eSports
RAPTORS UPRISING CROWNED CHAMPIONS OF THE TIPOFF TOURNAMENT POWERED BY AT&T
“Kenny Got Work” named Most Valuable Player of NBA 2K League’s first in-season tournament
Raptors Uprising GC, NBA 2K League affiliate of the 2019 NBA champion Toronto Raptors, defeated Kings Guard Gaming in a 2-0 series (76-57 and 79-49) to win the NBA 2K League’s THE TIPOFF Tournament powered by AT&T. Kenneth “Kenny Got Work” Hailey, the franchise’s first-ever draft pick, was named the tournament’s Most Valuable Player, tallying 364 points, 102 assists and 46 successful three-pointers made in 11 games through the tournament. Kenny averaged 28.0 points and 9.5 assists per game in THE TIPOFF Finals 2-0 series against Kings Guard Gaming, NBA 2K League affiliate of the Sacramento Kings.
Undefeated in regular season action, Raptors Uprising entered the first in-season tournament placed in Group 6 alongside Blazer5 Gaming (affiliate of the Portland Trail Blazers), Lakers Gaming (affiliate of the Los Angeles Lakers) and Gen.G Tigers of Shanghai, one of the league’s two expansion teams for the 2020 season. On Wednesday, Raptors Uprising emerged top of the group after beating Blazer5 Gaming and Lakers Gaming twice each, with a combined +127-point differential after four games.
On Thursday, Raptors Uprising swept Bucks Gaming 2-0 in a quarterfinal series (84-64 and 90-65), led by standout performances from veterans “Kenny Got Work” (59 points and 19 assists), Jerry “Sick One” Knapp (30 points, 28 rebounds and 12 assists) and Eric “Timelycook” Donald (35 points and 10 assists). Raptors Uprising then defeated Gen. G Tigers of Shanghai 2-1 in a semifinal series (70-66, 67-70 and 72-65) on Friday, with efforts from “Kenny Got Work” (90 points, 24 assists and 11 steals) and “Sick One” (32 points, 43 rebounds and 16 assists) leading the team to its first Finals appearance in franchise history.
In light of the global pandemic, THE TIPOFF powered by AT&T took place remotely with all 23 participating teams playing from their respective local markets. All five RUGC players that featured in THE TIPOFF competed from the team’s residence and state-of-the-art training facility known as the Bell Fibe House, located in Toronto. Upon winning 10 of the team’s 11 games in THE TIPOFF, Raptors Uprising take home $70,000 USD in prize money, with losing finalist Kings Guard Gaming receiving $50,000 USD while Gen.G Tigers and Jazz Gaming each receive $20,000 USD after finishing third and fourth in the tournament. Raptors Uprising will also receive THE TIPOFF championship plaque, one of three plaques awarded to the three in-season tournament champions that altogether form THE BANNER CHAIN powered by AT&T.
With the conclusion of THE TIPOFF, the NBA 2K League’s regular season will resume on Tuesday, June 23. League teams will continue participating in regular season gameplay remotely for at least the next four weeks through Week 11 (July 14-17). Games will continue to be broadcasted live on the NBA 2K League’s Twitch and YouTube channels starting 7 p.m. ET every Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday with four distinct matchups each night.
THE TURN, the league’s second in-season tournament, will take place during the week of July 20 with THE TICKET, the final tournament of the season, taking place during the week of August 10. The NBA 2K League Playoffs will run between August 19 and 22 before the NBA 2K League Finals on August 29.
Currently atop the NBA 2K League standings, Raptors Uprising GC (9-0) return to regular season action against Magic Gaming, NBA 2K League affiliate of the Orlando Magic, on Tuesday, June 23. Fresh from winning THE TIPOFF powered by AT&T, Raptors Uprising GC will play a total of seven more matches that will count towards its regular season record. Every remote matchup will continue to be played in a best-of-three format with one series victory representing one win in the standings. Raptors Uprising GC will have a bye during the week of July 7.
RAPTORS UPRISING GC 2020 SCHEDULE
Game | Week | Day | Date | Home | Away | Time (E.T.) | Location |
10 | 8 | Tuesday | June 23 | Raptors Uprising GC | Magic Gaming | 9:00 p.m. | Remote |
11 | 9 | Monday | June 29 | Heat Check Gaming | Raptors Uprising GC | 9:00 p.m. | Remote |
12 | 9 | Thursday | July 2 | Raptors Uprising GC | Gen. G Tigers | 9:00 p.m. | Remote |
10 | Tues. – Fri. | July 7 – 10 | BYE WEEK | ||||
13 | 11 | Thursday | July 16 | Raptors Uprising GC | Pacers Gaming | 7:00 p.m. | Remote |
12 | Thurs. – Sat. | July 23 – 25 | THE TURN TOURNAMENT | TBD | |||
14 | 13 | Wednesday | July 29 | Kings Guard Gaming | Raptors Uprising GC | 9:00 p.m. | TBD |
15 | 13 | Thursday | July 30 | Lakers Gaming | Raptors Uprising GC | 7:00 p.m. | TBD |
16 | 14 | Friday | August 7 | Raptors Uprising GC | Cavs Legion GC | 9:00 p.m. | TBD |
For more information on the NBA 2K League, visit NBA2KLeague.com.
eSports
CAPCOM’S STREET FIGHTERTM 6 GOING TO COLLEGE THIS FALL
- CSMG will create and operate College Street FighterTM Tour in North America for the 2024-25 academic year
- College conference Street Fighter 6 champions will punch their ticket to the national Collegiate Esports Commissioner’s Cup (CECC) & May Madness in 2025
eSports
R&D rethink needed for sportsbooks to harness esports’ power
Esports betting is still grappling with a perception problem amongst operators. Despite the leaps and bounds in product development made by suppliers – particularly in the last two years – esports hasn’t shaken off the image built in the late 2010s.
