eSports
WePlay Esports invests in One True King company
WePlay Esports, the flagship company of WePlay Holding, has invested in the OTK (One True King) influencer network and media company. Per the agreement, WePlay Esports becomes OTK’s strategic partner. By combining WePlay Esports’ expertise in esportainment production and OTK’s content creation experience, the two organizations will create more engaging material for gaming fans and develop the industry further.
On June 7, 2022, WePlay Esports and OTK announced their partnership during a stream from the WePlay Esports Arena L.A. This is the first-ever external event held in the U.S. WePlay venue that marks the start of the arena’s vigorous activity.
OTK is known for the amusing shows made by the team, which consists of eleven content creators, each a dedicated gaming enthusiast focused on developing the media production direction within the OTK activities. Founded in 2020, the organization has already become one of the most popular live-streaming brands in the world, according to Dexerto. And recently, on March 12, 2022, OTK won the Best Content Organization Award during The Streamer Awards.
WePlay Esports’ experience in the esports event industry should boost OTK’s initiatives aimed at communicating with the gaming audience in a new, unconventional format. Using AR and VR capabilities integrated with the WePlay Esports Arena L.A. and the technical expertise of the WePlay team will help reach a new level of content production. As for WePlay, this partnership will accelerate its expansion in the U.S. market — a strategic goal of the company.
“We at WePlay Esports have always focused on expanding horizons and partnering with ambitious gaming market members. And we believe that OTK is exactly that.
The whole [OTK] team makes a great contribution to the development of gaming by bringing their original approach to content creation. And since WePlay Esports is known for its unique esports event production techniques, we thought that this partnership would bring about more thrilling projects, launched collaboratively by our teams.
More events, initiatives, and projects are ahead!” shared Yura Lazebnikov, co-founder of WePlay Esports, a flagship company of WePlay Holding, managing partner of the WePlay Holding and TECHIIA Holding.
“The WePlay Esports x OTK partnership is a collaboration between one of the world’s best esports production companies and one of the top experts within the streaming industry. We believe it will open us new and exciting opportunities for co-development and leveling up media content creation in the gaming industry.
We’ve been working for quite some time before finally launching our WePlay Esports Arena L.A. and are happy it was with our OTK partners that we did it. Hopefully, the stream of June 7, 2022, is just the beginning of a series of our joint initiatives held in and out of our U.S. arena”, said Maksym Bilonogov, chief visionary officer and general producer at WePlay Esports.
“The augmented and virtual reality capabilities at WePlay Esports add a whole new dimension to collaborative content creation,” said OTK Сo-founder and Chief Operating Officer Tipsout. “Content that would’ve normally required participants to be in the same physical space is now remotely accessible.”
“We are excited to open the doors of our new home to the OTK community, with plans in store to utilize the space for esports events, live shows, and mixed-reality content”, OTK streamer and professional esports host Rich Campbell stated.
On June 8, 2022, the WePlay Esports Arena L.A. is welcoming the OTK Games Expo, with a demonstration of unreleased games and exclusive interviews with industry professionals. Studios that manage to impress One True King, and the viewers at that, will get $50,000 in developmental grants.
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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