On May 18, a South Korean politician put forward a bill that would stop esports tournament organizers and stakeholders from unilaterally terminating tournaments without first informing participants and other principles involved in the event. The bill, “The Heroes of the Storm Law,” was put forward to parliament by Congressman Dong-su Yoo of the Democratic Party […]
World Series of Warzone Showcasing Four Events and $1.2M in Prize Money – The Esports Observer
Activision Blizzard Esports has just announced the 2021 World Series of Warzone which features four events with a prize pool of $300K USD each, the largest prize pool to date for any Warzone tournament. Fans will witness a series of four semi-invitational Call of Duty: Warzone competitions that will be separated into trios- and duos-based […]
Building an Esports Conference from the Ground Up – The Esports Observer
Regional focus and diverse programming support member schools. As Washington, D.C. developed into a national esports hub in recent years, regional stakeholders recognized an opportunity to support collegiate-level esports and help maximize their potential throughout the area. Several colleges and universities in and around DC currently host esports programs, though the lack of any unifying […]
Esports Tournament Organizer FACEIT Brings on Death Wish Coffee as Sponsor – The Esports Observer
FACEIT, the U.K. based competitive platform for online multiplayer games, has announced that it has partnered with Death Wish Coffee — a brand marketed in the vein of having the “World’s Strongest Coffee.” While the FACEIT gaming platform services many countries, this partnership is exclusively for US-based players. Financial details of the partnership were not […]
Alfred Chak Joins Esports Engine as COO – The Esports Observer
Esports Engine, a division of esports infrastructure company Vindex, has hired Alfred Chak as its new chief operating officer. In his new role, Chak will work with senior leadership on short and long-term business strategy, plan and execute business expansion and growth plans, and oversee the operational initiatives and financial reporting of Esports Engine. Prior […]
Twitch Set to Reduce Localized Subscription Pricing Outside U.S. – The Esports Observer
Streaming platform Twitch will begin rolling out reduced subscription pricing in markets outside of the U.S. later this week. According to the company, the baseline $4.99 USD subscription price became prohibitively expensive when localized into some currencies. The change could result in a decrease in revenue from Twitch streamers, who receive a significant portion of […]
KRAFTON Chairman Gifts $89M in Private Shares to Employees – The Esports Observer
KRAFTON, Inc. Chairman Byung Gyu Chang revealed plans to give global team members and new hires who join the company before September 2021 up to $89M USD in private KRAFTON shares. The PUBG and PUBG Mobile maker said that participation in its “Employee Stock Ownership Program” will be limited to domestic team members. For overseas […]
Riot Taps Esports Entertainment Group, Helix eSports to Host LCS Proving Grounds – The Esports Observer
Riot Games has selected Esports Entertainment Group’s EGL and Helix eSports to host the Summer 2021 North American LCS Proving Grounds event, a tournament for academy and semi-pro teams in North America. The tournament will take place over the course of three weeks in July, culminating in a grand finals event on July 26-27. Earlier […]
How a Sports Technology Investment Firm Bought Into Esports – The Esports Observer
Bob Barnett is a former banker and investor, and now a lot more bullish on the esports industry than he used to be. This wasn’t always the case, and prior to 2017, Barnett couldn’t tell you much about esports or even gaming. The company which he is a managing partner of, Phoenix Sports Partners, is […]
Worlds 2020 Ranked as Shanghai’s Second Most Impactful Sports Event, Generates $4.6M in Direct Economic Effect – The Esports Observer
Five esports events were featured in a report listing the most impactful 15 sports events held in Shanghai in 2020. The report was released by The Shanghai Sports Bureau (SSB). The League of Legends World Championship 2020 (Worlds 2020), the biggest esports event of 2020, was ranked #2 in the report, behind the 2020 Shanghai […]