Feb 3, 2021

NewsAroundUs Published Disclosed esports investment in January was considerable — albeit lopsided. According to Esports Insider’s calculations, around $61.6m (~£44.84m) of disclosed investment was committed in January 2021 — most of which came from solutions provider VSPN raising $60m (~£43.7m) in its latest funding round. This month, however, important news stretched beyond just accumulative investment figures. Here is a short breakdown of last month’s key investment news. Credit: VSPN In its last two funding rounds (Series B and Series B+), the latest of which closed last month, Versus Programming Network has raised a total of $160m (~£116.53m). The company is now backed by investors such as Chinese conglomerate Tencent Holding, Prospect Avenue Capital, Guotai Junan International, and Nan Fung Group, among others. The company also acquired Banana Gaming & Media last month for an undisclosed amount. The most recent investment is expected to go towards creating technologies in esports production, and ‘deepening the layout of esports IP trends and operations’. Photo credit: World Poker Tour, Allied Esports Allied Esports is ‘exploring strategic options’ for its current esports business after selling the World Poker Tour to investment group Element Partners last month for $78.25m (~£57.35m). As of January 20th there had been no ‘initial or ongoing’ negotiations to sell the esports business. ESI reached out to Allied Esports for an update on potential negotiations. The company had nothing new to share. According to an official release, if Allied Esports sells its esports business, the company will continue under a new name. Photo credit: Nations Ventures / Hypr Carry Nations Ventures, a venture capital fund majority-owned by We Are Nations, has invested in Australian influencer merchandise and media company HYPR CARRY. Details of the amount invested in HYPR CARRY have not been revealed. However, the funding will be used help establish a wholly-owned US subsidiary, HYPR CARRY USA, LLC. Image credit: Mobile Premier League Indian esports and mobile gaming platform Mobile Premier League (MPL) announced last month it has raised $500,000 (£364,200) as part of its Employee Investment Plan. Existing employees could acquire stock in MPL by investing anywhere between $2,300 (£1,675) and $23,000 (£16,754). According to a release, over 10 percent of MPL employees participated in the plan. In September 2020, MPL announced an ESOP buyback plan worth $3.2 million during its Series C funding round, which resulted in funding of $90 million (£70.4 million) from SIG, RTP Global, MDI, Sequoia India, and others. Credit: Dolphin Entertainment North American marketing and content production company Dolphin Entertainment, Inc. last month announced the acquisition of entertainment agency B/HI. Financial details of the acquisition have yet to be disclosed. B/HI will operate as a division of Dolphin Entertainment’s subsidiary, PR firm 42West. Some of the B/HI’s past and present esports clients include Immortals, Super League Gaming, Team Liquid, and Tempo Storm. Credit: Cavea Esports sponsorship and audience analytics firm Cavea has raised €1m (~£902,361) from new and existing investors, including additional support from The Danish Growth Fund (Vækstfonden). The investment is expected to ‘consolidate and expand’ its product offering, grow its team, and allow Cavea to focus on commercialisation. Get your weekly round-up of the esports industry’s key stories, by listening to the ESI Digest podcast on your favourite platform. Alternatively, click the button below: Listen to ESI Network, a suite of esports podcasts McDonald’s Southern California has become an official marketing partner of LAFC Gaming, the esports division of Los Angeles Football Club. As part of the deal, McDonald’s will serve as the presenting partner for the club’s newly built gaming room located at LAFC’s business headquarters in Los Angeles. The partnership will take effect alongside the start of eMLS’ 2021 season. Image credit: LAFC RELATED: eMLS returns for 2021 with two new teams, adds JLab as partner Richard Shalhoub, association president of the local McDonald’s franchisee group spoke on the partnership in a release: “Through this partnership with LAFC Gaming, McDonald’s of Southern California will provide the support needed to bolster the local gaming community while also expanding the soccer fan base throughout Los Angeles. “We’re thrilled to support our partners at LAFC and LAFC Gaming with the new cutting-edge gaming room.” The gaming hub, specifically designed for streaming, contains a private room with a custom-built computer optimised for content creation and competing. According to the release, it will be used by the club’s eMLS player Martin ‘RemiMartinn’ Oregel. RELATED: Gen.G cooks up McDonald’s partnership Larry Freedman, the Co-President of Los Angeles Football Club also commented: “We are so excited to introduce our great partner McDonald’s of Southern California to the eMLS and LAFC gaming space. “McDonald’s is an industry leader who shares our vision of expanding the Black & Gold fanbase digitally and supports our efforts to advance the game of soccer in Los Angeles. Even though McDonald’s SoCal has been LAFC’s partner since 2018, this