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Is Activision Blizzard under pressure?
Activision Blizzard usually controls their numbers. However, their recent appeal to Nielsen, a widely respected demographic tracking service for traditional sports and other media, may show otherwise. Why make such a choice ? A possible cause might be the worrying drop in Overwatch League’s viewership. Whereas it was off to a rocket start with around 10 million viewers during the first week and 350 000 simultaneously, Stage 3 plummeted with only 150 000 simultaneous viewers. And this downfall could really concern the main actors that have invested a lot to be a part of the Overwatch League. Activision Blizzard is therefore looking for clues to a better understanding of their major competitions’ impact. Using those clues, they will define an appropriate strategy to reassure their current partners and be as attractive as possible to potential future sponsors.
CEO of Activision Blizzard esports leagues Pete Vlastelica said: “As esports continues to mature and reach its potential as a stand-alone business, we’re determined to lead the way and develop best practices for brands and advertisers. We’re excited to partner with the most experienced and respected measurement service in Nielsen and continue building on our foundation of the best esports leagues in the world.”
Paris Saint-Germain partners up with LGD on Dota 2
Paris Saint-Germain was not thrown off by the failure of their League of Legends section. The club gives another shot to the MOBA scene by announcing a partnership with Chinese organisation LGD’s Dota 2 team. The team will play under the name PSG.LGD. Through this cooperation, Paris Saint-Germain hopes to cultivate its Asian fanbase and possibly expand it. Paris Saint-Germain also becomes the first major European football actor to invest in Dota 2. Enough to give Dota 2’s french community a new impulse ? Stay tuned !
The UEFA to end partnership with Konami
European football’s main organisation, the UEFA, announced the end of their ten-year-old partnership with Japanese editor Konami. Pro Evolution Soccer (PES), Konami’s football simulation game, will lose license to use the UEFA club competitions. Many observers predict a future partnership between the UEFA and the other major football video game license, FIFA. This announcement leaves PES in a concerning position, as it may strengthen FIFA’s domination as a football simulation game, up to a hegemonic point.
Birth of Hanwha Life Esports
In Korea, League of Legends team ROX Tigers (which reached World Championship’s finals in 2015) has been acquired by insurance company Hanwha Life. The team will play under the name Hanwha Life Esports. The Korean company was already ROX Tigers’ sponsor since January. ROX Tigers was meeting quite a few problems due to their small size.
Ben Brode says goodbye to Blizzard Entertainment
He will remain in the Hall of Fame. Ben Brode, historical game director of Hearthstone, announced the end of his Blizzard adventure, after working 15 years within the company. He was famous among the Hearthstone community for appearing in promotional videos and presenting new contents (at BlizzCon, for exemple). Ben Brode remained quite evasive regarding his future, only saying he left to “embark on a new journey”, and that the company he’s going to start would “probably make games”.
Photo credits : Hugo Brionne (c) JK Groupe.
