Esports & Video Games
INFINITE CANVAS UNLOCKS CREATOR ECONOMIES IN ROBLOX, FORTNITE & MINECRAFT METAVERSE
Infinite Canvas, a new company that partners with influential metaverse creators to build, scale, and distribute virtual experiences on Roblox, Fortnite and Minecraft, has launched.
Investors led by Lightshed Venture Partners, and also including BITKRAFT Ventures, Day One Ventures, Crossbeam, and Emerson Collective, have already backed Infinite Canvas with US$2.8M in pre-seed funding.
Infinite Canvas describes itself as fusing the creativity of a content production agency, the savvy of a talent-management company, the monetization infrastructure of a game studio and publisher, and the software expertise of a technology company, to help creators build and grow their virtual experiences and expand their empires across platforms.
Illustrating the gap in the market, Infinite Canvas points to the mass shift to digital entertainment spurred by the COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns, which has accelerated the quick growth potential of virtual worlds. Roblox engages over 43 million daily active users and over 50% of American children under 16 have a Roblox account and spend over 2.5 hours per day on the platform. Additionally, Fortnite has over 350 million monthly active players and generated $5.1 billion revenue in 2020. Over 1 billion Minecraft mods have been downloaded generating over $350 million in sales. 1.25 million creators have made money on Roblox, and payouts to developers have grown from $100 million in 2019, to a projected $500 million in 2021. Despite the tremendous growth in this online ecosystem, with over 8 million active creators and developers on Roblox alone, there is limited support and infrastructure for the creators building, expanding and popularizing these virtual worlds.
“We are just at the beginning of seeing what the metaverse market opportunity can be,” said Rich Greenfield, General Partner at LightShed Ventures. “While the path to monetization is clear on platforms like YouTube, in virtual worlds Infinite Canvas is pioneering a network that will unite creators, players, and content partners to enhance the earning power of the talent building new virtual empires.”
Infinite Canvas is a first-of-its-kind company that has created a network of metaverse UGC creators, developers, and IP contributors, similar to an esports team for the metaverse. Members of their UGC team receive access to deep analytics tools, game development and technology support, marketing expertise, asset management, and talent partnerships to create and scale gaming experiences that are published and distributed on platforms including Roblox, Fortnite, and Minecraft.
At launch, Infinite Canvas has some of the largest Roblox-focused content creators signed on, including Deeterplays, Russoplays, and Terabrite Games members Sabrina and DJ Monopoli, as well as Roblox game developers and Fortnite map makers like EvanBear1, Atlas Studios (Michael “The Slurp” Herriger and Jordan “Fatal Creations” Holland) and more, who make, stream, create content about and promote games on Roblox and Fortnite Creative with over 4.5mm combined subscribers and a reach of over 160mm plays. The company is also working with influencers and celebrities to introduce gaming experiences to their fans on Roblox, Fortnite and other UGC gaming platforms.
“As a game player, teaming up with other developers and content creators inspires me in new ways, and Infinite Canvas is helping connect me with the resources and connections to other gamers, creators and developers to collaborate and dream up new content that helps grow the community,” said Anthony Russo, better known online as RussoPlays (1.72M subs on Youtube).
After working in esports and gaming for many years, Infinite Canvas’ co-founders Tal Shachar (former Chief Digital Officer at Immortals Gaming Club and growth strategist at Buzzfeed Studios) and Sebastian Park former Vice President of esports for the Houston Rockets and creatorof Clutch Gaming, a franchised team in the League of Legends Championship Series) saw an opportunity to work with popular and up and coming creators to help scale their efforts and collaborate with other creators while staying authentic to their community and personality.
“The metaverse is the next big platform. It unlocks so much creativity, connection and economic opportunity. But to reach its potential virtual worlds need to be built, not just by the large platform tech companies, but by millions of independent developers, creators, and contributors,”said Tal Shachar, co-founder and CEO of Infinite Canvas. “Those creators need support, infrastructure, tools, and promotion to grow and connect with their community. At Infinite Canvas, we want to support those creators building the future. We think creating an organization that combines all of these types of people, players and IP holders can help grow the community and take the metaverse to new horizons, while unlocking earning potential for everyone.”
Danish esports organisation Team Singularity has extended its partnership with Swiss fan engagement platform Blocksport.
The multi-year agreement will see the launch of the $SNG Fan Token, giving holders access to unique opportunities to influence team-related decisions, enter the fast-track at SNG Academy, access exclusive content, train with professional esports athletes and more.
