eSports
Anzu and Axis Games’ Expanded Partnership Brings Programmatic In-game Ads to Esports League in Industry First
Anzu.io, the world-leading provider of in-game advertising solutions, today announced the expansion of its exclusive partnership with Axis Games, the developers of the popular game Axis Football and the newly formed Axis Football Esports League. Under the new deal, Anzu’s platform will enable programmatically delivered, blended in-game ads to be shown during a live esports tournament.
This partnership is groundbreaking for the gaming industry; it represents the first time in history that advertisers will have the opportunity to run programmatic campaigns on PC during a live esports event. When choosing Anzu as its partner for this bold move, Danny Jugan, Axis Games’ President, said, “We are excited to partner with Anzu as our advertising supplier. They provide great content and have been a pleasure to work with.”
A few months ago, the two companies created their first partnership which saw Anzu, the only in-game advertising company to hold an ISO 27001 certificate and be a member of the Xbox Tools and Middleware Program, integrate its ad serving platform into Axis Football’s PC and console game content. The ads, which are displayed on in-game objects such as stadium banners, are designed to enhance gameplay by creating an environment that more closely represents the real world. In response to seeing the in-game ads, an Axis Football 2020 beta tester said, “The banner ads added to the stadiums significantly increase the level of immersion in the game.”
In preparation for the launch of the league, Axis Games has made significant improvements to the game over the past few months, including rebranding the teams, logos, and player uniforms. The tournament will be played by 36 pre-selected gamers from the US, Canada, and Mexico, each representing a team. Fans can watch two live matchups at 6:30 pm and 8 pm EST every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday and tune in to weekly preview and post-game shows streamed during the weekends. With Axis Games’ predominantly US fanbase, the tournament games won’t conflict with NFL game times but instead act as a fun, digital supplement to the football season.
With enhanced graphics, the Axis Football Esports League is sure to draw a dedicated audience when games are streamed live.
Games, complete with live commentary, will be streamed on both Twitch.tv and YouTube, giving advertisers a tremendous amount of exposure as fans from across the globe log on to watch each game. Advertisers will get access to essential metrics from the streaming platforms, including total views, geolocations, and concurrent viewership statistics. Additionally, Anzu’s platform provides advertisers with detailed campaign analytics and user data, plus precise ad viewability metrics through its ad verification solution, the first and only of its kind in the industry.
Advertisers will also benefit from Anzu’s hyper-location targeting, increasing advertisers’ ability to deliver highly relevant campaigns to specific esports venues and audiences. Furthermore, Anzu’s collaboration with Nielsen Connectivity gives advertisers insights about their campaign effectiveness. Boosting advertiser confidence even more, Anzu partners with Forensiq to include the first-ever fraud detection solution for in-game advertising.
“Anzu’s premium blended in-game ads represent a new chapter for the gaming and advertising industries. Axis Games is a company that is also interested in reinventing the gaming world through innovative monetization methods while still preserving, and improving, the gaming experience,” said Anzu CEO and Co-Founder, Itamar Benedy. “We are proud to partner with them in this revolutionary endeavor and bring the first programmatic ad campaigns to the esports world.”
eSports
Emmy-Winning Director R.J. Cutler’s Docuseries Esports World Cup: Level Up Premieres June 6 on Prime Video
Prime Video, one of the leading entertainment destinations, will premiere the five-part documentary Esports World Cup: Level Up on June 6, with new episodes released weekly. Directed by Emmy-winning filmmaker R.J. Cutler (Billie Eilish: The World’s a Little Blurry, Elton John: Never Too Late and Martha), the series goes behind-the-scenes of the inaugural Esports World Cup (EWC) in 2024 — a defining moment in global esports, where over $60 million in prize money ignited a high-stakes, multinational battle to crown the world’s top esports Club.
The series is produced by This Machine (a part of Sony Pictures Television), with R.J. Cutler directing, John Dorsey serving as showrunner, and Jane Cha Cutler, Trevor Smith, Elise Pearlstein and Mark Blatty executive producing. Level Up will premiere exclusively on Prime Video in more than 240 countries and territories worldwide.
Esports World Cup: Level Up offers a rare look inside a global competition that’s redefining what it means to be a champion for a new generation of athletes and fans. R.J. Cutler and his team of expert storytellers embedded themselves within the eight-week tournament – watched by over 500 million fans globally – to uncover the personal sacrifices, rivalries and stakes driving the action.
Shot in verité style, the series combines intimate home visits from around the world and on-the-ground coverage from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. It follows a wide cast of characters – from Club CEOs orchestrating million-dollar strategies to rising stars chasing life-changing wins – while capturing the pulse of elite esports competition.
