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Run it Down is here!    Introducing a brand new LinkedIn show hosted by Keith Capstick who will be making sure that you’re in the know with all of the most important stories from the world of esports and gaming.  Topics will be catered towards the audience here on LinkedIn and will cover business news, game releases, and the ever-shifting trends in gaming.   Make sure you follow our page to keep up to date with everything you need to know. Here’s what’s been going on lately:  🔥 Valorant is Coming to Console     To the untrained eye, this might seem like a quality-of-life update to an already great game, but a console port exposes Riot Games' premier first-person-shooter to an absolutely MASSIVE audience of console-first gamers.    🔥 Banks Acquires 25.5% of FaZe Media from GameSquare Holdings Inc.   This move is a continuation of the work Banks and the old school FaZe crew are doing to return FaZe to the brand we once knew. FaZe Media is the arm of the business that represents its history in the world of gaming content creation, where Banks and company made a name for themselves in the first place. Notably, GameSquare still owns 100% of FaZe esports.     🔥 Ludwig Just SOLD His Company    A year ago, massive streamer and content creator Ludwig created a production company called offbrand to run events for himself, and for other creators looking for some production help. But he just sold it, for $2.    To pair with the announcement, Ludwig also announced that offbrand has hired game developer PirateSoftware (aka Thor) to launch a game publishing studio. And they’ve already announced their first game: platform fighter Rivals 2, which is launching its’ beta on Steam soon.    🔥 Elden Ring’s DLC Is LIVE    Lastly, we’ve got what is probably the largest general gaming news in months: the release of Elden Ring’s first and only DLC.     The Shadow of the Erdtree expansion is the latest update to FromSoftware’s Elden Ring, which many believe is one of the single best video games ever made. The expansion is already off to a massive start on Steam and as usual with SoulsBourne games – has Twitch streamers throwing fits trying to beat it. 

It's been a big week for League of Legends ✨discourse✨. A lot has been written about the financial perils of promotion/relegation, the competitive impacts of folding regions into a larger super-region with fewer overall teams, and the disconnect of marketing a $500 skin using a legendary player notorious partially for his humility and not using skins. Beneath that $500 skin discussion, though, is a claim from Riot Meddler that the skin's marketability and high price point means it will "help cover the cost of esports." That claim comes from a Reddit post, so it's not clear *how* that help flows to teams, but an interview with another game director at Riot seems to suggest 30% of the skin's revenue is going into the Global Revenue Pool Riot announced in March, which is then distributed to teams based on their operations (and to players from there). So in short, the skin supports esports in that some of this money will flow to teams. The remaining 70% may be allocated to covering Riot's esports expenses, since they obviously run the esport at the competition organizer and production levels. And there might be a sliver of that revenue shaved off for Faker specifically, since it's "his" skin. Personally, I don't have a problem with any of that. Amidst the discourse around financial sustainability of esports, though, I do think there's an important note to remember: a publisher's revenue and expenses derived strictly from esports is an INCREDIBLY misleading view of the larger value proposition of esports. Fundamentally, esports is a marketing expense for the publisher's game. Esports brings old players back to the game, exposes new players to the game, and encourages current players to grind, spend, and advertise the game through word of mouth. It may be a unique form, but fundamentally, it's advertising. From a business standpoint, that expense becomes hard to justify where analytics suggest it's not generating enough revenue to offset that expense elsewhere, but it is and should be an expense item. Accordingly, viewers, players, and especially teams need to reject any framing of "sustainable esports" as necessarily including a publisher breaking even on its esports activities. That would be free marketing.

💞 One Man Army: How Jynxi Revived a Community In the dynamic world of esports, few stories are as compelling as the resurgence of Rainbow Six Siege. Nearly a decade after its release, the game has witnessed a phenomenal spike in popularity, setting new records in player count and viewership. At the heart of this revival is none other than the charismatic streamer, Jynxi. Jynxi’s impact on the Rainbow Six Siege community is undeniable. His unique blend of high-octane gameplay, insightful commentary, and infectious enthusiasm has drawn legions of fans to the game. With his rise to streaming stardom, Jynxi has not only increased the game’s visibility but also its accessibility to a broader audience. The numbers speak for themselves. Since Jynxi’s ascent, Rainbow Six Siege’s player count on Steam has soared to over 200,000 concurrent players, placing it in the top seven games on the platform1. Concurrent viewership on Twitch spiked to nearly half a million during the Six Invitational, thanks in part to Jynxi’s co-streaming of the event2. Ubisoft’s continued support and updates have certainly played a role, but it’s the community engagement that Jynxi fosters which has truly breathed new life into the game. His streams are more than just entertainment; they’re a rallying point for players old and new, creating a vibrant, growing community around Rainbow Six Siege. As we look to the future, it’s clear that influencers like Jynxi are pivotal in shaping the gaming landscape. His ability to revive a game’s popularity is a testament to the power of community-driven content and the potential for streamers to influence industry trends. Rainbow Six Siege’s resurgence is a story of community, passion, and the transformative power of a single individual’s influence. It’s a narrative that continues to unfold, and one that the esports world will watch with keen interest.

