Esports never cool down, especially in Summer. In the eve of the much-awaited International 2016, here are the 3 facts worth your read.
Shaq Attack
Esports sure feel like a next-gen farwest. In an industry were teams come and go every other day and leagues struggle to maintain some stability, everybody looks up to the big sports where “mercatos” and transfers obey numerous and strict rules. NBA legend Shaquille O’Neal seems to enjoy immensely the loose rules of Esports, as he simply invited famous Overwatch player Seagull and his teamates to leave their current team Luminosity and join NRG, a rival team part-owned by the Shaq. All this with a witty, public tweet. And another incoming drama for Luminosity (check our previous digests).
They talk about my 140 taps
Talking about Twitter: Even tho the little blue bird is struggling compared to other social networks, it remains the premier platform for stars, athletes, live events reactions and thus, for Esports.
Following their first broadcasting deals with the NFL and Wimbledon, Twitter just announced a streaming partnership with Turner’s ELeague. It’s a big step forward for Esport and a promising one for Twitter, which could turn into the best “watch live and live comment” platform out there.
Open Sesame, Alibaba
Alibaba’s forray into Esport has been an obsession of ours since the first announcements back in March. Things just got real this week with a huge $150M investment in the International ESports Federation, plenty of tournaments and projects.
Following Amazon spectacular acquisition of Twitch for $970M a few years ago, Alibaba confirms that good content is the perfect match for giant retailers. And that Esport is serious business in China.