Twitch and Faceit Launch ECS eSports League | THE NEXT LEVEL 01
Twitch and Faceit Launch eSports Championship Series
TNL Take: By far the biggest story of the week was the newly created eSports Championship Series between Twitch and Faceit. This isn’t your standard venture but a new paradigm in eSports infrastructure. Not only will the first series “ECS-Counter Strike” have a significant prize pool of $3.5M, for the first time team owners will have an ownership in the overall league. Just like the NFL.
- Expect to see similar revenue sharing agreements and team incentives across other leagues this year.
- Now with ECS-CS, ESL-CS, and EL, there are 3 major leagues in addition to tournaments. It maybe challenging logistically for the top NA and EA teams to compete in all 3.
- Emerging from the initial “Wild West” days, the industry now showcases multiple leagues and tournaments and instead of trying to grab all of the gold, companies are finally picking their niche. Are you a league? A platform? An organizer? A broadcaster? A media company? Can anyone actually do it all (Activision)? Save that for a later date.
Activision’s Grand Plans for eSports
If the stars align for Bobby Kotick, he’ll have accomplished his goal of creating what every media company is trying to do: the ESPN of eSports.
TNL Take: The company is uniquely positioned for this: great IP, games that practically started eSports, a built in authentic community, and the final piece of the puzzle — distribution. Activision has clearly stated its big media ambitions which started via its acquisition of MLG. (Disclaimer: I used to work at MLG). Here’s what you will be able to do in currently in COD: Watch In Game. This allows them to control their own platform across their entire IP once they’re ready. That could be big because why need a Twitch or YouTube? Guess the first game company to ever present at the Digital Content Newfronts?
Plays.tv Crosses 10M Active Users
Twitch is great for live streaming, YouTube owns VOD, and Mobcrush and Kamcord are vying for the mobile space. Plays.tv wants to be the next Instagram.
TNL Take: Plays.tv was created by Dennis “Thresh” Fong who is credited by the Guinness Book of World Records as the official 1st professional gamer. I’m wary of the overall market for just short video clips but if anyone knows the space, it’s Dennis. I’d like to see some additional metrics around daily usage and engagement.
Machinima Inside eSports Partners with Verizon Go90
In addition to IGN, Machinima is launching their own daily show “Inside eSports”; however it’s exclusive to Verizon’s go90 mobile content.
TNL Take: This is another deal that Machinima has done to provide exclusive content to a platform; like their Vimeo deal. I’d continue to expect branded content and ad partnerships but distribution is a more significant factor to drive growth.
UC Irvine to Offer eSports Scholarships and Arena
A few colleges have already announced eSports scholarships and courses. But UC Irvine is leveling up the game. Not only will there be 10 scholarships to the eSports team, but a dedicated 3,500 square-foot dedicated arena with 80 stations.
TN Take: My prediction is within 3 years, collegiate eSports will be relegated to all NCAA sanctions and rules. In 5 years, there will be complete 4 year scholarships for eSports.
Olympics and eSports
20 years ago, Snowboarding was not an Olympic event. eSports may be there much sooner than that. (Even if Kristi Leskinin doesn’t think it’s a sport). While it may not be a part of the official Rio Olympics, there will be a two day pop-up event sponsored by the United Kingdom; with a biannual program to start in South Korea in 2018.
TNL Take: With the massive growth of the industry and now a foothold at the Olympics, I have no doubt there will be an Olympic eSports event within the next 5 to 10 years. The self-feeding loop of growth and legitimacy from the established sports infrastructure and former athletes is only good news for the future.
SPONSOR SPOTLIGHT: KONTROLFREEK
With today’s young audience, the word authenticity is used so often it belittles its meaning. This new program from KontrolFreek is a great example. 10 scholarships to “Any player, Any game”. The authenticity is tied to giving players the control and letting them tell their own story — have a conversation, don’t just talk.
TNL Take: For brands that want to partner in the eSports space, this is the #1 key to their success.
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