eSports
Fnatic secures $17m led by Marubeni to drive further global growth
High-performance brand will harness $1bn esports market in 2021
Fnatic, the high-performance esports brand, has announced a $17m funding round led by one of the largest conglomerates in Japan, Marubeni Corporation (“Marubeni”). This investment will incorporate a strategic partnership to support Fnatic’s expansion into the growing Japanese esports sector, and the substantial Asia-Pacific market.
Marubeni’s investment in Fnatic builds upon twelve months of growth, including an 80% year-on-year increase in revenues year-to-date and expansion as a high-performance esports brand. Fnatic will now strengthen its position in the rapidly growing esports market, which Newzoo anticipates will generate $1.08bn in revenues in 2021.
The previous twelve months have also accelerated the growth of the global esports industry, particularly in cornerstone markets such as China and East Asia. Newzoo projects that the worldwide esports audience will grow to 474 million people in 2021, with 92.8 million enthusiasts in China alone. This global audience is expected to reach more than 577 million by 2024.
To tap into this global and growing market, Fnatic has recently strengthened its leadership team with the addition of Georgina Workman (Head of Studios, Previously Appear Here), Julien Dupont (Partnership development, previously Vitality/Havas), Oliver Royce (Head of Apparel, Previously Gymshark) and Patrick Foster (CFO, previously Getaround). It has also continued to develop its high-performance esports brand through expanding its digital and physical performance products – revenues from these ranges have increased by 91 per cent year on year in the first quarter of 2021.
The investment from Marubeni will also accelerate Fnatic’s growth in the substantial Asia-Pacific market with a new strategic partnership that will incorporate the expansion of Fnatic’s base of operations in Japan and support for Fnatic’s Rainbow 6 Siege team who plan to relocate to the country. The Japanese esports industry is a significant and growing market, expected to increase in value by more than 250 per cent between 2019 and 2023. More than 6.9 million people attended esports events in Japan in 2020, a 42 per cent increase on the previous year.
The current round includes a range of international family offices and institutional investors, alongside venture debt from Bootstrap. The round comes after Fnatic’s groundbreaking crowdraise in 2020, which was joined by more than 3,500 investors.
Fnatic CEO Sam Mathews said: “We’re so excited to have the strategic know-how of Marubeni leading this funding round. Marubeni’s knowledge of Japan’s business landscape will be a huge asset to Fnatic as we expand our commitment to APAC.”
Founded in 2004, Fnatic is the world’s leading high-performance esports brand, with more tier-1 tournament wins than any other organisation. This focus on performance has enabled the growth of Fnatic’s pioneering esports equipment line, which grew 52 per cent in 2020. Fnatic has also expanded its high-performance teams globally, with a worldwide squad of 40 pro gamers across 8 game titles, and more than 100 staff in 6 offices globally.
Mind Sports South Africa (MSSA), founded in 1984, is the national federation for Board games, Card games, Esports, and Wargames.
MSSA promotes all the different disciplines equally, although each school may pick-and-choose which discipline it wishes to promote at its school. Some schools will promote the whole gambit, while others will concentrate on only one discipline, and/or even just concentrate on one specific title.
The choice is ultimately up to the school.
MSSA has sent teams with full Protea Colours to international events since 1991 for wargames, 1996 for Morabaraba, 1997 for Checkers, and 2005 for Esports. Many members of the national teams have been scholars, and all have benefited from their involvement in the national Protea Team.
There is still the option open for a school to start a full-blown sub-club on its premises, but bearing in mind the tight regulatory conditions under which accredited schools have to operate in the Republic, the MSSA no longer deems it necessary for a school to start a sub-club.
As long as the school club has the approval of the school, and has an Educator-in-Charge, a school may affiliate by merely completing the Application for Affiliation Form and submitting such to MSSA.
Advantages of having a MSSA affiliated club: There are many advantages of having a MSSA affiliated club, such as:
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Being part of a community where your club has a real say in how things are done
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Being able to apply for National Lottery Funding – MSSA member clubs can apply for up to R800,000.00 in funding
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Being able to get assistance from your local government
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Experience increased media exposure of your events and your gamers
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Become part of the international community through the MSSA Registered players are able to become internationally recognised umpires, etc.
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Enable your gamers to take part in MSSA events, which may qualify them for Regional, Provincial, and National colours, overseas trips, and even sports bursaries at university.
- Private clubs: one vote per every five registered players, and
- School clubs: one vote per every ten registered players.
MSSA’s General Regulations
The General Regulations comprises of decisions made by both Council and Executive Committee Meetings. The General Regulations deals with how sub-committees operate as well as to how teams are selected and development funding is distributed. Please refer to Schedule 10.12 in regard to the rights of clubs in hosting events.
MSSA’s Discipline Specific Regulations
The Discipline Specific Regulations deal with rules concerning the different disciplines. The Disciplines that the MSSA caters for are; Board Gaming, Card gaming, Esports, and Figure Gaming.
When a club applies for membership, the applicant club must complete such form and return the same to the MSSA.Fee note for 2025
The fee note details the Affiliation Fees and Registration fees that are payable.
Player Registration Form
The Player Registration Form needs to be completed by every player that is a member of a club and intends to participate in MSSA affairs.
