eSports

Jérémy Picard: company culture is more than just being in an office

Published

3 days ago

July 4, 2024

Jérémy Picard: company culture is more than just being in an office

Reading Time: 4 minutes

Company culture has found itself in the spotlight in recent years, especially since the pandemic, with betting and gaming businesses having to find new ways to meet the demands placed on them by their teams.

From the shift towards remote working, to the increased focus on employee wellbeing, the focus is much more on the positives of coming to work, rather than meeting corporate objectives.

For PandaScore, this focus on company culture is nothing new. In fact, building an environment that fosters a sense of community and facilitates employee progression has always been core to PandaScore’s ethos and has helped shape the brand’s operational strategy over the years.

There have, however, been some changes that have been introduced since the pandemic.

Shift in working patterns

For Jérémy Picard, Chief of Staff at PandaScore, the prospect of moving towards remote working did initially pose some questions about how the brand would manage to maintain that synergy and sense of company culture among the team. However, the results so far have shown that offering the team flexibility has been much more beneficial.

He began: “During the pandemic, we set up discussions with all our employees to find out what they wanted from work – the result of those discussions was the introduction of a fully flexible work policy that has been designed by our team.

“Our employees, or Pandas as we like to call them, can choose if and when they want to go into the office. We wanted to make sure that everyone has full freedom to work in a way that works best for them.”

When developing the company’s current working practices, Picard explained that PandaScore actually drew inspiration from the team’s love of gaming – something that he believes has helped make that shift towards online team calls and remote working much easier.

“This flexible working approach has suited our company really well,” Picard added. “Much of our team enjoy playing video games, so they are used to having their social life centred around the digital world. That shift towards remote working has, as a result, been somewhat of a second nature for us.

“We ensure that we’re constantly communicating with our team via Slack and Discord. The great thing about these two platforms is the ability to connect with one another is seamless and instant – you don’t have to spend the time creating meeting links or sending out calendar invites. You’re only one click away from chatting with your colleagues.”

Alongside the calls on Slack and Discord, PandaScore facilitates team-wide discussions with its weekly calls that often feature a company-wide game or icebreaker that helps take some of the focus away from work.

This is then complemented by regular in-person meet ups and team building sessions that help foster those relationships between the team. And for those food-motivated people among us, these meet-ups often include the addition of pizza.

“On a yearly basis, we also host in-person gatherings such as our tech team building, our pandackathon, or a long gathering weekend which tend to be hosted in a different city every year. We also run regular gaming sessions, otherwise known as pizza lol, where Pandas come together to game and enjoy pizza together.

“These face-to-face meet ups are great for building team morale and fostering those relationships. We also encourage all remote pandas to come and visit the office as soon as they feel disconnected from it, on a voluntary basis. When you have a remote company, it’s so important to have that strong connection with your employees.”

One to One

As a remote company, it can sometimes be quite difficult to not only maintain that sense of collaboration within the team. But from a managerial perspective, it also presents challenges when monitoring employee well-being.

When you’re not physically seeing team members daily, it can be difficult to assess how that employee is feeling, whether they are going through a difficult time, or if they may need additional support.

Picard explained that employee wellbeing is incredibly important to PandaScore. With this in mind, the company often rolls out anonymous mood surveys that allow the team to voice their opinions and share how they are feeling. PandaScore can then use this feedback to adapt to any potential issues that the Pandas are facing.

He added: “Communication with our employees is key, especially around the topic of wellbeing and work-life balance. We also encourage our department leaders to have regular discussions within their team too to discuss how they feel about working remotely. And we do yearly HR follow-ups where we always learn a lot.

“As Chief of Staff, I also regularly sit down with members of our team from across the company to discuss how they are feeling and what we can do better. We strongly encourage open and honest communication.

“At PandaScore, there are no wrong questions, no wrong feelings. We want to keep that dialogue open and to make our team feel like they can share anything with us.”

This emphasis on communication carries through to the company’s senior management team too, who ensure that they are open and honest about any ongoing changes within the business.

The measures that the esports provider has introduced over the years have clearly resonated with the team, as Picard pointed out that in a recent employee satisfaction survey, 99% of Pandas said “they wouldn’t change anything about the company’s current working policy”.

Picard said: “In addition to fostering open communication and adapting to feedback, we recognise the importance of striking a balance between structured processes and flexibility in our workplace culture.

“At PandaScore, we are always listening to feedback from our Pandas and use these insights to evolve our working policy. Our policy does, and always will, reflect the people within our company and that’s something we’re very proud of.