Exverse is designed with community at its core and self-governance as its goal. The Exverse team will be responsible for developing and distributing the initial world assets but ultimately the community will dictate and create new worlds in which users can participate with their self-generated assets into the system. Ecological.The team will be responsible for developing functions that allow Exverse to maintain its own ecosystem and provide more creative opportunities for users. Assets in the Exverse universe are NFTs designed to enable the creation of new gaming experiences.To build the Exverse world and community, we created the $EXVG token. Community members and token-holding supporters will have more access and can shape the future of Exverse. Inside the Exverse universe, you can make money in the following ways:Play matches with other real players on our Battle PlanetPlay PVE Modes and special seasonal offerings on our Mission PlanetParticipate in community activities and support the ecosystem through our Social PlanetWatch & Earn in-game ad space, support teams/players, and more.Sell skins earned from in-game events or progressionProgress through different Seasons, VIP Passes and account levelsComplete special events by participating in activitiesStake tokens against other groups of players in different modesAs a contributing creator to the Exverse universeExverse will serve the professional esports scene with its strategic partners, our players will be able to earn greater rewards from:Compete in Competitive mode and achieve seasonal rankings.Winning tournaments are organized with our strategic partners where our community contributes to the prize pool.Become a professional player ready to receive sponsorship or ambassador contracts with Exverse or its partners.Core features:Built on Unreal Engine 5, for maximum immersion.It's free to play, removing the barrier to entry for new users.No more worrying about creating MetaMasks! First gaming experience to buy and withdraw tokens without using a web3 wallet.Siplicity, Exverse is designed to simplify the onboarding process for new users through a simple user interface, gameplay, and registration.Watch and earn, win to earn, own to earn, build to earn. Do it your way.Internal marketplace where users can trade their land, skins, and more.A sustainable and complex economy developed by the world's best.

Exverse is designed with community at its core and self-governance as its goal. The Exverse team will be responsible for developing and distributing the initial world assets but ultimately the community will dictate and create new worlds in which users can participate with their self-generated assets into the system. Ecological.The team will be responsible for developing functions that allow Exverse to maintain its own ecosystem and provide more creative opportunities for users. Assets in the Exverse universe are NFTs designed to enable the creation of new gaming experiences.To build the Exverse world and community, we created the $EXVG token. Community members and token-holding supporters will have more access and can shape the future of Exverse. Inside the Exverse universe, you can make money in the following ways:Play matches with other real players on our Battle PlanetPlay PVE Modes and special seasonal offerings on our Mission PlanetParticipate in community activities and support the ecosystem through our Social PlanetWatch & Earn in-game ad space, support teams/players, and more.Sell skins earned from in-game events or progressionProgress through different Seasons, VIP Passes and account levelsComplete special events by participating in activitiesStake tokens against other groups of players in different modesAs a contributing creator to the Exverse universeExverse will serve the professional esports scene with its strategic partners, our players will be able to earn greater rewards from:Compete in Competitive mode and achieve seasonal rankings.Winning tournaments are organized with our strategic partners where our community contributes to the prize pool.Become a professional player ready to receive sponsorship or ambassador contracts with Exverse or its partners.Core features:Built on Unreal Engine 5, for maximum immersion.It's free to play, removing the barrier to entry for new users.No more worrying about creating MetaMasks! First gaming experience to buy and withdraw tokens without using a web3 wallet.Siplicity, Exverse is designed to simplify the onboarding process for new users through a simple user interface, gameplay, and registration.Watch and earn, win to earn, own to earn, build to earn. Do it your way.Internal marketplace where users can trade their land, skins, and more.A sustainable and complex economy developed by the world's best.

