eSports
Everything you need to know as UK players battle with the world’s best in London at Red Bull Golden Letters, the unique Tekken 7 LAN event
This weekend, Red Bull Golden Letters will see scores of the UK’s best Tekken 7 players descend on London’s Red Bull Gaming Sphere to compete for a chance to play the very best in the world on Saturday 26th and Sunday 27th March.
The LAN event, streamed live from the Red Bull Gaming Sphere and hosted by UK Tekken caster Hassan “Spag” Farooq, will also feature Red Bull’s Tekken superstar Hoa ‘Anakin’ Luu, widely recognised as one of the best fighting game players in the world.
A landmark event for the fighting game scene, Red Bull Golden Letters promises fans a spectacle with a unique format that emphasises perfect plays and showing poise under pressure to earn ‘Perfect’ and ‘Great’ scores – Tekken’s iconic ‘Golden Letters’, that ramp up the stakes.
Here is all you need to know about Red Bull Golden Letters:
Open qualifiers will see 96 players from the UK battling it out against a packed field of challengers, professional players and Tekken superstars, aiming to beat the best in the world and be crowned Red Bull Golden Letters Champion.
The event at London’s Red Bull Gaming Sphere will feature Red Bull’s Tekken icon Hoa ‘Anakin’ Luu, alongside other pro players Super Akouma and Joey Fury, as UK players get a once-in-a-lifetime chance to play the very best live on stream and in person.
In typical Red Bull fashion, Red Bull Golden Letters switches up the traditional formula with a unique format that ramps up the drama and tension by rewarding perfect plays and poise under pressure.
In Red Bull Golden Letters, players who manage to achieve three ‘Perfect’ or ‘Great’ scores automatically win the entire set in the epic ‘First to Three’ clashes. Incentivising high risk for high reward plays, Golden Letters switches up the traditional Tekken gameplay for unforgettable matches and moments.
The event will feature even more mouth-watering action for Tekken 7 fanatics, with a five-on-five Europe Vs The World clash on Sunday, alongside a Legion: Beat the Pro challenge that gives players another chance to take on the Red Bull Players and win exclusive Legion by Lenovo prizes throughout the weekend.
Making the competition even more of a spectacle, one of Tekken’s favourite figures, Hassan “Spag” Farooq will be hosting the event’s broadcast live from the Red Bull Gaming Sphere.
Format
Red Bull Golden Letters’ unique format offers a fresh and scintillating twist to the classic Tekken 7 formula. In best of five sets, players who can carry out dominant wins or clutch plays and earn ‘Perfect’ or ‘Great’ scores – Tekken’s iconic golden letters – will reap the rewards with automatic wins.
Players who manage to achieve three ‘Perfect’ or ‘Great’ scores automatically win the entire set in the epic ‘First to Three’ clashes, which incentivises high risk for high reward plays that shake up the format and gives fans more unforgettable matches and mouth-watering moments.
With 96 players entering from open qualifying, the field of competitors will be pitched against each other in intense bracket pools on day one, eventually whittling them down throughout the day to the top four players who will progress to the Championship Sunday.
Day two will see those four joined by well-known Tekken champions including Red Bull’s Anakin, leading to an epic Grand Finals to battle it out to be named Red Bull Golden Letters Champion.
The weekend will be punctuated with additional segments and challenges. The ‘Lenovo Legion: Beat the Pro’ challenges throughout the weekend will offer players a separate opportunity to take on the best Tekken players in the world for a chance to win exclusive Legion by Lenovo prizes.
Building excitement on day two ahead of the Quarter Finals, Tekken 7 fans will also be able to watch continents collide in a special exhibition match. Pitching five of Europe’s best players against the best the world has to offer, the 5-on-5 Europe versus The World match will see the likes of Anakin, Super Akouma and Joey Fury in a matchup for the ages
Schedule
Saturday March 26th:
- 11:30 GMT – Broadcast begins
- 12:00 GMT – Bracket Pools Wave 1
- 14:00 GMT – Bracket Pools Wave 2
- 16:00 GMT – Top 32 – Top 4 Knockout Rounds
Sunday March 27th:
- 12:30 BST – Broadcast begins
- 13:00 BST – Special Exhibition Match – 5-on-5 EU versus The World
- 14:00 BST until finish – Quarter Finals, Semi Finals and Grand Final
Broadcast
The LAN event will be hosted in London’s home of esports at the Red Bull Gaming Sphere in Shoreditch, and broadcast live on twitch.tv/redbull.
