Esports & Video Games
GAMING NETWORK G4 RETURNS TO TV SCREENS ON 16 NOVEMBER
Gaming network G4 will officially return to consumers on linear television and through streaming services on 16 November, 2021.
Verizon Fios, Cox, and Xfinity TV will all be carrying the network on linear systems, while it will also stream on Philo and G4s official Twitch channel. G4 will also continue to create channel-specific content for its social media platforms and YouTube.
Looking forward to the launch, Russell Arons, President, G4, said: “Since the initial announcement of G4’s revival at Comic-Con @ Home last year, we’ve been in constant dialogue with our audience through the content we’ve produced. We made a promise to fans that we would build this network with their input and are proud to say that our promise has been kept. At G4, we never stopped playing and can’t wait to have our fans join us in our hilarious and fairly preposterous sandbox on November 16.”
Josh Cella, Chief Revenue Officer, G4/Spectacor Gaming, added: “G4 was a pioneer for video games on television for twelve years, long before businesses were focused on gaming. The credibility that comes with that cannot be manufactured. As we gear up to launch, we are excited to unlock our portfolio of talent, creative marketing platforms, interactive programming and an innovative distribution model for business partners.”
G4 programming will be produced and delivered through a first-of-its-kind 24/7 broadcast studio, featuring a collaborative workplace and professional esports and gaming environment. Designed by global architectural firm Populous, the studio is located in Burbank, California. Other notable design projects from Populous include Yankee Stadium, Red Bull HQ, and Esports Stadium Arlington.
G4’s programming slate at launch will include a wide range of content, including new editions of beloved legacy G4 shows, exclusive content, top interviews, and more, including:
- Attack of the Show!: The original geek culture variety show returns with host Kevin Pereira and a brand new cavalcade of misfits. Irreverent and unscripted, Attack of the Show! is a welcoming place for any fan who wants to spend a couple of hours laughing, watching epic stunts and hilarious sketches, and deep-diving into the latest trends of the internet. From hilarious web videos to memes, to streaming of all types, to celebrity guests, to the weirdest tech, Attack of the Show! is still the show that gets it before it gets out.
- Xplay: Xplay used an extra life! The ultimate video game review show returns as a digital-first content brand that balances an authoritative loudmouth confidence with the absurdity of a public-access comedy sketch show, all while (somehow) maintaining enough credibility to book interviews with top industry luminaries. Xplay is expanding the conversation with insightful and irreverent explorations into every game worth your time: AAA, indie, mobile, VR, retro… it’s all on the table. Adam Sessler is back, joined by a group of hilarious experts, to bring a brutally honest voice to the modern gaming scene.
- Boosted: Boosted is a weekly esports comedy series for curious gamers and esports fanatics alike. Boosted is that moment in-game when you realize you’re the worst player in the lobby. We want to revel in the entry-level as we approach gaming and esports as interns guided by our executive-level experts. Boosted will cover the latest trends, news, and tournaments in the esports world every week
- Ninja Warrior: The quest to summit Mt. Midoriyama returns as G4 attains the exclusive linear broadcasting rights to SASUKE, better known as Ninja Warrior in the United States, from Tokyo Broadcasting System Television, Inc. (TBS). G4 will air all 167 episodes of the legendary competition series that pits heroic athletes of all types from pro gymnasts, to fishermen, to comedians against a four-stage, formidable, and/or impossible obstacle course. G4 will also present three tournaments never-before-seen in the United States, SASUKE 35, 36, and 37.
- ESL Gaming: G4 has partnered with ESL Gaming, the world’s leading esports and gaming lifestyle company, to produce and broadcast several prime-time esports programs, a first for ESL Gaming in the US and Canada. G4’s exclusive linear broadcast rights make it the premier destination for ESL Pro Tour events including the IEM Katowice 2022.
- Dungeons & Dragons Limited Series: Coming off the immense success of D&D Live 2021 featuring notable celebrities like Jack Black, Tiffany Haddish, Kevin Smith, and DrLupo, G4 will continue its partnership with Wizards of the Coast with an all-new, limited-run series to premiere on G4 this Fall. The series will follow four campaigns with a mix of G4 talent, veteran D&D players, and celebrities for a new generation of D&D fans.
Additional distribution, programming and content partnerships will be announced closer to the network launch.
Joining G4 for its official launch is an eclectic mix of notable talent from the gaming and entertainment industries, including returning G4 hosts Kevin Pereira and Adam Sessler; esports personalities Alex “Goldenboy” Mendez (host of NBC’s Titan Games), Ovilee May, and Froskurinn; WWE Superstar Xavier Woods AKA Austin Creed; YouTube personalities Kassem G, Jirard “The Completionist” Khalil, and Gina Darling; Popular Twitch streamers Fiona Nova and Will Neff; rising vStreamer CodeMiko; and a degenerate rat-puppet named Ratty.
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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