CYNOPSISeSPORTS & GAMING
05.26.16
It’s Thursday, May 26, 2016, and this is your weekly early morning eSports & Gaming brief.
Tuesday officially saw the kickoff for Turner Sports and WME/IMG’s foray into eSports, as the new ELeague opened play on streaming partner Twitch, with viewership swinging from 50,000 to 100,000 throughout the day and total viewers topping the one million threshold. As the organization prepares to showcase the action on TBS tomorrow at 10p, the Counter-Strike: Global Offensive tournament will culminate with a Global Championship on July 30 with an overall purse of $1.4 million at stake and over 80 countries set to carry the programming.
The unveiling of the production facility at Turner Studios in Atlanta dedicated to the league saw a 10,000 square foot arena complete with 26 cameras including 12 devoted to capturing POV perspective for each player and one focused on the collective team throughout the competition. Production will also include a JitaCam, a camera suspended from the ceiling “that is capable of capturing 360-degree angles of the entire event floor” and feature 25,000 square feet of LED lighting. Turner Studios also built a custom eSports office space and training facilities for the competing teams.
Check out our interview below with Turner Sports EVP and Chief Content Officer, Craig Barry, discussing the production comparisons between sports and eSports in our weekly interview and hear more from Turner Sports about the launch of ELeague at the
Cynopsis eSports Conference on May 23 by clicking here as dozens of executives in the industry.
COMPETITION
The Pac-12 Conference became the first NCAA league to announce plans to go all-in on eSports. While networks such as BTN have dabbled in the space, Pac-12 presidents and chancellors approved eSports competitions with its universities that will run on Pac-12 Networks this upcoming year and showcase teams from campuses. Tournaments will include head-to-head matchups in studios as well as a tournament in conjunction with a Pac-12 championship event. The game titles and event formats are still to be determined, but will be announced in the coming months. “eSports is a natural fit for many of our universities located in the technology and media hubs of the country,” said Pac-12 Commissioner Larry Scott. “Pac-12 Networks’ commitment to innovation as well as its natural tie to our universities and established media platform make it the perfect organization to develop the framework for eSports intercollegiate competition.” Analysts were bullish on the announcement, noting that the additional content will help boost the networks’ streaming platforms as well.
The IEGC detailed plans to host the first ever eGames event via a two-day pop up smack dab in the middle of the Olympics in Rio on Aug. 15-16. The showcase event will be broadcast to eSports fans around the world with countries invited to participate for gold medals. This inaugural event will take place at British House, Parque Lage in the city. "Potential sponsors and players will be reassured that a major government is backing the event and that will help with getting the funding and exposure the event will need to succeed," analyst Edward Barton at Ovum told the BBC.
Super Evil Megacorp unveiled plans for the Vainglory Spring Season Championships, which will hit Hollywood and Berlin this year. The tournaments mark the first events since Super Evil partnered with Twitch on a multi-million dollar deal. The Vainglory North America Live Championships 2016 will run from June 3-5 as eight Vainglory teams in North America battle it out live at the Avalon in Hollywood. The European Championships are slated to take place at Admiralspalast in Berlin from June 10-12.
FaZE Clan is officially withdrawing from the World eSports Association shortly after the organization formed. In a post on Facebook, the team announced that “WESA is a pro-active initiative with a big vision. We clearly see the upside of building a product that aligns the pro scene and provides stability,” before adding that “We feel that WESA still has lots of challenges to overcome and we feel that right now it’s not the best place for us to be.”
Yahoo took its eSports coverage to the iPhone, launching its app that allows users to set alerts and receive push notifications when a match is about to begin as well as real-time tournament broadcast coverage, breaking news, highlights, and league scores for all your favorite games. The company launched its Android app earlier this year.
INSIGHTS
Source: Superdata Research
Superdata Research released its Spring 2016 eSports Report this month, valuing the total eSports revenue at$892.8M in 2016E as more brands and advertisers enter the market. Direct consumer revenue grew 36% YoY, with eSports enthusiasts spending $231M on tickets, merchandise and prize pool contributions, among others. Asia continues to lead the pack with $328M with North America and Europe soaring closer. According to the report, by 2018E, the market is set to reach $1.1B with the growth of direct revenue source sources such as betting sites and amateur tournament platforms
PUBLISHING & PLATFORMS
Sony Interactive Entertainment saw cumulative worldwide sales of Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End for the PlayStation 4 top 2.7 million units as of May 16, a week after launch, between a combo of physical and digitally-distributed copies. “Thank you to the team at Naughty Dog for delivering Uncharted 4, a stunning experience that sets a new bar for interactive entertainment. We are thrilled so many gamers have taken this journey with Nathan Drake and look forward to continuing to deliver epic gaming experiences available only on PlayStation,” said Shawn Layden, Chairman, Sony Interactive Entertainment Worldwide Studios.