Saturday’s broadcast will begin at 11:30 on Saturday and Sunday.
Broadcast Talent
Host:
- Hassan ”Spag” Farooq
Casters:
- Rasheed “Bubsy” Jenkins
- Hussain “Gosain” Shah
- Kobi “K-Wiss” Scarlett
Partners
Red Bull Golden Letters is delivered in partnership with Lenovo Legion, official hardware partner of The Red Bull Gaming Sphere.
Angela Bernhard Thomas
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eSports
R&D rethink needed for sportsbooks to harness esports’ power
Esports betting is still grappling with a perception problem amongst operators. Despite the leaps and bounds in product development made by suppliers – particularly in the last two years – esports hasn’t shaken off the image built in the late 2010s.
Our good friend, Oliver Niner, Head of Sales at PandaScore, has been kind to share the below article with us.
There’s scepticism around esports betting’s value, how well it can actually perform and what’s needed to make it appeal to bettors. A big part of that comes down to perception, which shapes the research and development (R&D) choices made by each operator.
Self-fulfilling prophecy?
Operators who have put the research and development (R&D) resources into esports are seeing excellent growth, while others are still treating it like part of a long tail. The lack of a uniform approach to esports often translates into hesitancy to be bullish and invest in esports.
Whereas in the United States, post-PASPA sports betting has exploded and operators are seeking to capture as much territory and market share as possible because in most cases, you switch the lights on and the money comes in. It’s, of course, good business sense to take opportunities like this – you can apply the same templates used elsewhere on an incredibly lucrative market.
This kind of approach has been attempted for esports and hasn’t found the same success. Granted, the legislation for betting on esports has been somewhat slower than that of sports betting and iGaming.
However, bullish operators have acknowledged the fact that esports hasn’t found the same success in regulated states and asked what can be done differently, while for others, esports has been thrown into the too-hard basket or relegated to the bargain bucket.
For the latter, the fate of the esports vertical becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy – especially if an operator already using a budget esports product that throttles its very growth.
It takes two to tango
When esports is discussed in broader betting circles, you’ll often hear different versions of the same talking point: the problem with esports is no one is doing it well, it doesn’t innovate.
This argument is a case of the pot calling the kettle black. Esports is a driver of innovation, and it is sportsbook R&D that is holding it back.
Multiple suppliers on the market are investing significant resources into R&D, and bullish operators are leveraging these product innovations to acquire new customers and create engagements made for the internet age.
There are understandable reasons why sports betting doesn’t innovate. It’s largely because operators focus on acquisition, entering new territories and spending money on data rights. But the actual R&D on sportsbook products is left lacking, with ever-increasing cost-per-acquisition (CPA) numbers a clear symptom of this.
It means that if an operator does decide to use or acquire an esports specialist supplier but does little to cater its product and attempts to just lay the sports betting template over the top, of course performance will be throttled.
It’s like putting a Ferrari engine in a Prius – no offence to Toyota or Prius owners.
The same problem exists on the platform supplier front. Platforms are understandably focused on compliance and getting customers live, not necessarily improving models or their products.
Even the idea that if you just acquire an innovative company the problem is solved or you have found the solution, doesn’t hold water. In many cases, the company is acquired and plenty of noise is made about it, but there’s little organisational investment in R&D afterwards.
It’s not just in esports
These problems extend to customer acquisition and marketing for most emerging markets, not just esports. There’s a rush to use the same old playbook in newer sectors because it’s easy.
The fantasy vs. house sector in the US is already experiencing an acquisition arms race. As analyst Dustin Gouker points out, deposit match bonuses for new users on fantasy vs house products have jumped from $100 to as high as $500 in some places.
This is the same race that played out in sports betting and despite the costs, there’s little effort from most operators to try something different. There’s less work when you just put the same acquisition template on an emerging sector and call it a day. This seems to be an accepted practice in the industry, for better or for worse.
Esports betting success requires ongoing dialogue
Rather than attempting to wedge esports into hegemonic sportsbook approaches, sportsbooks need to take a completely unique approach.
The fact is the betting sector has barely scratched the surface – communities of esports fans are still dormant. Canadian operator Rivalry has built a successful, esports-first business by embracing the ever-changing internet culture that esports inhabits. French esports organisation Karmine Corp recently sold out a 30,000-person stadium for an event with no prize money up for grabs.
