In The News
PSA: There will be no newsletter next week while I’m gone for the Esports Business Summit.
Valve’s Nathaniel Blue says his company didn’t intend to make matters worse for Epic Store exclusives by “appending a note to the game’s [Metro Exodus] Steam page that called the move ‘unfair to Steam customers,’” Kotaku’s Nathan Grayson reports. Blue “said the company did not intend to legitimize the outsized backlash to Metro Exodus’ Epic store exclusivity when it put a comment on that Steam page. The use of the word ‘unfair,’ he said, was meant to reference the timing of the announcement rather than the entire concept of exclusivity.”
Roughly 600 Nexon Korea employees held a rally in front of their company “and demanded the company guarantee job security,” Korea IT Times’ Jung Jun-ho reports. “The union came out on concerns that the ongoing reorganization following the failure to sell Nexon will lead to restructuring.”
Niantic has settled a lawsuit over Pokemon Go players trespassing, The Register’s Kieren McCarthy reports. “Pokemon pusher Niantic has not accepted any blame or liability, and will pay just over $4m to settle the case – virtually all of which will go to the lawyers … Notably the settlement [PDF] means that there won’t be a decision on how virtual objects in the real world interact with property laws: something the judge noted does not have any clear precedent.”
Investments:
VRChat raised “a Series C investment round worth $10 million,” GI.biz’s Haydn Taylor reports. “VRChat is an online social platform of community-created VR content. The latest investment round will allow VRChat to continue growing the platform and surrounding community.”
Dapp, a blockchain startup, raised “$1 million in funding from several investors,” VentureBeat’s Dean Takahashi writes. Dapp describes itself as “the world’s largest analytics and distribution platform” for decentralized apps.
FXhome updated HitFilm Express, “the free version of the company’s advanced editing, special effects, and compositing tool that has become popular for making game videos,” Takahashi reports. FXhome also announced Masterclass, a series of “Fortnite-themed tutorials designed to inspire gamers and the YouTube gaming community to create professional-caliber gaming videos.”
Interviews: Double Fines’ Tim Schafer (GI.biz), Kitfox’s Tanya Short (GI.biz).
Extra Esports News:
Call of Duty media rights are worth $24 million per season — at least according to Konvoy Ventures. “We believe that the upcoming contract for the media rights of the CDL should be priced at $24M per season. We believe the most accurate pricing would be based on hours watched and viewers which would have the total deal (two seasons) priced at $48M.”
Player Omega, a live gaming community event, has launched. “Attendees will be immersed in 2 days of open-bracket esports tournaments operated by their favorite leagues competing in all the top titles, free game play, cosplay, panel discussions, art installations, and more,” the press release reads. “Player Omega will host gamers November 9-10, 2019 at the Fairplex in Pomona, Calif., with plans to expand to 10 different venues in 2020 and 20 cities in 2021.”
Partnerships:
G2 Esports and Red Bull are partnering in a multi-year deal, ESI’s Laura Byrne writes. “The deal will kick off this weekend with G2 Esports’ teams in League of Legends, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, and Rainbow Six Siege showcasing the Red Bull logo on their jerseys.”
National Women’s Hockey League (NWHL) and Twitch signed an exclusive streaming partnership deal, according to NWHL’s press release. “Beginning with the 2019-20 season starting Oct. 5, Twitch will stream all NWHL regular season, Isobel Cup Playoff and special event games. The league and Twitch will collaborate on innovative content that increases the deep connection between NWHL players and fans.”
IN: Andrew Barton is Dignitas’s new general manager.
Interviews: Dota 2’s Dendi (Unikrn).
Happy birthday Alexandru “Semper” Dimitriu!