eSports
Everything you need to know for Red Bull Home Ground as the biggest VALORANT teams clash in unique ‘Home and Away’ competition
This week, Red Bull Home Ground, the intense pro VALORANT invitational will see 16 of the biggest teams clash in a pulse-racing final from November 4th – November 7th, broadcast live from the Red Bull Gaming Sphere in London.
The broadcast begins on Thursday at 12pm GMT, with the first group match between Gambit Esports and Ninjas in Pyjamas, LDN UTD and Supermassive Blaze, Acend and Na’VI and TENSTAR and Team BDS.
Here is all you need to know about Red Bull Home Ground:
The world’s best VALORANT teams will be battling it out across their favourite maps in the ultimate test of map knowledge, strategy and composure. From November 4th competitors will battle online over four intense days, broadcast from the Red Bull Gaming Sphere in London and live on Red Bull Twitch and YouTube.
With the likes of G2, Team Liquid, Gambit and Na’Vi, as well as Red Bull Campus Clutch champions Anubis and open qualifier winners Ninjas in Pyjamas, the competition features an exclusive star-studded line-up as esports returns to London. While the competition will be fought online, Vodafone GIANTS will be battling on-site at the Red Bull Gaming Sphere.
The competition pioneers a unique Home & Away structure that delivers an exciting twist to the normal VALORANT format, placing an even greater emphasis on map knowledge and strategy and a new layer of unpredictability to map picks.
The competition will kick-off with spectacular opening match-ups, between Gambit Esports and qualifier winner Ninjas in Pyjamas, G2 and BIG, Na’VI and Acend, Vodafone Giants and Red Bull Campus Clutch winners Anubis and more.
Making the competition even more of a spectacle, renowned VALORANT host Yinsu Collins will be leading a lineup of talented broadcast pros bringing the Red Bull Home Ground experience to life throughout the London Finals.
Yinsu will be joined by two iconic pairs of casters, with Lauren “Pansy” Scott and Michael “hypoc” Robins teaming up once again to reignite their rapport after the VALORANT Champions Tour Stage 3 Masters in September, while Mitch “MitchMan” McBride and Tom “Tombizz” Bissmire will be pairing up to lend their charisma and expertise. G2’s Jakub “Lothar” Szygulski is also joining the lineup to give viewers his expert analysis on the tournament.
Where to watch:
The competition will be broadcast live from the Red Bull Gaming Sphere on twitch.tv/redbull and youtube.com/redbullgaming. Red Bull will also be hosting a Home Ground viewing party from 6th to 7th of November at Platform Shoreditch, open to press and the public.
Format
Red Bull Home Ground pitches teams in a riveting best of five battle, with the first two opening matches on each team’s chosen ‘home ground’. Added pressure is put on these opening home and away rounds, rewarding teams that can make the most of their home advantage and turn the tables on their opponent’s chosen map. If a team wins these two opening rounds they automatically win the tie, while a stalemate will then default to a best of five format.
The opening day of the tournament will see four groups of four teams, competing in a Swiss-style format to decide who will move on in the competition. The top two teams from each group will make their way to the quarter finals, while the bottom two teams will be eliminated.
The Red Bull Home Ground Group Matches starts on Thursday November 4th, the eight qualified teams will then battle it out on Friday November 5th to compete in the Semi Finals on Saturday November 6th, before culminating in a Grand Final on Sunday November 7th.
Schedule
● Thursday November 4th (Group Matches): Broadcast – from 12pm GMT
● Friday November 5th (Quarter Finals): Broadcast – 12pm GMT (Series 1&2) & 4pm GMT (Series 3&4)
● Saturday November 6th (Semi Finals): Broadcast – 12pm GMT (Series 1&2 winners) & 4pm GMT (Series 3&4 winners)
● Sunday November 7th (Final): Broadcast – 12pm GMT (3rd Place) & 4pm GMT (Final)
Teams
● G2 Esports
● Team Liquid
● Vodafone GIANTS
● TENSTAR
● Acend
● Futbolist
● Fnatic
● Supermassive
● LDN UTD
● Anubis
● FPX
● Gambit
● BIG CLAN
● BDS
● Na’Vi
● Ninjas in Pyjamas
Broadcast talent (English speaking)
Stage Host & Interviewer:
● Yinsu Collins
Commentators:
● Pair one:
o Lauren “Pansy” Scott
o Michael “hypoc” Robins
● Pair two
o Mitch “MitchMan” McBride
o Tom “Tombizz” Bissmire
Analyst
● Jakub “Lothar” Szygulski
Broadcast & other Languages
Red Bull Home Ground will be streamed live from Red Bull’s Twitch and YouTube channel across the four days from 12pm GMT
On Twitch, the event will be broadcast in English as well as English, French, Turkish, German, Russian, Spanish, Polish, Japanese, Thai. Enter the chat command “!languages” on the Red Bull Twitch channel to choose which language is preferred.
twitch.tv/redbull
Partners
Lenovo is supporting Red Bull Home Ground as the Official Hardware Provider.
Angela Bernhard Thomas
CAPCOM’S STREET FIGHTERTM 6 GOING TO COLLEGE THIS FALL
- CSMG will create and operate College Street FighterTM Tour in North America for the 2024-25 academic year
- College conference Street Fighter 6 champions will punch their ticket to the national Collegiate Esports Commissioner’s Cup (CECC) & May Madness in 2025
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.
-
Baltics4 weeks ago
Lithuania’s Nese enters iGaming with a record sponsorship deal
-
Latest News1 week ago
The Importance of Data Quality Review Checks in the Gaming Industry
-
Asia2 weeks ago
Onlyplay Enters into Strategic Partnership with Ritchie Rabbit
-
Africa4 weeks ago
BMM Testlabs Continues Its Expansion in Africa with New Licenses in Botswana and Nigeria to Test Land-Based and Digital Products
-
Africa4 weeks ago
KingMakers’ Nigerian operating business, BetKing, selects Genius Sports to power growth with in-play trading services
-
Conferences in Europe4 weeks ago
Altenar becomes General Sponsor of EEGS 2024
-
EurAsia4 weeks ago
Fastex Forges Partnership with Olympionic Foundation to Boost Sports Development in Armenia
-
Compliance Updates4 weeks ago
Booming Games secures Romanian B2B license