“What drew me to the Esports World Cup was the compelling human stories unfolding within this high-stakes arena. Level Up isn’t just about the incredible competition and prize money; it’s about the dedication, the passion, and the sheer will of these athletes and teams pushing the boundaries of what’s possible. Under high pressure, we discover the true character of the competitors who vie for $60 million, but who also expose their humanity in the process,” said Cutler.
At the heart of Level Up is the “EWC Club Championship,” an unprecedented, multi-title tournament format where Clubs compete across more than 20 games, earning points toward a single leaderboard. Every match, every point, reshapes the race for global dominance. With the highest prize pool in esports history on the line, the EWC is not just a tournament – it’s a proving ground for the next generation of sports icons.
“A win might make the headlines — but the real story is the people behind it. Level Up dives into the human side of esports: the pressure, the ambition, the sacrifices. It’s about what it really takes to compete at the highest level — and why it matters. R.J. is the best at bringing those stories to life, and this one captures the heart of what we’re building,” said Ralf Reichert, CEO of the Esports World Cup Foundation.
The post Emmy-Winning Director R.J. Cutler’s Docuseries Esports World Cup: Level Up Premieres June 6 on Prime Video appeared first on Gaming and Gambling Industry in the Americas.
Esports betting pioneer adds daily fantasy esports offering to its growing range of products, with its sights set on the US market
PandaScore, the award-winning provider of esports odds, data and betting products, has continued to push boundaries with the launch of Daily Fantasy eSports, a truly groundbreaking product for operators and players.
Daily Fantasy eSports has been developed for the US market but will have global appeal with players drawn in by the chance to create virtual teams of real-life players and earn points based on their actual game performances.
Contests range from daily matchups to season-long leagues, with plenty of prizes up for grabs.
PandaScore’s Daily Fantasy eSports is backed by an expert-led esports trading team to deliver fast, accurate settlement data across unique, player-focused markets driven by the provider’s established and proven betting models.
An Interactive Player Widget serves up rich player stats and profiles, with PandaScore’s powerful BetBuilder enabling same-game parlays.
But that’s not all. PandaScore has more than 17,000 players in its esports player age and info database, the largest in the market.
It also offers dedicated helper codes and documentation to ensure smooth and seamless operator integration. It really is as easy as 1-2-3.
1 – There is a kick-off call to align on goals, timelines and fantasy formats.
2 – The operator accesses PandaScore’s dedicated fantasy-focused API to accelerate the build
3 – The dedicated integration manager ensures effortless onboarding and a successful launch
By leveraging PandaScore’s odds and data, alongside its team of experts and specialists, online sportsbook and daily fantasy sports operators can launch faster, ensure accuracy and scale their Daily Fantasy eSports offering with confidence.
Oliver Niner, Head of B2B at PandaScore, said: “Daily Fantasy eSports is a pioneering product from PandaScore that will really hit the mark with operators across North America, as well as other global markets.
“It allows operators to engage esports fans and bettors with a compelling product and proposition, but without the degree of risk that comes with standard betting as the payouts are controlled.
“Daily Fantasy eSports is already live with Dabble and is performing incredibly well, so we look forward to going live with more operators in the coming months.
“This really is a game-changing product, and we can’t wait to see it become available at some of the biggest betting brands in North America and beyond.”
The launch of Daily Fantasy eSports complements PandaScore’s growing esports betting offering, which includes odds and data for a huge number of disciplines, plus betting products like its BetBuilder, MicroMarkets and StoryBuilder.
The post PandaScore launches game-changing Daily Fantasy eSports product appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
Esports Charts, a Ukraine-born analytics company that aggregates real-time viewership insights about esports, has won the Esports Innovation Award at the EsportsNext Industry Awards, hosted by the Esports Trade Association (ESTA) in Dallas, US.
The Esports Innovation Award recognizes an organization or individual that has introduced groundbreaking technology, services, or strategies significantly advancing the esports industry.
Esports Charts was honored for its scalable analytics platform, which provides comprehensive tournament and viewership statistics across more than 25 livestreaming services — helping stakeholders from publishers and teams to fans make smarter, data-driven decisions.
“Winning the Innovation Award from ESTA is an important milestone for us as a leading esports analytics service in the world. Also, we’re especially proud to represent Ukraine-born innovation on an international stage.
“From day one, our mission has been to bring clarity and transparency to the world of esports data. And this recognition from the industry is both an honor and a motivation to keep raising the bar.
“Thank you to our incredible team and partners, who believed in us from the start. This award is a shared success — and we’re just getting started,” Artyom Odintsov, co-founder and CEO of Esports Charts.
The post Esports Charts Wins “Esports Innovation Award” at the EsportsNext Industry Awards appeared first on Gaming and Gambling Industry in the Americas.
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