marks the first corporate partnership of its gaming division. Esports Insider says: After signing with GenG last year, McDonalds’ SoCal strikes another strong esports partnership. Both of these deals suggest McDonald’s commitment to developing esports and gaming in Southern California. Given McDonald’s influence, this is good news for esports in the region and we expect more activations like these in the future. Florida-based esports organisation Misfits Gaming Group (MGG) has announced a partnership with social media analytics firm Zoomph. The deal will see MGG obtain a range of data surrounding sponsorships to create a variety of campaigns through Zoomph’s platform. Credit: Zoomph RELATED: Atlanta Esports Ventures enters partnership with Zoomph Since entering the esports industry in 2019, Zoomph has continued to expand its presence by entering into collaborations with several organisations. MGG joins the likes of the Pittsburgh Knights and Team Liquid, which utilise Zoomph to improve marketing strategies. Will Pazos, Sales, Data, and Analytics Manager for Misfits Gaming Group, spoke on the partnership in a release: “Our digital assets are a significant part of the value we deliver to our partners and Zoomph gives us the confidence that we are tracking and reporting on every impression, view, and engagement that we generate. “Whether it be tracking logo exposure on streams and broadcasts or measuring the impact of campaigns across social media, Zoomph’s valuation and measurement tools provide clear insight for our partners to validate the strength of their partnership with MGG.”  RELATED: Misfits Gaming Group signs multi-year deal with Tokyo Time 2021 has already been a busy year for MGG. The organisation has into entered deals with ASUS ROG, headwear brand Tokyo Time, and also signed an exclusive deal with peripherals manufacturer MOUNTAIN. Nick Cronin, Co-Founder of Zoomph, commented on the deal:  “We are excited to partner with Misfits Gaming Group to further improve our esports environment and knowledge, as well as enhance the group’s understanding of their audience and content. “The esports world is growing by the day and content is present on all platforms, Zoomph’s platform will enable Misfits Gaming Group to use data as a competitive advantage with fans and partners.”  Esports Insider says: As more organisations begin to utilise data to improve marketing strategy and attract new partners, it’s no surprise to see MGG join forces with Zoomph. As the trend continues, expect more organisations to follow suit with partnerships of a similar nature. Check out the ESI 2021 Events Calendar Audio device company EPOS has announced the expansion of its partnership with Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) esports league BLAST Premier for the 2021 season. The new agreement will see EPOS collaborate with BLAST Premier to highlight how ‘audio holds the power to unleash the gaming experience’. According to the release, this will be done through a series of broadcast segments and player activations. Photo credit: BLAST RELATED: BLAST Premier appoints Andrew Haworth as Commissioner BLAST Premier first partnered with EPOS in February last year. At the 2020 Global Finals, the audio company’s GTW 270 Series was also integrated into BLAST Premier’s broadcast and social media channels. The previous partnership also saw the introduction of ‘Mic’D Up’, an in-tournament activation that provided fans with the opportunity to listen to the game-deciding calls. It has been confirmed that the video series will continue in 2021. Leo Matlock, VP Commercial at BLAST, commented: “This partnership has really helped bring to light the importance of audio and communication in the world of esports through engaging and informative content, insight and activations. “We are always thrilled when our partners renew and expand as it is a testament to everyone’s hard work and collaboration. As we look toward our second year, we hope to continue to do this while looking to leverage BLAST Premier’s record-breaking global reach to help promote EPOS’ latest products and audio expertise.” The deal will also ensure that EPOS maintains a presence across BLAST Premier’s CS:GO tournaments in 2021. As a result, the audio firm’s branding will be integrated across all seven of the organiser’s CS:GO events, with more ‘branded content opportunities’ and giveaways expected. RELATED: BLAST Premier victors Na’Vi receive limited-edition $3,000 TW Steel watches  Maja Sand-Grimnitz, Head of Global Marketing, Gaming at EPOS, added: “We are excited to continue our partnership with BLAST Premier. The first year of our partnership has brought attention to the importance of audio and communication at the highest level of competition. “BLAST Premier and EPOS have a great fit as premium brands in their respective areas, and we look forward to continuing to bring high-quality engaging content to the fans.” Esports Insider says: EPOS has heavily invested in the esports landscape over the last 12 months so it comes as no surprise to see the audio brand once again partner with BLAST Premier. Given the success of Mic’D Up, it’ll be interesting to see what other activations are planned between the two entities. Listen to ESI Network, a suite of esports podcasts