Your Gaming and Esports Update
Deals
Rally Cry Raises $1.2M
Rally Cry has raised $1.2 million to bring organized competitive multiplayer gaming programs to players of all ages and skill levels across the nation. The money came from Mike and Amy Morhaime (Blizzard Entertainment cofounder and VP of global esports for Blizzard, respectively), Kevin Lin (cofounder and former COO of Twitch), Marc Merrill (cofounder and CEO of Riot Games), and a host of others. The Irvine, California-based company is the brainchild of two twin brothers, Adam and Tyler Rosen. For more than a decade, they have been connecting people through social gaming experiences. Their first startup, Tespa, which was founded in 2010 and eventually acquired by Blizzard Entertainment in 2013, established the first collegiate network of its kind.
Mod.io Raises $1M
Mod.io, an Australia-based gaming startup, announced that it has secured US$1 million in a seed round led by early-stage gaming venture capital fund Play Ventures. Founded in 2018, Mod.io is a gaming service that aims to make user-generated content (UGC) more accessible to game developers across platforms and stores. It provides a clientless API so developers can easily create and share content and modifications (or mods). The service currently supports games with a C++ software development kit and native plugins for game engines Unity and Unreal, according to a statement.
Amuka Esports Acquires Incendium Gaming
Amuka Esports has announced the full acquisition of Incendium Gaming, a tournament organizer in the fighting game community (FGC). Amuka Esports, which creates localized esports hubs for casual gamers across North America, has made the acquisition as part of its mission to grow niche gaming communities. Incendium Gaming was founded in 2019 and has since hosted 20 events under its brand. It specializes in fighting games, such as Tekken 7, Street Fighter, and Dragon Ball FighterZ, and has been contracted to produce tournaments for the likes of GOML (Get On My Level) and World Gaming. The Canada-based company has also hosted events such as Armor Break, a Capcom Pro Tour Ranking event, and Electric Clash, a Tekken World Tour Challenger event.
Updates
FOX Sports To Broadcast Full eNascar iRacing Pro Series Invitational
After a successful debut event on March 22nd, the complete eNASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational Series event will be broadcast on FOX, FOX Sports 1, and the FOX Sports App. The decision comes after the inaugural event drew 903,000 viewers on FS1, according to a release. Created by NASCAR and simulation racing platform iRacing, the eNASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational Series sees drivers from the NASCAR Cup Series, Xfinity Series, the NASCAR Gander RV & Ourdoors Truck Series, and sim racers compete over the course of multiple weeks.
Nevada Regulators Approve Betting on ESL Pro League
The Nevada Gaming Control Board has approved betting on Counter-Strike: Global Offensive’s ESL Pro League Season 11: North America in three wager types. With this ruling, regulators will allow all licensed bookmakers in Nevada to post and accept wagers on the tournament, under specific conditions. The Nevada Gaming Control Board has approved wager types for head to head, winner of each match, and overall season winner. Those licensed bookmakers opting to offer wagers on ESL Pro League Season 11: North America must notify the Enforcement Division via email and halt the acceptance of bets prior to the start of each match.
Immortals Gaming Club Hires Former NASCAR CRO Jon Tuck
Immortals Gaming Club has hired former NASCAR CRO Jon Tuck as its first chief commercial officer, putting him in charge of all revenue related to IGC’s esports operations. Tuck will be responsible for generating revenue from sponsorship, media, merchandise and live events across iGC’s operations, which includes teams in the Call of Duty League (Optic Gaming L.A.), Overwatch League (L.A. Valiant), League of Legends Championship Series (Immortals) and Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (MIBR), among other operations. Tuck left NASCAR late last year at a time when the racing series’ sales department was seeing changes amid the $2B acquisition of International Speedway Corp. He also previously worked at Sports Illustrated Group. IGC had been looking for a new CCO for several months.
Twitter: @taylor_konvoy