“As we look to the future, our focus is not solely on promoting remote work but on finding the optimal blend of remote and in-person collaboration that maximises productivity, creativity, and employee well-being. We must continue to find new ways to keep your team happy and keep evolving as a business.”

Related Topics:Jérémy Picard Chief of Staff at PandaScore PandaScore

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eSports

NAVI, FaZe Clan and Team Vitality players star in a new BLAST Premier video series in collaboration with GG.BET

Published

1 day ago

July 5, 2024

Adrienn Sarkany

Reading Time: < 1 minute

The BLAST Premier YouTube channel has released GG Chronicles, a series about the lives of famous esports players sponsored by GG.BET. In the first season, you’ll be able to find out which Tier-1 player captained a football team, who turned down a life in accounting for a gaming career, and who escaped falling in with a bad crowd thanks to esports.

The first episode of GG Chronicles will delve into the past of Finnish player AleksiB, the now in-game leader of NAVI, champions of the first ever CS2 Major in Copenhagen. The second episode will tell the story of his Latvian teammate jL, who was the MVP of that same tournament. We’ll then jump over to Team Vitality to get to know mezii, the winner of the last CS:GO Major in Paris, for our third episode. The final episode will give us VIP access into the life of FaZe Clan’s frozen. FaZe Clan made history in Antwerp in 2022 when they became the first international team to win a CS:GO Major.

GG Chronicles is a collection of personal stories which prove that behind every star champion is a normal person with the same fears and weaknesses as the rest of us. Each episode will show the players you know and love in a new light, as we follow them through the world of esports and share all the highs and the lows their journey entails!

The series came to be thanks to the year-long partnership between BLAST Premier, the organizers of the world-famous series of Counter-Strike tournaments, and the betting brand GG.BET, who are currently making a name for themselves in the gaming world as an enthusiastic supporter of the esports industry. The creators plan to release another 10 episodes by the end of 2024.

Asia

Revenant Esports crowned champions of OMEN VALORANT Challengers South Asia Split 2; to represent South Asia at VCT Ascension: Pacific

Published

1 day ago

July 5, 2024

Adrienn Sarkany

Reading Time: 3 minutes

Putting up stellar performances, Revenant Esports emerged victorious in the LAN playoffs of the OMEN VALORANT Challengers South Asia Split 2, securing their spot at the VALORANT Champions Tour (VCT) Ascension: Pacific.

Organized by NODWIN Gaming, the leading South Asian gaming and esports company, in collaboration with Riot Games, the tournament’s playoffs witnessed fierce competition amongst Revenant Esports, Velocity Gaming, True Rippers, and Orangutan at the NODWIN Gaming Arena in Chattarpur.

Revenant Esports, featuring India’s top VALORANT players including in-game leader (IGL) Jayanth Ramesh (skillZ), Ganesh Gangadhar (SkRossi), Kasif Sayyed (Paradox), Prish Valvani (Tricky) alongside Kazakhstan’s Dastan Zhumagali (dos9) and Sultan Akbay (sultan), remained unbeaten throughout Split 2. After winning three straight games in the league stage, the team sustained their momentum in the LAN playoffs.

They defeated Orangutan 2-0 in the upper bracket semi-finals, followed by a 2-1 win over True Rippers in the upper bracket final. In the grand finale, Revenant Esports secured another decisive victory over True Rippers with a commanding 3-0 win. The LAN playoffs were contested in a double elimination bracket, with all matches played in a best-of-three format, except the lower bracket final and grand final, which were best-of-five.

Expressing his enthusiasm for the victory, Ganesh Gangadhar aka SkRossi of Revenant Esports stated, “Winning the OMEN VALORANT Challengers South Asia Split 2 is an incredible milestone for us at Revenant Esports. We faced numerous hurdles in Split 1, but those results only made us stronger and more determined to prove ourselves on the main stage again. Personally, returning to the South Asia circuit after competing internationally was a rollercoaster journey, but I have always believed in the potential of our region. This win reinforces that belief and motivates us to aim even higher. A huge shoutout to all our fans for their constant support. We promise to keep pushing our limits and make you proud at VCT Ascension.”

OMEN VALORANT Challengers South Asia 2024 boasted an overall prize pool of $130,000 (approx. INR 1 crore) across Split 1 and Split 2. The total prize pool of Split 1 was $66,000 (approx INR 55.11 lakhs) distributed evenly across Cup 1 and Cup 2.

