07.15.24 - Esports Weekly Digest

?? Esports Weekly Digest - News Recap: 07.08.24 - 07.15.24

Esports World Cup and Olympics edition! This past week we saw a laundry list of new partners for the current Esports World Cup taking place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia as well as an announcement of the Olympic Esports Games.

1?? Saudi Arabia will host the inaugural Olympic Esports Games in 2025 under an agreement announced Friday by the International Olympic Committee – IOC . The games are part of a 12-year partnership agreement and will add to the growing portfolio of esports ventures and investment in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The city, venue, and which titles will be involved in the inaugural edition have not been disclosed. (Source )

2?? The Esports World Cup Foundation announced partnership with: 亨氏 , Logitech G , Secretlab , Esports Charts & Streams Charts , 亚马逊 , Jameel Motorsports, and Mentos . (Source )

3?? Esports event production company eFuse and Whataburger collaborated to launch the fast food chain’s first-ever Whataburger-themed Fortnite “Bedwars” map and Tournament “Breakfast in Bedwars.” The partnership aims to promote the launch of Whataburger‘s coffee products which were released in May. (Source )

See all the details of EWC partnerships and additional esports league news in the full newsletter below!

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?? Brand Partnerships and Collaborations:

Esports World Cup, a multi-title esports event organised by the Esports World Cup Foundation in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, has announced six new partners during the tournament focused on on-site activations and promotions. (Source ) (Source ) (Source )

• Food company 亨氏 will provide samples to visitors and promote new flavours of its sauces, including a ‘game changer’ surprise the company announced, however hasn’t shared details on. (Source )
• Peripherals brand Logitech G becomes an official event supplier and will promote its PRO SERIES range of gaming gear, which includes keyboards, mice and headsets at its own booth. Additional meet and greets, activations and competitions will be hosted during the World Cup at its booth. (Source )
• Gaming chair manufacturer Secretlab will be the official chair supplier of the event and will launch a special TITAN Evo Esports World Cup 2024 edition chair to promote the event. (Source )
• 亚马逊 becomes the official ecommerce partner for the Esports World Cup and Amazon’s Saudi and UAE websites will advertise the Esports World Cup through a special Esports World Cup Hub, which will deliver the official EWC live broadcast, special offers and information on the event. Fans that buy tickets for the Esports World Cup will also receive Amazon discount coupons, and Amazon Alexa customers will also be able to ask their digital assistants Esports World Cup-related questions. (Source )
• Jameel Motorsport, a part of Abdul Latif Jameel Motors , announced a 2-year partnership and will bring an “array of exhilarating experiences” to the Esports World Cup.? Fans will be offered to play high-speed karting, immersive simulator (sim) and virtual reality (VR) racing, skill-based competitive challenges. Jameel Motorsport will also offer a family-friendly environment called ’Jameel Motorsport Park‘ where fans of all ages can enjoy the thrill of racing competition. (Source )
• Mentos becomes the official chewing gum sponsor of the EWC and will offer special giveaways and relaxing activities throughout the event. The Mentos Gum in-person booths will feature games of skill and photo opportunities, with free goodies available for top scorers. (Source )

VALORANT Esports EMEA has announced Paysafe (NYSE: PSFE) as a Main Partner for VCT EMEA and VALORANT Game Changers EMEA until the end of 2025. Paysafe will be promoted on the broadcast, in the Riot Games Arena in Berlin and on their social media channels for the remainder of the 2024/25 VCT EMEA and VALORANT Game Changers EMEA seasons. Fans attending can also receive special promotions to try out Paysafe’s PaysafeCard for cash purchases in their favorite games. (Source )

• Paysafe will be brought to life on broadcast whenever a team wins a THRIFTY round in-game, calling out teams that win a save round against teams who invested significantly more. Additionally, Paysafe will have visible assets for an upcoming VCT EMEA Stage 2 Grand Final content series, featuring short-form video content covering player/talent predictions, analyses and highlights.?

Esports and gaming company 100 Thieves announced a partnership with app marketplace Google Play and Niantic, Inc. , the developer of mobile game Pokémon GO, for activations during the Pokémon GO Fest 2024 that occurred from July 5th-7th. Both parties will offer attendees that are a part of the Google Play Points Gold+ members with access to meet and greets with 100 Thieves talent such as Rachell Marie ‘Valkyrae’ Hofstetter, Leslie Ann ‘Fuslie’ Fu and other creators. The Gold+ members will also get a chance to buy limited-edition merchandise co-created by 100 Thieves and Pokémon. (Source )

• As part of a broader collaboration between 100 Thieves and Google Play, there will be more activations digitally during streams in July.

South Korean esports organization Gen.G and the Saudi Telecom Company ( stc ) have partnered to launch ‘Esports Certification Courses’ to take place at the Esports World Cup.Both parties will provide educational courses to residents and support the local esports ecosystem throughout the Esports World Cup event in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The programme will primarily feature an esports coaching certification course from July 21st – August 1st that sees participants learn how to become an esports coach. (Source )

?? Metaverse (UEFN) News:

Esports event production company eFuse and Whataburger collaborated to launch the fast food chain’s first-ever Whataburger-themed Fortnite “Bedwars” map and Tournament “Breakfast in Bedwars.” The partnership aims to promote the launch of Whataburger‘s coffee products which were released in May. (Source )

• The custom Fortnite map created by eFuse and Whataburger combines Fortnite’s building and combat mechanics and features the restaurant chain’s mascot and other items of food that appear as in-game items for players to use during matches.
• The “Breakfast in Bedwars” tournament is open to anyone ages 13+ who have a chance enter the open qualifiers by posting their best clips playing the new Whataburger Fortnite map on “X” and hashtag #BreakfastInBedwars. The top 16 submission are then invited to be captains of the open qualifier on July 17th. The top four trio teams from the qualifiers will secure a place in the main event taking place on July 22nd. According to a release, the main event will feature ‘popular Fortnite creators’ alongside a $25,000 (~￡19,500) prize pool.

??? League and Publisher News:

The National Basketball Association (NBA) 2K League and NBA 2K publisher Take-Two Interactive announced that it will transition into “a global digital entertainment business,” indicating an end to the current format of the competition circuit. Competitive play will be moved under a “new digital media brand” offering live events and a revamped competitive league. The new 2K League aims to have competitive play with the inclusion of NBA players and celebrities, with specific details on other changes to be revealed at a later date. Details on the 2025 competitive season will be revealed in the coming months and league casters claimed that the league will be put on hold for the next 16 to 18 months to be revamped. (Source )

• The transition for this league also included layoffs to the broadcast staff, general managers, and coaches in the league. This happened during a town hall meeting hosted by 2K League CEO Andrew Perlmutter with staff and management, according to the report.?

Sports media and marketing group Playfly Sports has rebranded its college esports ecosystem. Most recently known as NACE Starleague, the North American collegiate esports community will now be called Playfly College Esports . Playfly College Esports will continue to operate titles at the Varsity & Open levels and competitions for the Collegiate Chess League, the eNASCAR College iRacing Series, PUBG MOBILE Campus Championship, and BIG EAST Esports under the new brand. Additionally, Playfly VP of Esports Operations Curtis Winger will take on the role of league commissioner. (Source )