The FaZe Clan comeback story is underway and is truly 🍿 worthy. After a tumultuous 2023, the company has returned with a new owner in GameSquare and the original founders back in the business calling the shots around the brand vision. FaZe's position has always been about the crossover of gaming into mainstream internet culture and the social buzz of the relaunch generated over 350M+ views/impressions and over a million engagements over the last two weeks. I'm aware that certain people feel a certain way about the brand but you can't discount their ability to generate conversation on the internet. Esports and gaming is hungry for the next big moment around a breakthrough game (GTA6 next?) and that was previously generated with Fortnite in 2018-2020 that lead into PEAK gaming around the pandemic as everyone was locked at home. This period drove record revenues for the publishers and increased investor interest around the esports ecosystem. Gaming had become a bit stale in 2024. FaZe Clan is capitalizing on the trend towards IRL content with a revamped roster but not abandoning the core by leaning into buzz worth gaming events with: A COD tournament hosted by FaZe Kaysan this week (and sponsored by Xfinity) that delivered arguably the most high profile collection of streamers that I can recall including xQc, Bronny, Train, Sketch, Nadeshot, and most of the FaZe Clan creator roster. The event peaked at over 200K CCVs and was pure madness over a five hour period. Today is seeing a FaZe Friday event (also partnered with Xfinity) that is one of the largest weekly community events with FaZe Swagg playing with NBA star Devin Booker to promote his latest skin in Call of Duty. The internet community has been vocal about wanting the "old" FaZe but in all honesty they weren't watching montage videos and gaming clips in the same way that they were a decade ago. It is important to be innovating and going the direction of the modern trends found increasingly on TikTok & Twitch. Watch this space.

Today eFuse announced the Creator League in partnership with top names like MrBeast, OTK Media, OpTic Gaming, iShowSpeed, Bella Poarch, and more. Each team will be captained by a creator, but the league's community pass system puts fans in the drivers seat. By buying the (creator-specific) pass, fans will be able to vote on their team's key decisions. This includes everything from which players to draft to the games played through out the season. Additionally, community pass holders will get a variety of perks including giveaways from sponsors like Cash App, Corsair, Feastables and more. They even teased some live events are in the works. #creators have played a key role in #esports for a long time and the Creator League is a logical next step. "We have a lot of respect for the traditional esports leagues, but we do think there's a gap in the market for capturing this creator fandom and these creator audiences," said Matthew Benson in an interview with me for GamesBeat. "[The Creator League] is a way to go deeper and put the power back into community's hands. They fuel the industry. We believe that our model makes for a more engaging and rewarding experience, which will make the industry more sustainable in the long-run." In recent years (see: Overwatch League's All-Access pass), pay walling content in esports has not scaled as a viable revenue model. More traditional leagues are experimenting with new monetization options to support teams (See: Riot Games' Worlds Pass), but the Creator League will test drive this deeper fan engagement model for the broader industry. #fanengagement #creatoreconomy #monetization H/T to Gabriel del Rio https://lnkd.in/gRS-n7qn

Meet the 29-year-old son of a casino billionaire who just took his influencer and esports company public https://ift.tt/Pt0l2mh Mario Ho, son of casino magnate, Stanley Ho, went public in the US with his company on Friday VCG/Getty Images Mario Ho's NIP Group went public on Nasdaq, raising $20 million on Friday. The company, which does esports, live streams, and events, isn't yet profitable. Ho, whose casino magnate father died in 2022, told Bloomberg he wanted to do something different. Mario Ho is making waves in the gaming industry — but not the one his billionaire father, the late casino titan Stanley Ho, was known for. Last Friday, Ho took his company, NIP Group, public on the Nasdaq stock exchange. Ho holds 13.6% of the company's shares and controls 36.6% of the voting rights, according to the company's SEC filing earlier this month. NIP Group makes money from live streams — both of esports and from third-party influencers — and event production and its esports arm. The company's relatively small-scale IPO raised $20 million, and Ho's stake was worth $69 million as of Friday's market close. NIP Group plans to explore esports real estate, digital collectibles, and esports training camps, among other strategies, the company said in a filing. The company did not respond to a request for comment from Business Insider. Ho and 35-year-old Hicham Chahine are the co-CEOs of NIP Group, a holding company with subsidiaries in Sweden and China. Chahine, a former hedge fund manager for Oslo-based wealth management firm Formue, runs the company's Western operations in Sweden. Ho, who lives in Hong Kong, runs the business in Asia, according to the company's SEC filing. Before the duo cofounded NIP Group, Ho was the chief marketing officer of iDreamsky Games, one of the largest game publishers in China. He said on a company website that he was the youngest-ever graduate of the MIT Sloan School of Management's master of finance program. Ho is also the president of the Macau Esports Federation and the vice-chairman of MSI Finance Management Company, a Hong Kong-based family office platform. Ho is the youngest son of Macau casino heavyweight Stanley Ho. The patriarch, who had 17 children with four wives, died in 2020. Bloomberg estimates his family's net worth at $13 billion. "I chose to do something different," Mario Ho told Bloomberg. "In my lifetime, I want to write my own stories." Loan and payments to Ho According to the company's SEC filing, in 2023, NIP Group's annual revenue grew 27% to $83.7 million. The company lost $13.3 million last year, compared with a $6.3 million loss in 2022. The company did not publish more recent financial data, but it said in the filing that it may not hit profitability — standard language for most unprofitable companies going public. The filing also showed that in 2022, NIP Group issued a loan to Ho of nearly $300,000. The following year, NIP Group paid Ho over $814,000 for "reality show services...