In Split 2, Revenant Esports took home $ 20,000 (approx. INR 16.68 lakhs) from the overall $ 64,000 (approx. INR 55 lakhs) prize pool while fellow finalists True Rippers secured $12,500 (INR 10 lakhs). Velocity Gaming were awarded with $10,000 (approx. INR 8.34 lakhs), and Orangutan received $7,000 (approx. INR 5.84 lakhs). OMEN by HP was the tournament’s title partner and Philips was the styling partner.

“Congratulations to Revenant Esports for demonstrating their prowess against the top teams in the region. Through OMEN VALORANT Challengers South Asia, NODWIN Gaming and Riot Games have dedicated themselves to establishing a sustainable ecosystem for the title, providing a platform for the nation’s best talent to shine. The invaluable support from our partners and the overwhelming response from fans, has made this event truly unforgettable. We are proud to have played a role in elevating the VALORANT esports scene in the region and look forward to Revenant Esports representing South Asia on the global stage,” said Gautam Virk, Co-Founder and CEO of NODWIN Gaming.

The dual split format of the OMEN VALORANT Challengers South Asia 2024, initiated earlier this year by NODWIN Gaming and Riot Games, has been instrumental in showcasing the skills of South Asian teams and players. The tournament saw an impressive online viewership of 8 million across Split 1 and 2, recording a total footfall of 30,000.

“The OMEN VALORANT Challengers South Asia 2024 has been an incredible journey. The intense competition and high level of gameplay we have witnessed has been truly inspiring for the viewers as well as the next generation of esports athletes. We are excited to see Revenant Esports take on the best teams from across APAC at the VCT Ascension Pacific and wish them the very best. We look forward to continuing our support for the region’s growing esports ecosystem,” commented Sukamal Pegu, Esports Lead, India & South Asia, Riot Games.

As the sole Indian representative, Revenant Esports will compete against nine other leading teams from the continent at the VCT Ascension: Pacific which is set to take place in Tokyo, Japan, this September. The winner will secure a coveted spot in the Pacific League 2025.

eSports

Published

2 days ago

July 5, 2024

Adrienn Sarkany

Reading Time: 2 minutes

Jameel Motorsport, part of Abdul Latif Jameel Motors, and the Esports World Cup Foundation (“EWCF”) have announced a two-year expansive partnership for the Esports World Cup (“EWC”), marking a strategic alliance poised to redefine the landscape of virtual and traditional Motorsports. This partnership is set to elevate the virtual and traditional motorsports experience to new heights, embodying the spirit of “Compete to Succeed.”

As a founding partner, Jameel Motorsport will bring an array of exhilarating experiences to the Esports World Cup. Fans can look forward to high-speed karting, immersive sim and VR racing, skill-based competitive challenges, and interactive exhibits. These activities are designed to inspire and engage visitors of all ages, showcasing the brand’s commitment to excellence and high performance.

The Esports World Cup, with Jameel Motorsport’s support, will offer a family-friendly environment called “Jameel Motorsport Park” where fans of all ages can enjoy the thrill of racing competition. From traditional to virtual racing challenges and exhibits, attendees will have the opportunity to experience the excitement of motorsports and gaming together, fostering a shared passion and creating lasting memories. Moreover, fans will have access to a range of merchandise from Toyota, Rally Jameel, GR, and Jameel Motorsport at the event.

Peter Aberle, CEO at Abdul Latif Jameel Motors said: “Our strategic partnership with the Esports World Cup Foundation represents a very exciting venture. This new initiative underlines our commitment to engage the people of Saudi Arabia by introducing and developing projects that align with Vision 2030’s socio-economic growth objectives. Together, we look forward to inspiring and empowering a new generation of gamers and racing enthusiasts across the world.”

This partnership signifies a step towards shaping the future of motorsports, blending virtual and physical realms. Through a variety of activations and initiatives, including a fully branded karting venue at EWC, Jameel Motorsport aims to captivate audiences of all ages, fostering a community united by their passion for speed and competition.

“We are excited to welcome Jameel Motorsport to the EWC family,” said Ralf Reichert from Esports World Cup Foundation. “Together, we will deliver unforgettable experiences to gamers and racing fans worldwide.”

With its kickoff having occurred on July 3, the Esports World Cup will transform Riyadh into the epicenter of esports fandom and gaming culture. Located in Boulevard City, fans can watch their favorite athletes and clubs compete across 22 game championships for a share of more than $60 million in life-changing prize money — the largest prize pool in esports history. Across eight weeks, the Esports World Cup will also feature festival activities that include numerous gaming activations, community tournaments, pop culture celebrations, international experiences, and more.