eSports
Newzoo pins hopes on esports for revenue boost in video games

Newzoo, the Dutch market intelligence company focusing on egaming predicts eSports will gross $1.7 billion in revenues by 2021.
Newzoo makes a bold prediction that by 2021 is that every major U.S. media conglomerate will have esports media rights in their portfolio.
“U.S. media conglomerates such as Disney, Comcast, and AT&T are already looking into content rights for esports,” reads Newzoo’s blog post. “As these companies look to entice younger consumers, they will become even more active in the scene. We expect these companies to not only feature esports on their linear media platforms, as seen with the Overwatch League on Disney XD, but also on non-linear live-streaming platforms, such as Disney’s upcoming streaming service.”
The other major outlook that Newzoo has for esports is how it will drive growth for gaming to surpass the revenue for traditional sports.
“Gaming as a whole, including esports, is already on track to become a bigger industry than traditional professional sports,” Newzoo explains. “We expect that the global games market will generate revenues of $180.1 billion by 2021, and esports will be a major driver of this, with many brands investing in esports to appeal to younger demographics. As more companies get involved and consumers spend more time watching esports content outside of the competitions themselves, esports will generate much growth within the global games industry.”
The research firm has other interesting thoughts about 2021. For example, the Olympics will embrace esports but not as part of its traditional winter or summer games. Newzoo analysts also believe that “esports” will fade by 2021 – the term, that is. Fans will likely talk about their individual game that they are a fan of, but don’t expect too many more generalised “esports tournaments.”
But making predictions is easy, looking back at how wrong you were is tougher. But Newzoo did that for its predictions about esports from 2015. It claimed that esports would reach $465 million by 2017 (it reached $655 million) and outgross the WWE wrestling promotion (it did). It also claimed that media rights would turn into a huge focal point (that’s true), and organisations would need strict rules and regulations to protect tournaments from cheating (the Esports Integrity Coalition began in 2016).
The only thing Newzoo did not nail is that esports would need to shift to a regional structure with city-based teams. Newzoo claims that’s partially true thanks to the Overwatch League, but it also notes that this strategy has gone widely ignored by other leagues. But who knows, maybe that could still happen by 2021.
Source: venturebeat.com
eSports
Manchester City and FaZe Clan Set to Host Fortnite Tournament

Manchester City has joined forces with Epic Games and North American esports organisation FaZe Clan to host a Fortnite tournament.
Starting 24 January (GMT), players can choose from 10 different variants of new “Kickoff Set” outfits to represent their favourite club in-game. Each outfit can be swapped to any of the 23 football clubs participating, including Manchester City. Additionally, players will be able to earn or purchase two new emotes, including a “Fancy Footwork” dribbling emote.
To celebrate the launch, City and FaZe Clan have partnered to hold the FaZe City Cup Featuring Fortnite on 21 January.
The open-to-public event will be the first Fortnite tournament held by the Club and FaZe Clan and will see the top 50 duos pairings (top 100 players) earn early access to the Manchester City skin and special in-game emotes.
This activity builds on City’s already successful partnership with FaZe Clan, which has created new experiences for fans of both football and esports since it began in 2019, expanding the Club’s esports offering to global audiences.
Throughout the partnership, City footballers, legends and esports players have teamed up with FaZe Clan talent to create engaging content and launch limited-edition product collaborations, as well as hosting each other at events in Manchester and Los Angeles.
Nuria Tarre, Chief Marketing Officer at City Football Group, said: “The FaZe City Cup featuring Fortnite is an exciting first for the club in one of the most popular gaming titles globally and we hope fans worldwide will get involved in the competition and wear their Manchester City outfits in-game with pride.
“Given their significant existing presence within Fortnite, we are delighted to partner with FaZe Clan on this competition.
“It is further testament to our partnership with FaZe Clan, through which we will continue to explore opportunities to bring our fans new and immersive ways to engage with the Club.”
Lee Trink, FaZe Clan CEO, said: “The FaZe City Cup featuring Fortnite is an important illustration of our groundbreaking partnership with Manchester City.
“Alongside Manchester City, we are thrilled to be a part of a competitive tournament in Fortnite. We look forward to building on this tournament and hope to produce more entertaining competitions in the future.”
Nate Nanzer, Head of Global Partnerships at Epic Games, said: “Football is consistently one of the top sports that our players tell us they want to see and experience in Fortnite.
“We’re excited to collaborate with Manchester City to bring ‘the beautiful game’ to Fortnite fans around the world as they face off in competitive tournaments, experience new creative modes of gameplay, and celebrate global football.”
eSports
LEC Renews Partnership with Logitech G

Riot Games has announced that Logitech G will return as the official peripheral sponsor of the League of Legends European Championship (LEC) for 2021 and 2022.
As Peripherals Partner, Logitech G will continue to provide LEC players with top-of-the-range gaming accessories including keyboards, mice and mousepads. The brand will also continue to sponsor the LEC’s Mechanics segment throughout the year. This ongoing feature gives fans an insight into the technical prowess of the league’s finest players, as our experts break down their dives, ganks and steals.
“We are proud to be one of the founding partners of the LEC and to be able to participate in the construction and development of what has become the most prominent western esports league. For us, the LEC brings together all the values one looks for in a first-class partner, and that is why we are excited to extend this adventure for another two years,” Henning Christiansson, Global Category Head of Pro Series & Esport at Logitech G, said.
“We’re really proud to be working with one of the best gaming peripherals providers in the world for the third year running,” Alban Dechelotte, Head of Sponsorships & New Business EU Esports at Riot Games, said.
“Everything that Logitech G lays out for our players is absolutely top of the range, and their knowledge of the game is second to none. We value our partnership so much that we’ve signed on with them for a multi-year deal! I can’t wait to see what unfolds going forward and how the collaboration will evolve,” Alban Dechelotte added.
eSports
Rix.GG welcomes Tom “otom” Hart to VALORANT roster

Rix.GG, a top UK esports organisation, announces the signing of professional player Tom “otom” Hart to its 2021 VALORANT roster.
Tom “otom” Hart has previously played for MJAOMODE in VALORANT, prior to that he has played in other titles including CSGO, Fortnite, and H1Z1. He has shown tremendous growth and skill in VALORANT since joining the scene in November and competing against other EU teams in First Strike.
Tom “otom” Hart said: “I’m excited to have this opportunity to play for Rix.GG and am looking forward to the future under Rix.GG. With the organisation and the team behind me I believe we can achieve great things this year.”
Jamie Lewis, CEO & Founder, said: “Tom ‘otom’ Hart is an awesome addition to our Champions Tour team, and his bravery, use of tricks, and crazy mechanics will make him a fan favourite for sure!”
Zack Chandler, Esports Manager, said: “Tom (otom) is someone who has impressed me from the very early stages of building the Valorant team. His unpredictable playstyle and ability to get behind enemy lines makes him a threat to any team we go up against.”
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