Is the PlayFi Model a Game-Changer for Esports and Monetization? 💰 The PlayFi model, explored by the Delphi Digital Gaming team in the NOR case, offers a new perspective on esports and competitive gaming. Key aspects and takeaways 👇 ------------------------------ ➡️ Parallel with Pro Sports: Parallels between esports and traditional sports highlight the simplicity and accessibility of core game mechanics, leading to progressive skill development, increased competitiveness, and expanded monetization opportunities. ------------------------------ ➡️ Monetization Model: Highlighting the pro-sports monetization model focused on meta-games, which act as derivatives or extensions of the core skill-based game, keeping market games distinct from the competitive loop. ------------------------------ ➡️ Market Game Separation: Advocating for the separation of market games from the core gameplay to define independent yet harmonious circles, allowing diverse user archetypes to engage without interfering with the core experience. ------------------------------ ➡️ Scarcity, Risk, and Objectives: PlayFi drives scarcity and risk via permadeath tournaments, utilizing NFTs where players benefit from data usage within the game's economy, encouraging metagame participation and maximizing revenue generation. ------------------------------ ➡️ Role of Crypto in Gaming: Crypto facilitates transparency, liquidity, and new monetization avenues like digital provenance, enabling fans to collect items from significant moments in esports history while providing open-source infrastructure for diverse applications. ------------------------------ ➡️ Mitigating Pay-to-Win: PlayFi aims to mitigate pay-to-win mechanics by not mandating NFT ownership for gameplay, allowing free access. Monetization happens externally, reducing the distribution frictions associated with crypto games. ------------------------------ ➡️ Integration with Existing Gaming Models: PlayFi can complement existing P2E games and guilds, offering avenues for enhanced gameplay, lowering entry barriers, and enabling guilds to leverage player NFT profiles for talent acquisition and tournament participation. ------------------------------ ➡️ Elympics take: Like the pro sports model, we can keep core game mechanics while increasing gameplay competitiveness and expanding monetization. Elympics tech makes esports tournaments more exciting by opening them up to the masses. ------------------------------ ➡️ In conclusion: The PlayFi model elevates esports by maximizing core game value, ensuring meaningful competition, and exploring monetization avenues through meta-games. Delphi plans to support infrastructure projects to develop this gaming domain. How do you rate PlayFi? 🤔

Tencent’s gaming cash cow Honor of Kings sets sights on MENA Honor of Kings, Tencent’s massively fashionable mobile game, has its oculus acceptable connected the planetary marketplace successful 2024. Starting connected February 21, the multiplayer online conflict arena (MOBA) crippled volition beryllium disposable successful the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) portion arsenic good arsenic Eastern Europe and South Asia, according to an announcement from TiMi Studios, Tencent’s in-house gaming workplace that created Honor of Kings. The crippled archetypal ventured retired of China successful 2023, starting successful Brazil. Globally, astir 100 cardinal users — astir of whom are successful China contiguous — play the crippled each day. The rubric has go a household sanction successful its location market, defied the sex stereotype successful gaming, pioneered mobile esports, and popularized “loot boxes”, oregon randomized in-game rewards that whitethorn oregon whitethorn not person a monetary value. In portion acknowledgment to its occurrence with loot boxes, Honor of Kings has been an tremendous fiscal occurrence for Tencent. It was the world’s second-highest-grossing mobile crippled successful December, trailing lone aft Monopoly Go!, according to marketplace probe steadfast Sensor Tower. Most of those revenues came from China. Despite its tremendous occurrence astatine location since its inception successful 2015, the crippled has had a bumpy way abroad. TiMi archetypal attempted to present the rubric to overseas users successful 2017, erstwhile Arena of Valor was launched arsenic a Westernized mentation of Honor of Kings. The game ne'er took disconnected successful a meaningful way, and manufacture observers attributed its lackluster show to absorption missteps and a nonaccomplishment to afloat grasp Western culture. Level Infinite is Tencent’s effort to close its planetary expansion. Founded successful 2021, it’s based successful Singapore and Amsterdam arsenic the Chinese net giant’s international publishing arm. So acold determination appears to beryllium immoderate traction. As of February 6, Honor of Kings had amassed implicit 2 cardinal pre-registrations crossed MENA, Eastern Europe and South Asia. Tencent is anxious to replicate the game’s home occurrence with esports successful overseas lands. This upcoming summer, Honor of Kings is joining the Esports World Cup successful Riyadh, Saudi Arabia and shelling retired a $3 cardinal prize excavation to 12 competing teams. With its flourishing gaming population, the MENA portion volition beryllium an important trial for Honor of Kings’ 2nd effort astatine planetary expansion. The rubric is scheduled to participate North America, South America, and Western Europe aboriginal this year. https://ift.tt/tdMNWUo