eSports
Guild Esports appoints MediaCom S&E to support global partnerships strategy
Guild Esports (Guild), the global esports business headquartered in London, today announces the appointment of MediaCom Sport & Entertainment (MediaCom S&E) as the Company’s first consultancy delivering Guild’s commercial partnerships strategy.
Guild’s appointment of the esports division of MediaCom, one of the world’s leading media agencies, will support the Company across all aspects of its commercial proposition, development, and global go-to-market strategy for its commercial partners.
Guild Esports, which is co-owned by David Beckham, is bridging the gap between sports and esports with an academy-powered model and a brand that celebrates and harnesses the diverse and tribal loyalty of esports enthusiasts on a global scale. The Company’s ambition is to build a culture of excellence around both its brand and digital presence and to develop a lifestyle cross-over brand suited to the fast-growing esports market. Globally esports is currently valued at US$1.1bn and is projected to grow by 42% to US$1.56bn by 2023.
Guild welcomes MediaCom S&E as an accomplished agency with a proven track record and a wealth of partnerships and esports expertise that will enhance and strengthen the appeal of Guild’s expanding business. Guild’s appointment of MediaCom S&E dovetails with the agency’s recent expansion of its gaming business following recent work with Tencent, one of the world’s largest investors into esports broadcasting and publishing, alongside Cartier, Piaget and Richemont.
Carleton Curtis, executive chairman at Guild, commented: “We are excited to be working with MediaCom to spearhead Guild’s partnerships strategy. Their wealth of experience within the tech sector and their understanding of our core channels makes them a perfect fit in supporting the growth and establishment of Guild as one of the leading players within esports.”
Michelle Tierney, Director of Commercial Partnerships at Guild, said: “We are at a pivotal moment with Guild poised for accelerated growth. This is an exciting time to welcome MediaCom S&E who can build on the momentum of our launch, foster partnerships and bring Guild to new audiences across the globe.”
Misha Sher, global VP of MediaCom S&E, said: “We are delighted to be partnering with Guild at the beginning of their exciting journey. The popularity and appeal of esports as a cultural phenomenon continues to grow and Guild are perfectly positioned to capitalize on the momentum. Operating at the intersection of media, technology and culture, we know what’s required to attract commercial partners in a new, digitally led world. We thank Guild for their trust and look forward to helping them build one of the industry’s leading organisations.”
Guild’s inaugural teams for EA FIFA Esports and Rocket League debuted earlier this year and the Company will continue to scale into various esports disciplines over the course of the 2020/21 season. Guild’s professional athletes can also expect to compete in the popular title Fortnite.
eSports
30 Esports Clubs Join the Esports World Cup Foundation’s Club Support Program!
Esports World Cup Foundation (EWCF) today announced that 30 esports Clubs from across the globe have been accepted into its debut EWCF Club Support Program. The full lineup of Clubs includes 100 Thieves, Blacklist International, Cloud9, FaZe Clan, Fnatic, Furia Esports, G2 Esports, Gaimin Gladiators, Gen.G Esports, Guild Esports, Karmine Corp, KOI, LGD Gaming, LOUD, OG, Natus Vincere, Ninjas in Pyjamas, NRG Esports, Spacestation Gaming, T1, Talon Esports, Team Falcons, Team Liquid, Team Secret, Team Vitality, TSM, Tundra Esports, Twisted Minds, Virtus.pro and Weibo Gaming.
The EWCF Club Support Program is a pioneering initiative designed to promote the creation of sustainable infrastructure for multidisciplinary esports Clubs. Furthermore, the program empowers esports Clubs to expand their investment across more games, providing impactful career opportunities and competitive support to athletes around the world.
