2 October, 2020 | By Anzu
Roblox goes public, ESL and Dreamhack merge, as well as a bunch of new partnerships, tournaments and opportunities get announced. Find what announcements have been making headlines in the world of video games and esports this week in our news digest!
It’s not a surprise that the game industry is one of the few sectors that is doing well in the pandemic. Several game companies have already turned to public markets in recent weeks, and this one is no exception -- user-generated game platform Roblox is reportedly planning to go public early next year at a valuation that could hit $8 billion, claims VentureBeat. As a reminder, Roblox has seen its users go through the roof in recent years, and many of its top-10 games are getting billions of plays. The company most recently raised $150 million in venture funding from Andreessen Horowitz in a deal announced in February.
ESL and Dreamhack announced that they have merged their organizations. The two esports companies have both been subsidiaries of Modern Times Group (MTG) since 2015, when it acquired them in separate transactions. The newly merged outfit is known as ESL Gaming, and will be led by ESL co-CEOs Craig Levine and Ralf Reichert. Dreamhack co-CEO Marcus Lindmark is also part of the ESL Gaming executive team, reports Gamesindustry.biz. The merger promises more opportunities and a wider range of activations across all levels of esports and all aspects of gaming for the partners, while for the fans - one of the most expansive esports and gaming lifestyle portfolios available, claim the parties involved.
Barcelona-based tournament organizer & broadcaster LVP and Twitch have announced the launch of the Genesis Cups, a series of five VALORANT tournaments that will give Spanish teams and players the opportunity to compete in the multiplayer tactical first-person shooter. The prize pool for the Genesis Cups is €20K ($24.4K USD). Entirely online, the competitions will take place between October and December and will be sponsored by Philips OneBlade and Domino’s. Find more details on the Esports Observer.
The Global Esports Federation (GEF) has entered a strategic partnership with North American data and measurement company Nielsen. The partnership will see Nielsen Sports provide research, data, and insights in a bid to “amplify the value” of the GEF and its efforts. Now having such a notable partner and being armed with its data, we could see the GEF spring into action, states Esports Insider.
EA Play’s library of games officially joins Xbox Game Pass Ultimate on Nov. 10, the same day the Xbox Series X and Series S launch, reports Polygon. The joining of Electronic Arts’ and Microsoft’s forces, announced at the beginning of September, will add another 89 EA-published titles for Ultimate-level Game Pass subscribers to peruse. They’ll also get 10 hours of free gameplay for select EA releases and discounts on any digital purchases of the EA content. In other words, all the EA Play benefits will be included.
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