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.
On this week’s ESI Digest, in partnership with Mbuzz Esports and BK ROG, we cover; BMW’s Rocket League partnership, Immortals relocating to the Great Lakes, Tomas Lyckedal and Nicklas Andersson joining Black Molly Entertainment, Freaks 4U Gaming collaborating with Diversity in Esports, plus Riot Games extending its Bayes Esports deal.
Psyonix and BMW unveil Rocket League partnership
Game developer Psyonix has announced an esports and in-game Rocket League partnership with vehicle manufacturer BMW.
As a result of the collaboration, BMW has become a title sponsor for the Rocket League Open and Rocket League Freestyle tournament. Moreover, the manufacturer’s new BMW M240i car will be integrated into the game in November.
Immortals relocates operations to Great Lakes region
Image credit: Immortals
North American esports organisation Immortals has announced that it is relocating its operations to the Great Lakes region (GLR).
Operating on a ‘hub and spokes’ model, the centre of Immortals’ operations will be in the Detroit Metropolitan area. However, the company will also operate a number of smaller ‘spokes’ across cities and college towns in the GLR.
Tomas Lyckedal and Nicklas Andersson named Black Molly Entertainment part-owners
Image credit: Black Molly Entertainment (ESI Illustration)
Esports production company and digital agency Black Molly Entertainment (BME) has named Tomas Lyckedal and Nicklas Andersson, both formerly of DreamHack, as Part-owners.
According to the release, Lyckedal will become BME’s Head of Business Development. Meanwhile, Andersson has been named as the company’s Head of Partnerships.
Freaks 4U Gaming joins Diversity in Esports for VALORANT Game Changers EMEA
Image credit: Freaks 4U Gaming, Riot Games
Esports agency and production company Freaks 4U Gaming has joined non-profit association Diversity in Esports (DivE) to produce Riot Games’ VCT Game Changers Series EMEA.
Aiming to create an inclusive gaming community, both entities will work together on tournament broadcasts to promote women within VALORANT esports. Freaks 4U Gaming will become a contributing partner for the series and will take on planning and event broadcast production duties.
Riot Games and Bayes Esports extend data partnership
(ESI Illustration) Image credit: Bayes Esports, Riot Games
Game publisher Riot Games has extended its partnership with esports data firm Bayes Esports until 2024.
As a result of the extension, Bayes Esports will continue as the publisher’s exclusive data distribution partner for ‘virtually all’ League of Legends competitions. This includes live in-game data, fixture data and audiovisual rights for the betting industry.
ESI Digest, in partnership with Mbuzz Esports and BK ROG, is part of the ESI Podcast 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.