As members of the EWCF Club Support Program, these esports organizations can receive six-figure funding to enter into new esports titles at the highest level, diversifying their competitive footprint and providing more opportunities for esports athletes. The funding has already enabled esports Clubs to:
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Re-enter esports titles in which they previous established long histories of involvement, and enter new gaming genres with strong grassroots resonance
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Expand into new international markets by signing athletes and rosters outside their home region, fueling stronger global esports infrastructure
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Create novel content verticals to engage fans with compelling athlete narratives, along with hiring the staff needed to support those efforts
In response to the significant interest in the Program from Clubs all over the world, the Program increased the number of available slots from 28 to 30. Of the 30 Clubs, eight were selected through an open application period in February 2024, during which the EWC Foundation received more than 150 applications. Applications were judged on three core criteria: a Club’s esports pedigree, its forward-looking competitive strategy and goals, and its creative approach to content and fan engagement. The 30 Clubs hail from five major esports regions — Europe, Asia, North America, South America and the Middle East — making the EWCF Club Support Program a truly global endeavor.
“The Club Support Program is critical to the EWC Foundation’s vision of building a stronger esports ecosystem and elevating esports as global sports,” said Ralf Reichert, CEO, Esports World Cup Foundation. “Because we received so many high quality applications, we expanded our original allocation of 28 Club Support Program slots to 30, a testament to the strength of our program as it supports some of the world’s best esports Clubs. I’m excited to cheer on these Clubs as they work to qualify for the Esports World Cup and its life-changing prize pool of more than $60 million.”
A Club’s acceptance into the EWC Club Support Program does not guarantee their participation at the Esports World Cup. All Clubs and athletes must seek to qualify on their own merits for each title. The prize pools in each Game Championship, along with the cross-game EWC Club Championship, are available to all EWC competitors. Regardless of their qualification to the Esports World Cup, all members of the EWC Club Support Program will be eligible for annual financial rewards based on their ability to drive viewership and fan engagement to the EWC.
The Club Championship, an innovative cross-game competitive format unique to the EWC, will award a total of $20 million to the top 16 Clubs based on their cross-game performance. At the event’s conclusion, the Club with the best performance across various game championships will be crowned the world’s first Esports World Cup Club Champion. Additionally, each of the 20 Game Championships will have their own prize pool with a combined total exceeding $33 million. A standout participant in each competition will receive a $50,000 MVP Award.
The post 30 Esports Clubs Join the Esports World Cup Foundation’s Club Support Program! appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
eSports
Abios names co-founder Anton Janér as new Managing Director
Abios, the esports subsidiary of Kambi Group plc, has appointed CTO Anton Janér as its new Managing Director, succeeding Abios’ long-term CEO Oskar Bonnevier Fröberg who has stepped down to pursue new endeavours.
Having co-founded the company alongside Fröberg in 2013, Janér assumed leadership of Abios as Managing Director effective from 1 May. He brings extensive experience in technology to his new role, as well as a deep understanding of the esports market, and as CTO was instrumental in the development of Abios’ market-leading esports solutions.
Spearheaded by Fröberg for more than 10 years, Abios has witnessed incredible growth since launch, expanding the company to reach millions of esports fans, power scores of businesses in esports, media, betting, and entertainment sectors, and employ roughly 70 people worldwide.
Furthermore, Fröberg successfully navigated Abios through its acquisition by Kambi Group, a leading sports betting technology company, in 2021. Bonnevier Fröberg played a pivotal role in ensuring a smooth integration within the Kambi Group, further solidifying Abios’ position within the esports betting landscape.
Janér said: “I am honored to take on the role of Managing Director and lead Abios into its next chapter. Oskar and I have had a lot of fun together throughout the years at Abios, building the company into the industry leader it is today. I am very excited about the future of Abios and eager to take the business to new heights alongside our excellent team.”
Fröberg added: “It is with mixed emotions that I have resigned as CEO of Abios. This decision has not been an easy one, as I have dedicated more than 10 years of my life to building and leading this organisation together with Anton. However, we could not have found a better home for Abios than Kambi nor could I have found a better successor than Anton, giving me every confidence that Abios will only flourish moving forward.”
The post Abios names co-founder Anton Janér as new Managing Director appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
Angela Bernhard Thomas
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