Esports Archives - Page 2 of 9 - Front Office Sports

by Danni Santana

Fortnite Is A Launch Pad For The Red Cross’ Involvement in Esports

Jan 22, 2020

The International Committee of the Red Cross partnered with Fortnite creative mode developer Team Evolve to launch “Liferun” on January 19.
At a launch event, the organization tapped three popular Fortnite YouTube streamers to livestream the new game mode to fans, resulting in at least 811,000 views. Results, however, are still coming in, the ICRC says.

Partnerships between brands and esports stakeholders are becoming more common throughout the industry, as companies look to increase recognition with millennials and Gen Z consumers on their turf. But as more businesses attempt to ingrain themselves into the minds of game enthusiasts, they are also forced to find unique entry points that are on-brand to receive the best returns on investments, experts say. Given this mandate, the International Committee of the Red Cross’ new partnership with Fortnite may have had […]

Esports

by Ed Moran

European eTour and Topgolf Seek Toehold In Crowded Esports Field

By Ed Moran

Jan 22, 2020

Competing against an array of competitors in golf, the European Tour is leaning into esports to differentiate itself.
During its inaugural event on January 17, the European eTour drew roughly 63,000 viewers for the day-long spectacle.

The sport of golf is crowded with competition and regulation. Each of professional golf’s four major championships is run by a different governing body, and the biggest pro tours – including the PGA Tour and European Tour, sit atop a field that includes the Asian Tour, the PGA Tour of Australasia, the Sunshine Tour, and others. On January 17, another tour joined the ranks- and will have no trouble distinguishing itself in the crowd. The European Tour, in partnership with DreamHack […]

Esports

by Danni Santana

Esports Betting Growth Trajectory Mirrors Rise In Fan Viewership

By Danni Santana

Jan 15, 2020

Esports betting, much like total viewership, is more popular overseas in countries like China, Denmark, and the U.K. than it is in the U.S.
There are a few hurdles that will keep esports betting from reaching its full potential in the U.S. in the short term, experts say. Namely, the inexistence of a sanctioning body in the country.

As the legalization of sports betting continues to spread across the U.S., operators are jumping at the chance to offer more gambling options to fans. This includes betting on esports, which are quickly becoming a more significant component of operators’ sportsbook offerings around the world – both with live tournaments and fantasy esports that enable fans to create teams of professional gamers using virtual budgets. One of the more prominent online sportsbook operators in the U.S., FanDuel, is all in […]

Esports

by Ed Moran

2K League Teams Using Esports Centers To Connect With Communities

By Ed Moran

Jan 7, 2020

As it enters its third season of play, the NBA 2K League team saw another team create its own esports facility.
With their Legion Lair, the Cleveland Cavaliers' Cavs Legion became the fourth 2K League squad to add their own esports center.

As the Cleveland Cavaliers moved into a renovated Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse this season, its esports team also got an upgrade. Cavs Legion Gaming Club opened a new esports center, Legion Lair, in Cleveland’s Battery Park neighborhood in November. It is one of the four public-facing venues across the NBA 2K League; others include Mavs Gaming’s Gaming Hub, Blazer5 Gaming’s One Center Court, and T-Wolves Gaming’s Experience Center, according to the 2K League. The Legion Lair is the latest step in […]

Esports

by Danni Santana

Madden Esports League Sees Steady Growth With The NFL In Its Corner

By Danni Santana

Dec 31, 2019

More than $700,000 was handed out to top Madden players during EA's latest Madden 20 Club Championship tournament in December.
The NFL has become instrumental in the growth of the Madden esports league, acting as a consultant and helping EA form new brand partnerships with brands like Snickers and Pizza Hut.