$SNG Fan Tokens are expected to launch in December 2021 with a supply of 3M, and will be priced at €1 each in the initial sale.
Commenting on the news, Atle S. Stehouwer, CEO and Founder of Team Singularity, said: “I am happy that our partnership with Blocksport is officially extended and we can finally announce the next step in our collaboration.”
Vladimir Liulka, CEO and Co-Founder of Blocksport, added: “We are happy to extend our exclusive partnership with Team Singularity and launch $SNG Fan Token for their fans. Singularity has a global and awesome fan community. The Token opens up a new world – an environment in which they have the chance to be very close to their favorites players and team”.
Team Singularity currently fields rosters in CS:GO, Fortnite, Rocket League, League of Legends, FIFA, Apex Legends, Rainbow Six, VALORANT, Free Fire, Teamfight Tactics, Hearthstone, Quake, League of Legends Wild Rift, Call of Duty, Call of Duty Mobile, Call of Duty Warzone, PUBG, PUBG Mobile, DOTA 2, Overwatch, Heroes of the Storm, Battalion 1944, H1Z1, Tekken7, Rogue Company, Brawlhalla, and Clash Royale. In addition to Blocksport, the organisation has commercial partnerships with PWC, Pluck GG, Raven, SCUF, KontrolFreek, Randers FC, Esportal, Challengermode, MYESPORTSCARD, and MYFUTCARD.
Staying with esports and Blocksport.io, just yesterday we reported the platform had partnered with Jordanian sim motorsports organisation Desert Fox Racing.
ReKTGlobal, the digital entertainment and esports organization, has been named one of the official presenters of gaming content at the 2021 Infinity Festival.
On 3 November, superstar gaming creators Ally Battaggia (a.k.a TheGeekEntry) and Gabby Murray will join Stove’s Kitchen and Paul Shaw in a panel exploring the content creator economy. In addition, ReKTGlobal CCO Kevin Knocke will share his unique expertise in a panel on esports.
Battaggia, who has a growing following across social media, took on streaming during lockdown, joining the fan-favorite NoPIxel GTA RP server. Since then, she’s become a mainstay participant, even crafting a NFT/TCG collection from her beloved GTA RP character. With 9.6M social media followers, Murray has built a fanbase as a multi-talented lifestyle and gaming content creator, with a Discord community that is expanding by the day.
Top gaming creator Stove’s Kitchen (whose real name is Steven Cho), part of the Team RAR (Rare and Ridiculous) internet group, has a devout fan following on his YouTube channel, where he posts gaming and challenge videos. Meanwhile, Shaw oversees Special Projects at TalentX Entertainment, a subsidiary of ReKTGlobal. The four will join forces for Making a Living as a Content Creator: Much More Than Gaming — a panel that explores what sets livestream content monetization and strategy apart from pre-produced content.
Also on 3 November, Knocke will take part in an esports panel with Darin Kwilinski, Lead Content Producer at IGN Entertainment, and Amanda Solomon, CEO at Tyrus Talent Management. The panel, Esports or Esports? Does It Matter? will break down misconceptions about esports to separate the hype from actual substance.
Knocke, who has been competitively gaming since he was a kid, has years of involvement with high profile companies and events in the esports business – specifically Blizzard Entertainment, IGN, SiriusXM, Sony, South by Southwest, E3, PAX, and Ubisoft — giving him a broad perspective on the industry. Before joining IGN, Kwilinski, a lifelong gamer, was a senior editor for esports at ESPN, establishing its vision and voice. Solomon is an executive with a well of expertise in the strategic sales and partnerships realm, specializing in esports, gaming, and talent.
Now in its exciting fourth year, the forward-focused Infinity Festival is the place where Hollywood meets Silicon Valley. The multi-day annual event, held in Los Angeles, brings together Hollywood’s finest storytelling talent with the innovative creators of cutting-edge technology. For 2021, Infinity Festival will blend in-person and virtual events for a unique hybrid experience.
The in-person portion will be held in several adjacent Hollywood locations with most events happening at Goya Studios and the Dream Hotel; the online component will be presented through the easy-to-use FNvirtual event platform. The festival will continue its theme of “Story Enabled by Technology” with an entirely new slate of innovative programming, including industry-leading speakers, panel discussions, an exhibition hall, innovation labs, and a fine art gallery, each with an emerging-tech focus.
For tickets and additional information, visit infinityfestival.com.
Luxury carmaker Lexus is returning to support the Esports Awards for a third year running
As Official Auto Partner of the awards, the company will be working with the Esports Awards on a number of activations that incorporate their vehicles. Lexus will also sponsor both the Esports Organisation of the Year and Streamer of the Year awards.