Speaking of Sony, the company’s forecast for FY 2106 projects that it will sell 20 million PS4 units between April 1, 2016 and March 31, 2017. That would represent a 50% markup of the current worldwide sales total. The company is also projecting that the Games and Network Services division to increase sales by 8.3% during the timeframe
Rocket League opened the door for cross-platform multiplayer gaming between Xbox One and Steam becoming the first console title to offer the feature. Psyonix announced that nearly 2 million Xbox One players have competed in Rocket League since its February launch. Users who prefer not to use this feature, can toggle the setting off.
Carolina Panthers’ QB Cam Newton is getting his own game. Hugo Games locked in a deal with Newton to develop, publish and release a mobile game for iOS and Android devices. “Cam Newton has quickly become one of the most recognizable sports superstars in the world, and we are thrilled to be able to work with him to develop his first mobile game,” said Henrik Kolle, CEO of Hugo Games A/S. “We can’t wait for players around the world to have the opportunity to step into Cam Newton’s shoes and experience the excitement that only he can deliver.”
GameCo, Inc. licensed the first title for its video game gambling machine, a first-person action engine from game publisher, 505 Games. The entry offers gamblers a 45-second, skill-based experience on casino floors. GameCo is now planning to debut the titles on casino floors in Atlantic City this year. Future VGM games will be familiar titles from other top publishers including first person action, sports, racing, fighting games, platformers, puzzle games, and more.
A CYNOPSIS MESSAGE
Cynopsis eSports Conference
June 23 | NYC | Register by 6/1
FEATURED SESSION: How Competitive Gaming is Changing Media
ESL North America, Twitch & Sportradar will detail the factors that caused the eSports explosion, how the leagues are preparing to take advantage of the growth & why brands should invest now and get in the game. You’ll learn how companies can position themselves to prepare for the change in viewing patterns, why this will impact the future of content, and lessons learned along the way.
Sponsored by: Magid Sports + rEvXP
MARKETING & PROMOTION
YouTube’s plans for E3 will serve up “front-row access” to gaming fans via the launch of event pages on YouTube Gaming that will first serve as a hub for the expo in June. The platform will allow fans to browse videos and streams, chat live with fellow gamers, vote for your favorite trailers in the Trailer Battle, and catch up on announcements. Coverage begins on June 12 and will include an exclusive 12-hour stream hosted by Geoff Keighley and sponsored by Samsung. Live at E3 will bring you the live coverage of press conferences you crave along
Speaking of E3, the Entertainment Software Association is launching a new public event designed for gamers, dubbed E3 Live. Running June 14-16, the event will take place at LA Live and offer fans video games, music, competitions, and video game swag. "The biggest event in video games is bringing gamers to the next level. We are excited to introduce E3 Live, an exciting, high-energy video game event that brings some of the best in video games directly to fans," said Michael D. Gallagher, president and CEO of ESA. "E3 Live will give gamers the chance to test-drive exciting new games, interact with some of their favorite developers, and be among the first in the world to enjoy groundbreaking game experiences. For fans of video games, this will be an event like no other." E3 Live is now already sold out.
Rick Fox’s eSports franchise Echo Fox is partnering with marketing agency VFD eSports in a move “to connect brands with the emerging eSports franchise and its athletes.” Team Echo Fox will now officially debut new sponsorships with Tasty Whey, HyperX, TipTalk and Vertagear next month at the North America League of Legends Championship Series summer split. "We are extremely excited to partner with VFD eSports to help create the best brand partnerships and activations in the eSports world,” says Rick Fox, owner of Echo Fox. “VFD eSports has a proven track record across the biggest sporting leagues and is helping to bridge the gap for brands to understand how to activate in this sphere."
Pro gaming team and new media agency Evil Geniuses locked in a year-long sponsorship with AMD, who will serve as the exclusive provider of processors and Radeon graphics cards for the team. AMD will also outfit Evil Geniuses with high-end computers. "In the world of professional gaming, the quality of your hardware has a serious impact,” said Peter "ppd" Dager of Evil Geniuses. “Dropped frames at the wrong times can ruin key moments, cause delays in practice or tournaments, and potentially even lose games.”
Nintendo will open up The Legend of Zelda for the Wii U for 500 fans from June 14-19 as art of a Super-Fan Signup Day taking place at the Nintendo NY store. Only the first 500 eligible people in line when Nintendo NY opens on June 11 at 9a will receive a wristband that they can exchange for a ticket, which guarantees them a spot to play the game. The event begins at noon on June 14 when fans can watch gameplay of the newest entry of the franchise live-streamed from Nintendo’s booth at E3.
