In The News
PlayStation continues to win the ad impression war, Venture Beat’s Eleanor Semeraro reports. “The gaming industry generated 1.85 billion TV ad impressions during [February 16 through March 15] … PlayStation snags first place again with roughly a third (620.2 million) of the industry’s impressions. The company ran 12 commercials over 1,900 times.”
Facebook’s upping its game against YouTube and Twitch, according to The Esports Observer’s Trent Murray. “Facebook has announced plans to implement a monthly subscription service for content creators. Creators will also be able to add their portfolio to a database accessible by companies looking to create sponsored content.”
The Korean Fair Trade Commission fined Nexon $875,000 “over deceptive in-game item sales, including randomized loot boxes,” PC Gamer’s Shaun Prescott reports.
VR/AR news:
Maze Theory is the newest VR studio, and it was created by “former Activision European MD Geoff Heath and PlayStation European Marketing Director Mark Hardy,” GamesIndustry.biz’s Christopher Dring reports. “The studio’s first game The Vanishing Act is already in alpha.”
Gamasutra’s Alissa McAloon reports “Leap Motion has revealed what it calls Project North Star, an experimental augmented reality headset that offers built-in, controller-free hand tracking.”
Partnership news:
Fan Controlled Football League and Twitch signed a “multi-year exclusive broadcast deal … for the 2019 & 2020 season.”
Murray writes that DreamHack and Challengermode are partnering. “Challengermode will become the exclusive tournament platform for all DreamHack events in CS:GO, LoL, and PUBG.”
Esports Insider’s Adam Fitch reports ESL and Sydney, Australia’s first Microsoft Store are coming together to create “Esports Academy, an initiative that will begin on Monday, 16th April and conclude on Sunday, 22nd April.”
Fitch also reports PGL Esports and Cobx Gaming are partnering. “The companies will work together to co-produce international events” in India.
Jaryd “Summit1G” Lazar’s Fortnite stream with Jake Paul didn’t go as hoped. His viewers, according to IGN’s Lucy O’Brien, weren’t enthused about Paul. Lazar, in return, tweeted and then deleted this: “I had fun, everyone is p**sed. And you know what Twitter? You disappoint me. Sup. I expect apologies raining in quick now. You messed up.”
All of Hearthstone’s Witchwood cards have been revealed. Pocket Gamer’s Harry Slater has the full list.
Rise Nation signed Austin “SlasheR” Liddicoat to their Call of Duty team, Dot Esports’ Preston Byers writes.