Esports Business Review

Cloud9 caps off their stellar 2018

Credit: Cloud9

Cloud9 wins Organization of the year

Cloud9 ends a fantastic year with the recognition they deserve. They were a top team across multiple game titles, including: Overwatch, Rocket League CS:GO, and League of Legends. They were the first North American team to win a CS:GO major in the Boston Major and their Overwatch team, London Spitfire, was named the champions of the OWL. They beat reigning champions Team Dignitas in Rocket League and were the first North American team to make it to the League of Legends semi finals in seven years. The official Cloud9 twitter tweeted, “We at Cloud9 are delighted to have been voted the Esports Organisation of the Year at the #ESPORTSAWARDS! 2018 has truly been a year to remember, and it just got better. Thanks to everyone in the #C9FAM for your support and for voting for us!” Cloud9 also closed a $50M Series B funding round that should only help them continue their dominance. Congratulations to Cloud9 on a stellar 2018.

compLexity Partners with WinStar Global Casinos

WinStar Global Casino’s 600,000 sq ft resort in Thackerville, OK will now be the exclusive casino of compLexity gaming and will mark the first time a US esports organization will be the sponsor of a casino. According to esportsinsider, “compLexity players will see the majority of direct amenities from the deal, including access to the WinStar’s hotel, golf courses and concerts. In addition to routine appearances at the casino and other events, WinStar has the option of hosting biannual boot camps wherecompLexity players can train leading up to tournaments, complete with meet-and-greets surely to appease fans of the NA organisation staying at the resort.” This is a significant move for esports as bridging the gap between gaming and betting was inevitable and if this works out we could see more partnerships in the future and an increase in revenue through a gambling market valued at over $50B.

Discord Acquires Blitz Esports

Discord, the gaming-focused community platform, has made an acquisition that will potentially allow them to move into the content creation and gamer training market. Blitz summarizes their mission as “a bridge between esports fandom and personal gameplay.” Even though Blitz could add a few more features to Discord, this may have been a user acquisition play when you dig into the details. According to Blitz, video editors, motion graphic designers, and writer-producers will not be going to discord and have received three months severance. This doesn’t mean Discord will not be getting into content creation as it could just mean Discord wants to take that on internally and develop that arm of their company themselves. Blitz is adamant that them and Discord share the same goal of improving gaming experiences so we can only wait and see what this acquisition means in the long run.

First Esports Law Firm Launches in Canada

MKM Group will be the first law firm in Canada exclusive to Esports. Josh Marcus and Evan Kubes started the firm and hope to help those who play professional games to get an even footing in sponsorship and deal negotiations. Before MKM was created, Canadian gamers had to look to the US for legal expertise, so Josh and Evan are hoping to fill a large gap in the Canadian market. MKM will also help streamers because as we’ve seen a lot of streamers make more than just a living, they make a fortune. This is where having a strong legal backing to manage contracts and negotiations is becoming a necessity.

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