LICENSING & EXTENSIONS
Amid the bevy of gaming titles that are now being developed for the big screen, THR reports that Fruit Ninja became the latest name that will target a feature film. Tripp Vinson is producing the film under the Vinson Films banner.
Wenner Media, publisher of Rolling Stone, is jumping into the gaming space and will launch Glixel, a new site that will focus on the personalities in gaming and offer articles, reviews, interviews and video. Gus Wenner will oversee the launch, which will include a weekly newsletter, according to The New York Times.
BOSSES
Failbetter Games CEO and co-founder Alexis Kennedy announced plans to depart the company. Kennedy posted his decision on the company’s site, explaining "We’ve built something that’s changed the world, ever so slightly. But it’s been seven years in one place, and I’m too busy running the company to do enough of the creative work I love. So, rather to my own surprise, once I’ve finished off one last project, I’m leaving.”
POWER PLAYERS: ELeague
Turner Sports EVP and Chief Content Officer, Craig Barry, talks about the company’s eSports mission and the advantages of eSports over other sports properties.
Barry on launching ELeague: As we look at the evolution of the media landscape and as people learn to watch what they want when they want it and where they want it it connected with the opportunity of what we could bring to the table I a new space. When we looked at eSports, we felt that it checked the box of what we wanted in content creation. We felt that we could bring a network level of production. We also saw some white space when it came to storytelling and creating a narrative to create a richer experience when it came to telling the stories of the individual players, the teams and the tournament itself.
On creating a narrative: When we looked at the space, we noticed that they spend a lot of time talking about the tournaments and the teams. When I looked at it, there wasn’t a lot of attention given to the players themselves and there wasn’t a lot of time being spent to create that emotional connection with the viewer. Who are the players you love and love to hate? Who is the LeBron James of eSports? We wanted to create that richer level of storytelling. Will it completely move the needle? Not by itself, it is about the sum of its parts. The higher level of production, the narrative, the infrastructure, etc. all made us feel like we could make an impact in this space.
On eSports vs. sports: I think we are taking lessons learned from our coverage of sports. It’s different and the same. On the upside, we have tons more accessibility. So philosophically, when to talk about production and our approach, it comes down to access. The closer we can get the fans to the core, the field, the arena or the studio, then the more connected they will be to the athletes, talent, etc. We now have the ability to tell a deeper and richer story using the same level of production techniques and resources.
On finding talent: When we went out, we knew from traditional sports that the best competitions are match-up driven and it was imperative that we had the best teams and that we also had the most-established and the best talent in the space and make sure we could secure that talent to make sure we were operating at the highest level. It also helps the community know that we were serious about our approach and that we were there to create a very authentic experience.
TITLES READY FOR LAUNCH
·
Daydreamer: Awakened Edition (PS4) – May 31
·
Dead Island: Definitive Edition (Xbox One, PS4, PC) – May 31
·
One Piece: Burning Blood (Xbox One, PS4, Vita) – May 31
·
Shadow Blade: Reload (PS4) – May 31
·
SteamWorld Heist (PS4, Vita) – May 31
·
There Came an Echo (PS4) – May 31
·
The Witcher 3: Blood and Wine (Xbox One, PS4, PC) – May 31
GAMING SPOTLIGHT- Trailers that struck a chord.
Scott Cawthon has another card up his sleeve, unleashing the first trailer for Five Nights at Freddy’s: Sister Location, breaking the news through the debut trailer and a website update. Promising to launch this fall, the new game extends the standout horror series, which has already seen four main FNaF titles. Music by Leon Riskin. Click here for the trailer.
ON THIS DAY in 1997: FIFA Soccer 97 released for the PlayStation.
Trivia:
What WWE personality portrayed Mario in The Super Mario Bros. Super Show? (Email chris-sports@cynopsis.com with your answer and be sure to include your name, company and city.)
Answer to Our Last Sports Trivia Question: How many different shapes are there to use in the classic Tetris? Answer: 7. Kudos: Linda Lieberman-IMG/NY; Danny Araque/NY; Glen Ross/DC; Carly Dasso-Saatchi & Saatchi/Oakbrook Terrace; David Westberg-SAG-AFTRA Federal Credit Union/Burbank; Benn Watson-GRB Entertainment/LA; Julie Reuter-Pajama Marketing/Sydney.
Later — Chris
Chris Pursell for Cynopsis | eSports @VegasandVine
05.26.16
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