter allegedly discriminated against and harassed his former employee.

The 18-page complaint describes a toxic work environment, about which the former Riot employee Sharon O'Donnell speaks out in relation to her former supervisor. Among other things, there had been indecent advances on the part of Laurent as well as discriminatory statements regarding diverse gender roles.

In addition, O'Donnell alleges that she was fired by the company for actions that were not reciprocated. Hence, the lawsuit against Laurent and Riot Games per se. She worked for the video game company from October 2017 to July 2020.

Riot Games announces its own investigation

Speaking to The Washington Post, a spokesperson for the company denied these allegations and stated that O'Donnell was fired due to her own fault.

For example, he said, there had been repeated complaints in the past from both internal employees and external partners about O'Donnell's behavior. „The plaintiff was fired months ago based on well-documented complaints from numerous individuals. Any other assumption is factually incorrect,“ Riot Games‘ spokesperson said.

In addition, the company has announced to several outlets that it will investigate the allegations against Laurent with the help of an outside firm.

Der Beitrag Riot Games investigating claims of gender discrimination erschien zuerst auf esportbetting.net.

Already last year, the Pokémon World Championship was canceled due to the Corona pandemic. Now comes the renewed disillusionment for fans of the series.

In an official post on the Pokémon website, Gamefreak and Nintendo have announced that all World Championship tournaments involving the pocket monsters will be postponed until next year. This includes the collectible card game, the console spin-offs of the main series, and the competition in Pokkèn Tournament DX (Pokémon Tekken).

Pokémon World Cup 2022

„The safety and health of our participants, organizers, employees, local communities and partners remain our top priority and are the first basis for all decisions we make,“ the Pokémon Company emphasized.

After studying and weighing the current situation surrounding the coronavirus, the company came to the difficult decision to move the Pokémon World Championship entirely to next year, 2022. The venue is to be London. Invitations and qualifications for the Championships that were cancelled in 2020 are to remain in effect and will be considered in light of the rescheduled event.

„Thank you to our millions of players, fans, organizers and professors around the world for their continued support and understanding. The Pokémon International Championships and Pokémon World Championships are very important to us and the gaming community,“ said the Pokémon Company. „We look forward to seeing you all again and getting back into the competition.“

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