MSSA’s Letter of Undertaking
The Letter of Undertaking is for all registered players who sit on any MSSA committee.
Asia
Revenant Esports and Team XSpark Join Forces to Form Revenant XSpark, ScoutOP Revealed as Brand Ambassador
Revenant Esports and Team XSpark, two titans of Indian esports, have announced a strategic merger to create Revenant XSpark. This new super organization is set to redefine the esports landscape, combining the resources, expertise, and dedicated fan followings of both organizations.
United under the Revenant XSpark banner, the collaboration aims to compete in multiple popular esports titles, establish original community IPs, deliver engaging fan activations, drive innovative brand partnerships, and expand internationally.
As part of this joint venture, Revenant XSpark has introduced its BGMI lineup, featuring the lineup of Sarang, Spraygod, Shadow, and Joker, with Osmium serving as the team’s coach. These players recently captured back-to-back victories at the BGMI Pro Series and BGMI India Series, making them the only team in the history of the game to win two official BGMI LAN events.
In addition to its BGMI team, Revenant XSpark has been chosen as one of only 10 partnered organizations by The Pokémon Company to compete in the newly launched Pokémon UNITE ACL India League 2025. Fans can look forward to an exciting roster announcement soon.
ScoutOP Joins as Brand Ambassador, Expanding Revenant XSpark’s Reach
Tanmay “ScoutOP” Singh, a legend in the Indian gaming community with over 10 million followers on social media, has officially joined Revenant XSpark as its brand ambassador.
Scout was the mastermind behind the Team XSpark roster, mentoring and nurturing them to their historical back to back victories in BGMI esports. Now, as the ambassador for Revenant XSpark, Scout will bring his vast following, which not only covers India but also extends internationally, to the united brand.
Commenting on the partnership, Tanmay “ScoutOP” Singh, brand ambassador of Revenant XSpark said, “I’ve known Rohit for a while, and I’ve always been a fan of Revenant’s unique approach to content—it’s witty, filled with banter, but still subtle. It’s exactly the kind of vibe I wanted to bring to XSpark. Beyond that, our shared vision for expanding esports with multiple rosters across India and internationally made this partnership a perfect fit. Joining forces to take the Revenant XSpark name global was a no-brainer for me.”
Rohit Jagasia, Founder and CEO of Revenant Esports, commented, “Scout and I have a strong personal connection, and our brands, Revenant and XSpark, naturally share a similar fan base and values. This partnership feels like an organic next step. Scout’s holistic approach to content, spanning gaming and entertainment across multiple platforms, makes him the perfect ambassador for our brand as we aim to establish Revenant XSpark as India’s leading esports organization and expand our footprint globally.”
To celebrate this partnership, Revenant XSpark, including the BGMI team and ScoutOP, will host an exclusive meet-and-greet event in Mumbai in November, giving fans a chance to interact with their favorite players and ScoutOP himself. Stay tuned to Revenant XSpark’s social media handles for more information.
Revenant XSpark will also be working to build esports IPs. Recently, Revenant Esports also partnered with IPL team, Gujarat Titans, to bring BGMI Titans, an open-for-all esports tournament.
Additionally, Revenant Esports has a strong history within the Indian esports scene, having won the VALORANT Challengers 2024: South Asia – Split 2, to be the lone Indian team in the VCT Pacific Ascension. Furthermore, it is the only esports organization to represent India internationally in the Pokemon UNITE World Championship and the Brawl Stars World Finals.
The ‘eFootball Diwali Showdown’, a special influencer tournament organised by NODWIN Gaming, a leader in new-age youth entertainment, gaming, and esports, and Konami Digital Entertainment Co., Ltd. (KONAMI), the leading video game developer and publisher from Japan culminated with S8UL Aman being crowned as the champion.
Eight of India’s prominent gaming personalities including Dreamboy, Yes Smarty Pie, Ezio18Rip, Sid, Senpai Spider, K18, Binks, and Aman, competed in both group stage and knockout formats.
In addition to the tournament, KONAMI has also announced special in-game rewards to celebrate Diwali with Indian gamers. Players will have the opportunity to log in to eFootball and earn exclusive Diwali-themed rewards.
This includes unique player packs featuring popular Indian football team stars, giving fans the opportunity to play with homegrown talent while celebrating the festival of lights. Alongside these packs, players can unlock special Diwali-themed jerseys, available only during this festive period.
Tournament participants K18, Senpai Spider, and Yes Smarty Pie will also be streaming the game extensively and hosting matches for fans on an integrated YouTube stream from their individual channels.
These Diwali-focused initiatives are a testament to KONAMI’s commitment to catering to India’s fast-growing mobile gaming market. As a free-to-play title, eFootball provides open access to casual as well as high-level competitive gaming, eliminating any financial and accessibility barriers for gamers from all backgrounds.
Recently, eFootball was selected by FIFA as an official title in the FIFAe World Cup, with India among the 18 countries invited to participate. Additionally, eFootball is also set to be featured in the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting’s WAVES Esports Championship 2025 (WESC), further solidifying its relevance and appeal in India’s gaming landscape.
Earlier this year, Konami announced that eFootball has surpassed 700 million total downloads worldwide.
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