Over the last decade, Electronic Arts has looked to grow the Madden Championship Series to new levels through several strategic initiatives. Those efforts include the introduction of Madden Ultimate Team (MUT) in 2014, five years after the game developer launched FIFA Ultimate Team, as well as new game modes such as Superstar KO deployed in September. This year, EA also notably changed the dates of its four major tournaments in the Madden Championship Series to align exclusively with tentpole events […]

Esports

by Danni Santana

Turner Doubles Down On FIFA Esports Partnership To Include TV Content

By Danni Santana

Dec 19, 2019

Turner Sports-owned ELEAGUE will host three FIFA Ultimate Team major events in 2020, and air highlight shows of the year-long FIFA Global Series.
Founded in 2016, ELEAGUE has also produced live events for popular gaming titles such as Capcom’s Street Fighter V and Activision Blizzard’s Overwatch.

Turner Sports esports division, ELEAGUE, has extended its partnership with Electronic Arts to host three major live tournaments for the developer’s popular FIFA video game series. As part of the traditional year-long event, EA offers six FIFA Ultimate Team Champions Cups, all part of its FIFA Global Series. ELEAGUE will now host half of those events, which are known to attract the world’s best players for knockout-style tournaments spanning three days. ELEAGUE hosted its first FUT Champions Cup event in […]

Esports

by Ed Moran

NBA 2K League Aiming For International Expansion

By Ed Moran

Dec 12, 2019

With nearly 1.6 billion basketball fans worldwide, the NBA 2K League is looking both domestically and internationally for growth.
Outside of fielding a 23-team league in 2020, the 2K League is hosting the European Invitational in London - its first-ever qualifying event in Europe.

There are an estimated 1.6 billion basketball fans worldwide, which the NBA 2K League sees as plenty of opportunities to grow its brand recognition overseas. Since its inaugural season in 2018, the 2K League has seen growth both in reputation and size. Heading into 2020, league content has generated more than 306 million video views across all NBA and NBA 2K League social media platforms, including Facebook, Instagram, Twitch, Twitter and YouTube. Even viewership has risen significantly year-over-year. During the […]

Esports Marketing

by Danni Santana

Wingstop Taps Twitch To Grow Its Customer Base Through Esports

By Danni Santana

Dec 10, 2019

Wingstop is not the first brand to partner with a key player in the esports advertising space on a promotion. However, it is a rare occurrence. In fact, most brands opt to go down the sponsorship route.
The chain's new activation has already outperformed Twitch’s key partnership benchmarks around engagement, according to its CMO. Expect more promotions on the part of the brand within esports to help build brand equity with gamers.

Amid a run of consistent sales growth, Wingstop is looking to esports to help bring in even more customers through its doors. In partnership with Twitch, the restaurant chain is enabling customers to order food directly on the streaming service’s website until December 16, as part of a limited time offer launched in late November. The new capability also features Wingstop’s WIng Calculator, which recommends flavors for streamers to try based on personal preferences. “Twitch is a huge part of […]

Esports

by Ed Moran

Gen.G, University Of Kentucky Partner To Connect With Local Community

By Ed Moran

Nov 12, 2019

Heading into 2020, The University of Kentucky has partnered Gen.G to help it develop its esports presence.
The Gen.G-UK partnership will include work in academic, community, and professional development.

The University of Kentucky has long been known for its milestones on the basketball court. For almost two years now, the university has taken strides in formulating what might be its next successful sports program: esports. Heading into 2020, Kentucky has partnered with Gen.G and JMI Sports to allow the esports organization to help develop the university’s esports and gaming program. The program is included in the Wildcats’ Smart Campus Initiative, which previously provided all first-year students and many of […]

Esports

by Danni Santana

NASCAR’s Esports League Sets Pace As It Moves Towards Year Two

By Danni Santana

Oct 23, 2019

NASCAR's esports league went from idea to reality in less than one year. The final four teams will now race for the championship.
The sanctioning body expects to do a better job promoting both races and its gamers next season, while adding sponsors.

Wednesday night marks the conclusion of the first eNASCAR Heat Pro League season, an initiative launched so quickly by the sanctioning body and its partnering founders that no revenue expectations were ever set internally for this season, according to sources. Instead, the goal for year one was to forge lasting relationships with next-generation racing fans through esports. The season also began in May, just weeks after NASCAR, game developer 704Games, and Race Team Alliance, fully figured out logistics for the […]