Each week, ESI Digest breaks down the weekly happenings in the esports industry, making sense of things so you don’t have to. As well as being housed on YouTube, ESI Digest is available on all major podcast platforms and is also available in written form below.
This week on the ESI Digest, we cover FaZe Clan’s new academy programme, BMW Motorsports 2021 sim racing plans, DreamHack’s new visual identity, plus investment news from Esports One and Prodigy Agency.
FaZe Clan launches talent recruitment programme, FaZe Academy
North American organisation FaZe Clan has announced the launch of FaZe Academy, a new programme designed to find the organisation’s ‘new generation’ of esports talent, content creators and streamers.
FaZe Academy’s first-ever freshman class has already been picked by the organisation, with the participants set to be revealed in January 2021. Moreover, the winners of the FaZe 5 Challenge, the organisation’s public try-out, will also be included in the inaugural class.
BMW Motorsport expands sim racing programme, partners with four teams
BMW Motorsport, the German car manufacturer’s motorsport branch, has outlined its plans to expand its involvement in simulation racing.
As part of its expansion, BMW Motorsport has joined forces with Team Redline, G2 Esports, Williams Esports, and BS+COMPETITION. The four esports organisation will compete with BMW cars and represent BMW Motorsport at sim racing events throughout 2021.
DreamHack unveils new visual identity
On DreamHack Day, the global esports event and tournament organiser celebrated its 26th anniversary by announcing that it has rebranded with a new visual identity and brand portal highlighting its logo.
According to DreamHack’s refreshed branding announcement page, the colours are designed to provide a link to the past with a ‘bright focus on the future’.
Esports One raises $4m in funding, looks to expand fantasy offering
Data and analytics firm Esports One has announced that it has raised $4m (~GBP2.97m) in new funding, with the investment expected to be used to improve its fantasy esports product and expand into new games.
The round included participation from XSeed Capital, Eniac Ventures, and Chestnut Street Ventures. Esports One currently runs a League of Legends fantasy esports platform.
Prodigy Agency receives EUR1m investment from Trust Esport
Esports talent agency Prodigy Agency has announced it has received EUR1m (GBP912,470) from esports venture capital fund Trust Esport.
The funding will be used to support its global expansion, recruit new team members, and to provide support to the agency’s representatives.
ESI Digest is part of ESI Network, a collection of podcasts encompassing the esports industry. For deep dives into the major areas of esports with subject matter experts, check out ESI Focus. For conversations with key personnel and major stakeholders in esports, ESI Insight is the series for you.