Canada
New Wave Esports Completes Acquisition of Even Matchup Gaming
NEW WAVE ESPORTS CORP. is pleased to announce it has completed the acquisition of all of the issued and outstanding shares of Even Matchup Gaming Inc. not previously held by New Wave Esports. New Wave Esports previously held an 18% stake in EMG. EMG is an esports events production and broadcast company based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
EMG highlights include:
A Toronto-based leading esports and competitive gaming event organizer, broadcaster, and player management company that produces onsite and online tournaments.
Focused on producing events within the fighting game community (FGC), such as Super Smash Bros., Street Fighter V, Tekken 7, Dragon Ball FighterZ, and more.
Hosts 80+ events per year with two major events, Get On My Level and Let’s Make Moves.
Get On My Level, an annual Super Smash Bros. tournament with an official Nintendo partnership, saw 2,100+ attendees and just under 1M livestream views on twitch.tv during its 2019 event – with projected increased attendance and viewership for its 2020 event.
Let’s Make Big Moves, another annualized FGC event, saw just over 1,000 attendees with 344k+ Twitch impressions for its 2020 event.
An annual growing audience of 7,400+ attendees, 25.8M+ social impressions, 5.5M+ YouTube views, and 1.8M+ Twitch livestream views.
“The EMG team is excited to be another wholly-owned company in the New Wave Esports portfolio,” says Joe Cribari, CEO of Even Matchup Gaming. “We have a great opportunity to build on the momentum of our existing 80+ annual live events as we reimagine esports event experiences in the fighting game community and beyond. By working with New Wave Esports’ other accretive portfolio companies, we are accelerating our business strategy by expanding through North America in 2020. We are looking forward to working closely with Dan Mitre and his team who share our vision and passion to grow the esports industry, starting with our passionate community.”
“We’re honored to welcome Even Matchup Gaming to the New Wave Esports family,” said Daniel Mitre, CEO of New Wave Esports. “The company that Joe Cribari and his team has built has retained its roots with the fighting game community, and has maintained steady year-over-year revenue and audience growth. EMG’s addition to our portfolio positions us as one of the premiere Super Smash Bros. and FGC tournament organizers within the esports industry. As we look further into 2020, we are excited to expand EMG’s presence throughout North America as we bring additional major events to key cities in the United States and Canada.”
Pursuant to the definitive share purchase agreement entered into on November 28, 2019, the consideration payable to the vendors of EMG is an aggregate of $1,230,000, payable in a combination of $550,000 cash (the “Cash Consideration”) and 7,555,555 common shares in the capital of the Company (the “Consideration Shares”) issued on February 7, 2020 at a deemed price per Consideration Share of $0.09. The Cash Consideration is payable in tranches, with $350,000 paid on February 7, 2020 and the remainder to be paid in installments over the six months following February 7, 2020. A portion of the Consideration Shares is subject to a contractual lock-up and will be released to the vendors of EMG in installments over twelve months following the closing of the Acquisition. Additional details on the Acquisition can be found in the CSE Form 9 of the Company posted in connection with the Acquisition.
ABOUT EVEN MATCHUP GAMING INC.
In March 2019, New Wave Esports acquired an 18% equity stake in Even Matchup Gaming, a Toronto-based leading esports and competitive gaming event organizer, broadcaster, and player management company that facilitates online and live tournaments. The company’s tournament operator model is integral to the esports industry ecosystem as it is scalable and rapidly growing. Even Matchup Gaming’s focus on fighting games uniquely positions the company in an important emerging sector of esports. The company produces over 80 events per year with 500 events hosted to date on local, regional, and national levels, including Canada’s large fighting game tournament Get On My Level and Tristate’s largest Super Smash Bros. tournament, Let’s Make Moves. They leverage strategic partnerships and sponsorships with endemic and non-endemic brands such as Nintendo, Red Bull, and BENQ.
Canada
IAGR announces Toronto as host city for 2025 conference
Hot on the heels of its most attended conference in history, the International Association of Gaming Regulators (IAGR) is excited to announce that its 2025 conference will take place in Toronto, Canada, from October 20 to 23, 2025.
The event will be held in partnership with the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) at the Westin Harbour Castle, offering stunning waterfront views and a premier, downtown Toronto location.
‘Fresh off the success of our Rome conference, we’re thrilled to continue the momentum with next year’s event in Toronto,’ said Ben Haden, IAGR President.
‘The IAGR 2025 conference promises to be another unparalleled opportunity for our global community to come together, collaborate and shape the future of gaming regulation. We’re looking forward to working with AGCO to bring it all together.’
AGCO CEO and Registrar Dr. Karin Schnarr, added, ‘We’re excited to welcome IAGR and its members to Toronto. This partnership provides a great opportunity to share Ontario’s innovative regulatory practices and foster meaningful discussions that drive positive change in the industry.’
Stay tuned for registration details early next year.
Bombee Global Entertainment Ltd
ESE Entertainment Completes Acquisition of Gaming Production Company, Bombee Americas
ESE Entertainment Inc., a gaming company that provides a range of services to leading video game developers and publishers, has announced that it has acquired Bombee Global Entertainment Ltd. (Bombee Americas), the North American arm of Bombee Event Production AB, (Bombee), a global production company specialized in live production, special effects, broadcast, and event management for the gaming sector.
