In The News
Today’s top story can be found in the Extra Esports News section.
Margot James, the United Kingdom’s Minister for Digital and the Creative Industries, “disputed that loot boxes constitute gambling, and is keen to avoid uninformed regulation against them,” GI.biz’s James Batchelor writes.
Epic is going to cover “any existing commitments to other storefronts, or guarantee refunds in lieu of that” when a crowdfunded game becomes and Epic Game Store exclusive.
Hi-Rez Studios donated $419,446 to Child Play Charity, GI.biz’s Rebekah Valentine reports. “In total, the studio has raised over $1 million over the years for Child’s Play.”
Extra Esports News:
Juked is hoping to assist viewers of esports by creating a “destination where you can go to discover and watch the top events (live, upcoming, and VOD) from 25+ esports titles,” founder Ben Goldhaber announced in a Medium blog post. “Juked gives you seamless, same-page access to all the context you need to understand the broadcast … Our goal is ultimately to support every single esport that fans love to watch.” Read the announcement here.
Trust Esports is investing “€1.5 million (£1.35 million) … in smartVR, a French virtual reality operator and studio,” Esports Insider’s Cody Luongo reports. “It’s reported that smartVR sales have already exceeded €1.5 million this year while boasting a global network approaching 200 VR arcades.”
Partnerships & Sponsorships:
Astralis and Logitech G are partnering, TEO’s Andrew Hayward reports. “Astralis will use the brand’s peripherals during competition, and also advise on the development of future Logitech G products.”
OG and Socios.com are partnering, Hayward writes. “Socios.com will create OG Fan Tokens that are tradeable against the Chiliz ($CHZ) digital currency, and let fans enter contests, vote on team decisions, and more.”
BIG extended its OMEN by HP sponsoring, Hayward reports. “The companies have also expanded their collaborative BIG. OMEN Academy Team effort by adding to the roster and coaching staff.”
OUT: Immortals released OpTic Gaming’s Gears of War team following its buyout of the brand, Dexerto’s Alan Bernal reports. “The OpTic brand announced that the Gears of War squad that locked down 17 championships out of its 19 events has been released and will no longer represent the Greenwall.”
Interviews: WIN.gg’s Serge Vardanyan (Esports Insider), 100 Thieves’ Nadeshot (ESPN).
Happy birthday Leong “ddc” Fat-meng!