In The News
Today’s top story is in the Extra Esports News section.
The UK Gambling Commission told members of parliament that “it does not currently oversee the purchase of in-game content like Fifa player packs and video game loot boxes … because there is no official way to monetise what is inside them,” BBC’s Zoe Kleinman reports. “A prize has to be either money or have monetary value in order for it to fall under gambling legislation.”
Nintendo has adjusted its repair policy in a leaked internal memo following a Joy-Con lawsuit. It instructed “customer service representatives the company will no longer charge customers seeking Joy-Con repairs, and refund those who’ve already paid,” VICE’s Patrick Klepek writes.
Harry Potter: Wizards Unite is lagging far behind Pokémon Go in terms of revenue. It “has generated more than $12 million in global player spending” in its first month, Sensor Tower reports, but “Pokémon GO … grossed an estimated $300 million in its first month.”
Studios:
Bad Yolk is Sweden’s newest game studio, founded by “former Machine Games developers Michael Paixao and Joel Jonsson,” VentureBeat’s Dean Takahashi reports.
Defiant Studio is shutting down, Gamasutra’s Chris Kerr reports. It “explained it has struggled to keep up with the changing shape of the games industry, and suggested its ‘risky’ approach to development had finally caught up with it.”
Interviews: Outright Games’ Nick Button-Brown (GI.biz), Jack Tretton (GI.biz).
Extra Esports News:
Gen.G opened their 13,000-square-foot training facility in Los Angeles. “The organization’s Call of Duty, Fortnite, and Apex Legends teams will train out of the space, which also houses content creators and U.S. staff. The facility is located in Electronic Arts’ L.A. studio building, with players housed in nearby apartments and provided various amenities,” TEO’s Andrew Hayward reports.
NBA 2K League:
Pittsburgh Knights announced “Carvana, Red Bull, the U.S. Army, Kraken Rum, and MSI” will join the team as event sponsors. “The partnerships will kick off during Replay FX, a videogame and pinball expo taking place in Pittsburgh on August 1-4,” TEO’s H.B. Duran writes.
Tencent will stream “NBA 2K League games via its platforms in China. Condensed versions of Playoffs and Finals games will stream via Tencent Sports, Tencent Video, and Tencent News, which collectively have hundreds of millions of daily users,” Hayward reports.
Mousesports and Razer are partnering, Esports Insider’s Adam Fitch writes. “The players that represent the organisation will practice using Razer’s peripherals and test new products.”
Happy birthday Rickard “SortOf” Bergman and Toby “TobiWan” Dawson!