Lexus made its esports debut with the Esports Awards in 2019, when it provided several supercars from blockbuster movies, which took centre stage at the Esports Stadium Arlington. Last year, the carmaker collaborated on exclusive content as part of the highly successful virtual ceremony.
“It’s an honour to be able to welcome Lexus as a partner for the third year in a row. After supporting us through a successful virtual ceremony last year, it speaks volumes that Lexus has once again committed to going all-in and driving the esports ecosystem forward. Both of our brands focus on prestige and excellence, and I look forward to showcases our joint values as we return to a physical event in November,” said Michael Ashford, Managing Director, Esports Awards.
Jordanian esports organisation Desert Fox Racing has joined Swiss gamified fan engagement platform Blocksport.io.
The partnership will see the launch of an exclusive Desert Fox Racing mobile app to help boost the growth of the organisation’s Middle East fan community.
Desert Fox was launched by a group of friends with a passion for sim racing, but has quickly grown into a digital racing community backed by an organised club. It has now managed over 100 races and 4 championships, making it one of the Middle East’s most experienced digital motorsport solutions providers.
Regarding the collaboration, Vladimir Liulka, Blocksport’s Co-Founder and CEO, said: “We are delighted to have signed with Desert Fox Racing as we see this Esports organization with big potential and as one of the innovative and forward-thinking esports organizations in the Middle East region. Welcome on board, guys!”
Mamdouh Younis, CEO of Desert Fox Racing, added: “We are very excited to start this next chapter with our Desert Fox Racing Community and to utilize such a professional fan engagement solutions provider as Blocksport”
Staying with Blocksport, last month, the platform announced a partnership with betting brand Mozzart.
Riot Games has announced a new competitive circuit for Teamfight Tactics, the team-building PvP strategy game, entitled Teamfight Tactics Rising Legends: Gizmos and Gadgets.
Taking place from November 2021 to March 2022, and operated by GGTech Entertainment, players from the EMEA region will fight it out for a share of a €43,000 prize pool.
Based on the new Gizmos and Gadgets Set, the competition will allow players to earn points and qualify for the EMEA Finals through Ranked matches in-game or Golden Spatula Cups. Furthermore, local tournaments will be hosted, culminating in the TFT Rising Legends Superbrawl, a regional nation-based event. Throughout the whole circuit, 32 players will be advancing to the regional Finals.
- Golden Spatula Cups: three Cups will be hosted in December, January, and March. Players will be able to qualify through Ranked play or by participating in the corresponding Open Qualifiers
- Rising Legends Superbrawl: an 8-region tournament consisting of 2 players representing each region, fighting for two slots in the EMEA Finals
- Rising Legends EMEA Finals: the best players in the EMEA region will meet in this event, where players will fight for one for the four spots at the TFT World Championship
All the TFT action will be covered in English on the official Twitch channel: twitch.tv/teamfighttactics
More information on the tournament, broadcast, and how to participate will be published on the official tournament website: risinglegends.gg
US-based gaming lifestyle brand XSET has partnered with Monster Mash for a Halloween NFT collaboration.
The partnership will see several XSET players feature as creatures on Monster Mash, which is home to 10,000 randomly generated monsters drawn by artist Vance Kelly. Each of the XSET branded digital ghouls is made up of over 400 traits and will haunt the Ethereum blockchain for eternity.
“Monster Mash has been making a lot of noise in the NFT space, who doesn’t like Monsters right?” said Greg Selkoe, co-founder and CEO of XSET. “So we decided to make this XSET’s first NFT collab. We know that the fans of both brands are going to be excited to collect these super-rare pieces.”
“I think it’s really exciting to be working with XSET to add another integral layer to the Monster Mash brand with the inclusion of XSET’s players as some of the Monsters themselves. It widens our Monster universe and brings it into today’s cultural world,” says Hugo Stevenson, founder and CEO of Road Crates, Inc.
Owners of Monster NFTs are able to access the metaverse members-only world of MM Express, featuring a creative community platform for building new monsters for future air drops, live, in-person events, killer merchandise, and much more. Each unique NFT is stored as ERC-721 tokens on the Ethereum Blockchain and hosted on IPFS, and can be purchased for 0.08 ETH + gas fees.
According to XSET, the branded monster NFTs are just the first of a number of upcoming initiatives, with more details to be announced in the near future.
Staying with XSET, earlier this month, the brand announced the beta launch of StreamJ, a new digital rights management (DRM) and license-free music platform specifically designed for gaming streamers and creators.
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