Bombee has successfully collaborated with ESE to bring its premier event production services and world class customer service to North America and beyond. The North American arm of Bombee, Bombee Americas, will continue to grow and scale in this new organizational structure under ESE, while maintaining its entire team and global support.
Konrad Wasiela, CEO of ESE, said: “Today marks the next stage of ESE—a 2.0 version of our company. With the acquisition of Bombee Americas, we are not only solidifying our presence in North America but also paving the way for growth and innovation in the gaming industry. This is a major step, positioning us to deliver even greater value to our partners and elevate the gaming experience for our clients globally. We’re thrilled about the opportunities ahead and the exceptional talent joining our team.”
Transaction Terms
The Acquisition was completed by way of a share purchase agreement (the SPA) among the Company, Bombee Americas, and the shareholders of Bombee Americas (the Vendors). Pursuant to the SPA, ESE acquired all of the outstanding shares of Bombee Americas in exchange for: (i) $750,000 in cash paid on closing, (ii) $375,000 in cash to be paid six (6) months following closing, subject to customary adjustments based on the working capital of Bombee Americas on closing, (iii) $375,000 in cash to be paid twelve (12) months following closing, and (iv) 30,000,000 common shares of ESE (the Consideration Shares), issued at a deemed issue price of $0.10 per share.
In connection with the Acquisition, the founders of Bombee Americas have signed three-year service agreements and will continue to run the business following the closing, along with the rest of the personnel of Bombee Americas who will remain in place, ensuring a smooth transition of operations. As part of the Acquisition, the Company has acquired the liabilities of Bombee Americas, mainly consisting of customary current obligations incurred in the ordinary course of business for Bombee Americas, which are not expected to have a material impact on the Company’s operations or financial position.
No finder’s fees were paid or payable in conjunction with the Acquisition.
The Acquisition was an arm’s length transaction within the meaning of the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange (the Exchange) and constituted an “Expedited Acquisition” in accordance with Exchange Policy 5.3 – Acquisitions and Dispositions of Non-Cash Assets. The Acquisition remains subject to the final approval of the Exchange.
Canada
Suspected Digital Fraud Coming from Canada Up Nearly 11% Since H1 2023, Reveals New TransUnion Analysis
In the first half (H1) of 2024, Canada saw a significant increase in suspected Digital Fraud attempts, with nearly 5.74% of all attempted digital transactions where the consumer was located in Canada involving suspected Digital Fraud, revealed a new TransUnion® (NYSE: TRU) analysis. This is nearly an 11% year-over-year (YoY) rate increase from H1 2023, and TransUnion also documented an 11% increase in the volume of suspected Digital Fraud from Canada during this period, despite a less than a one percent (0.7%) YoY increase in the volume of transactions.
According to a recent TransUnion survey,1 more than half (54%) of Canadians said they were recently targeted by email, phone call or text message fraud attempts. Phishing was the most common scheme type (45%), followed by smishing (42%) and vishing (39%).
The increasing use of digital transactions, combined with rising suspected Digital Fraud attempts are also impacting businesses as they potentially face revenue losses and increased operational costs due to fraud. According to a TransUnion business survey for the H2 2024 Update to the State of Omnichannel Fraud report, 200 Canadian business leaders said their companies lost approximately 6% of equivalent revenue – representing $78 billion – over the past year due to fraud. The most prominent causes of fraud loss cited by them were:
- Scam/Authorized fraud (31%): Dishonest scheme intended to trick a person into giving up something of value (e.g., account access, money, information)
- Account takeover (19%): Unauthorized individuals taking over someone’s online account (e.g., bank, social media, email) without their permission
- Synthetic identity fraud (18%): Use of a combination of personal information to fabricate a person or entity to commit a dishonest act for financial or personal gain
TransUnion also found that suspected Digital Fraud attempts – where the consumer was transacting in Canada and targeted businesses globally – increased on average by 10.5% YoY in H1 2024 compared to H1 2023 and impacted all industries.
Top Three Industries Globally with Highest Rate of Suspected Digital Fraud Attempts Coming from Canada in H1 2024
- Gambling (online sports betting, poker, etc.) – 9.6%
- Retail – 9.2%
- Government – 7.7%
Top Three Industries Globally with Highest YoY Increase (H1 2024 vs H1 2023) in the Rate of Suspected Digital Fraud Attempts Coming from Canada
- Logistics – 172.9%
- Gambling – 79.3%
- Video gaming – 67.8%
“Protecting customers and their businesses from fraud is essential to enabling safe and tailored consumer experiences. These findings reveal that despite the good-faith efforts that are being undertaken by companies to identify and prevent fraud to date, fraudsters continue to evolve and it’s vital that fraud prevention methods keep up with the changing times,” said Patrick Boudreau, head of identity management and fraud solutions at TransUnion Canada.
“Businesses that aren’t already doing so should ensure that they are taking advantage of fraud prevention technologies such as identity verification, IP intelligence, device reputation and synthetic identity detection as critical components of their fraud prevention programs,” he added.
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