Esports

BITKRAFT FORMS ADVISORY BOARD WITH EXECS FROM SNAPCHAT, AMAZON WEB SERVICES, ESL & SURVIOS

Published

6 years ago

February 25, 2021

BITKRAFT Ventures, a venture capital firm focused on gaming, esports, and interactive media, today announced the formation of a strategic advisory board.

The BITKRAFT Advisory Board (BAB) is a group of experienced games industry operating executives committed to driving strategic value across the firm’s portfolio companies. The new members will support the fund with dealflow and bring significant experience in key areas for the organization and its portfolio companies, including business development, entrepreneurship, scaling, and technology.

“Our new advisory board will make invaluable contributions to the Fund and its portfolio companies as they bring extensive entrepreneurial and technological experience as well as a wide network of relationships in the game industry,” commented Jens Hilgers, Founding General Partner of BITKRAFT Ventures. “We are excited to introduce a board that is actively driving change in the gaming ecosystem.”

BITKRAFT Ventures’ new Advisory Board members are:

TQ Jefferson, Chief Product Officer of Survios. A former VP in Disney’s Games & Interactive Experiences group with over two decades in the games industry, TQ has exhibited a talent for steering franchise expansion for companies looking to leverage IP in the world of gaming including highly acclaimed TV series like “The Walking Dead” and iconic cross-media IP like the Marvel Universe and Pixar. As Chief Product Officer for Survios, TQ Jefferson defines the product roadmap as the company transitions from startup to AAA developer, working alongside partners such as AMC and MGM.

Pany Haritatos, Head of Games at Snapchat. Pany is a veteran game entrepreneur and executive with deep experience in game development, publishing, and platforms. Prior to Snapchat, Pany spent several years at the game publisher and platform Kongregate, where he helped grow the company through several important milestones including a sale to MTG in 2017, the acquisition of several game studios, and taking the lead as CEO in 2019. Before Kongregate, Pany was an executive at social gaming giant Zynga, leading teams on several of the company’s early franchises.

Jen MacLean, Head of Worldwide Business Development, Small and Mid-sized Studios, Game Tech at Amazon Web Services. Jen leads worldwide business development for small and mid-sized game studios at Amazon Web Services, where she helps developers of all expertise levels leverage the power of cloud technologies to build great game experiences and scalable live operations. Jen started her career in game development as a playtester at Microprose, expanding her roles to direct product development, business development, and management teams at large and small companies. Most recently before joining AWS, Jen headed game development’s largest professional association, the International Game Developers Association, and the IGDA Foundation.

Bernhard Mogk, SVP of Business Development at ESL. Bernhard Mogk leads worldwide business development for ESL, pioneering and innovating at the forefront of the esports industry for over a decade. During his tenure at ESL, Bernhard has been responsible for all group-wide B2B revenue, building and overseeing all commercial units, launching blue-chip companies into the esports sphere, and creating game-changing and award-winning global partnerships and joint ventures across industries. Bernhard started his career in digital marketing and sales at RTL Group. He then moved to the startup world where he held roles in commercial partnerships, strategy, and business development at various companies before founding Four Media Network, which was later acquired by ESL and MTG.

AYO.NEWS says:

With an investment team headed by Co-founder and former CEO of ESL, G2 Esports, and Bayes, Jens Hilgers; media, games and esports veteran Malte Barth; entrepreneur and investor Scott Rupp; and former VP and Co-head of the global gaming and esports practice at Goldman Sachs, Moritz Baier-Lentz, BITKRAFT wasn’t exactly lacking on expertise to start with. When the knowledge and talent of the new advisory board is thrown into the mix, the combination becomes next-level, and we’re sure it will result in some exciting moves.

Staying with BITKRAFT, yesterday the firm was confirmed as one of the lead investors in casual game development studio BebopBee’s latest $2M funding round.

Esports

LEXUS SUPPORTS ESPORTS AWARDS FOR THIRD CONSECUTIVE YEAR

Published

5 years ago

October 29, 2021

AYO News Staff

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.

Esports

REKTGLOBAL BRINGS TOP GAMING TALENT TO INFINITY FESTIVAL 2021

Published

5 years ago

October 29, 2021

AYO News Staff

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.

Esports

TEAM SINGULARITY TO LAUNCH FAN TOKENS VIA BLOCKSPORT

Published

5 years ago

October 29, 2021

AYO News Staff

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.