Innovative products developed on the supplier side like microbetting and betbuilders are only half of the equation.
Maximising esports revenues requires institutional investment, ongoing R&D and collaboration between suppliers and operators to create products and experiences. This includes having staff on the operator side that can drive and push the product further, and crucially, rethinking current sportsbook strategies and practices.
Building experiences for betting’s greatest emerging market – one that caters to your future core audience – takes investment, innovation and a willingness to experiment. If the industry wants to make the most of the Millennial and Gen Z audience that will become its primary customers, investment into R&D and close collaboration between suppliers and operators is needed. Many hands makes light work.
Asia
Esports media platform TalkEsport raises $1 million in pre-series A funding round
TalkEsport, India’s leading esports media platform, announced today the successful closure of its pre-series A funding round, securing a significant investment of $1 million from Saswat Ventures. The substantial investment underscores TalkEsport’s robust growth trajectory and reaffirms its position as a pioneering force in the esports industry.
Founded in 2011, TalkEsport was set up with a vision to bring timely news and updates to gaming communities worldwide. As India’s oldest esports media platform, the company now caters to millions of gamers worldwide through its website and social media channels. TalkEsport plans to utilize the investment to scale up its core website while launching a highly interactive application for its audience and setting up a state-of-the-art production studio in Mumbai. Through it, the company will be launching exclusive content IPs focused on gaming and esports.
“We are delighted to welcome Saswat Ventures as our strategic partner,” exclaimed Deepak Ojha, Founder and CEO of TalkEsport. “Their belief in our vision and commitment to the esports ecosystem align seamlessly with our mission to redefine gaming experiences globally. With this investment, we will be scaling up our newsroom to cater to gaming communities worldwide while launching new content IPs targeted towards Indian and international audiences.”
Saswat Ventures, a family fund set up by Mr. BL Sharma, Principal, shares a vision of catapulting TalkEsport into a global phenomenon. Mr. Sharma has businesses across the country and expressed his confidence in TalkEsport’s potential to revolutionize esports media and connect with a vast audience of passionate gamers worldwide, “We believe in TalkEsport’s potential to become a global platform for esports enthusiasts worldwide.”
Trilochan Sharma, a seasoned expert in compliance matters, joins TalkEsport’s board as the Director of Compliance. His wealth of experience will ensure adherence to regulatory standards and bolster the company’s governance framework.
In addition to this pivotal investment, TalkEsport is proud to announce key developments that highlight its commitment to innovation and growth:
Production Studio in Mumbai
TalkEsport is excited to unveil its state-of-the-art production studio in Mumbai. This cutting-edge facility will serve as the epicenter for creating high-quality esports content, launching content IPs, live broadcasts, interviews, and immersive gaming experiences.
Pranav Nalawade, the Editor-in-chief of TalkEsport, said, “Our new era of esports coverage will begin not only with TalkEsport’s revolutionary approach in publishing news and covering esports events but also high-quality esports content courtesy of our new production studio. As one of the oldest esports media platforms, we have built an audience that relies on us for our history of trustworthy and reliable news. Now, we want to double up on this audience, reforming the way content around esports is consumed in India and abroad through podcasts, media, short-form content, and analytical stories – both in the form of video and text.”
Upcoming Mobile App Launch
Furthermore, TalkEsport is gearing up for the launch of its mobile application soon. This innovative app promises to redefine how gamers access news, engage with esports communities, and participate in live tournaments, all from the convenience of their mobile devices.
“Proceeds of the $1 million will be utilized in creating a robust team of gaming enthusiasts and expanding our global reach,” added Deepak. “This investment not only propels TalkEsport’s growth initiatives but also fuels our mission to provide unparalleled experiences for esports enthusiasts worldwide.”
Through its application, esports viewers will be able to get live coverage of esports tournaments, scores, and interviews. Additionally, they will be able to participate in community tournaments, thus providing an end-to-end immersive experience from the convenience of their mobile devices.
The media company continues to lead the charge in transforming the esports landscape, fostering community engagement, and pushing the boundaries of gaming innovation. The company’s dedication to excellence, coupled with strategic partnerships and visionary leadership, sets the stage for an exciting chapter in esports media.
The post Esports media platform TalkEsport raises $1 million in pre-series A funding round appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
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