Our good friend, Oliver Niner, Head of Sales at PandaScore, has been kind to share the below article with us.
There’s scepticism around esports betting’s value, how well it can actually perform and what’s needed to make it appeal to bettors. A big part of that comes down to perception, which shapes the research and development (R&D) choices made by each operator.
Self-fulfilling prophecy?
Operators who have put the research and development (R&D) resources into esports are seeing excellent growth, while others are still treating it like part of a long tail. The lack of a uniform approach to esports often translates into hesitancy to be bullish and invest in esports.
Whereas in the United States, post-PASPA sports betting has exploded and operators are seeking to capture as much territory and market share as possible because in most cases, you switch the lights on and the money comes in. It’s, of course, good business sense to take opportunities like this – you can apply the same templates used elsewhere on an incredibly lucrative market.
This kind of approach has been attempted for esports and hasn’t found the same success. Granted, the legislation for betting on esports has been somewhat slower than that of sports betting and iGaming.
However, bullish operators have acknowledged the fact that esports hasn’t found the same success in regulated states and asked what can be done differently, while for others, esports has been thrown into the too-hard basket or relegated to the bargain bucket.
For the latter, the fate of the esports vertical becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy – especially if an operator already using a budget esports product that throttles its very growth.
It takes two to tango
When esports is discussed in broader betting circles, you’ll often hear different versions of the same talking point: the problem with esports is no one is doing it well, it doesn’t innovate.
This argument is a case of the pot calling the kettle black. Esports is a driver of innovation, and it is sportsbook R&D that is holding it back.
Multiple suppliers on the market are investing significant resources into R&D, and bullish operators are leveraging these product innovations to acquire new customers and create engagements made for the internet age.
There are understandable reasons why sports betting doesn’t innovate. It’s largely because operators focus on acquisition, entering new territories and spending money on data rights. But the actual R&D on sportsbook products is left lacking, with ever-increasing cost-per-acquisition (CPA) numbers a clear symptom of this.
It means that if an operator does decide to use or acquire an esports specialist supplier but does little to cater its product and attempts to just lay the sports betting template over the top, of course performance will be throttled.
It’s like putting a Ferrari engine in a Prius – no offence to Toyota or Prius owners.
The same problem exists on the platform supplier front. Platforms are understandably focused on compliance and getting customers live, not necessarily improving models or their products.
Even the idea that if you just acquire an innovative company the problem is solved or you have found the solution, doesn’t hold water. In many cases, the company is acquired and plenty of noise is made about it, but there’s little organisational investment in R&D afterwards.
It’s not just in esports
These problems extend to customer acquisition and marketing for most emerging markets, not just esports. There’s a rush to use the same old playbook in newer sectors because it’s easy.
The fantasy vs. house sector in the US is already experiencing an acquisition arms race. As analyst Dustin Gouker points out, deposit match bonuses for new users on fantasy vs house products have jumped from $100 to as high as $500 in some places.
This is the same race that played out in sports betting and despite the costs, there’s little effort from most operators to try something different. There’s less work when you just put the same acquisition template on an emerging sector and call it a day. This seems to be an accepted practice in the industry, for better or for worse.
Esports betting success requires ongoing dialogue
Rather than attempting to wedge esports into hegemonic sportsbook approaches, sportsbooks need to take a completely unique approach.
The fact is the betting sector has barely scratched the surface – communities of esports fans are still dormant. Canadian operator Rivalry has built a successful, esports-first business by embracing the ever-changing internet culture that esports inhabits. French esports organisation Karmine Corp recently sold out a 30,000-person stadium for an event with no prize money up for grabs.
Innovative products developed on the supplier side like microbetting and betbuilders are only half of the equation.
Maximising esports revenues requires institutional investment, ongoing R&D and collaboration between suppliers and operators to create products and experiences. This includes having staff on the operator side that can drive and push the product further, and crucially, rethinking current sportsbook strategies and practices.
Building experiences for betting’s greatest emerging market – one that caters to your future core audience – takes investment, innovation and a willingness to experiment. If the industry wants to make the most of the Millennial and Gen Z audience that will become its primary customers, investment into R&D and close collaboration between suppliers and operators is needed. Many hands makes light work.
eSports
North Star Network Acquires Um Dois Esportes
North Star Network has acquired Um Dois Esportes, a sports coverage and analysis site created from the merger of Gazeta Do Povo and Tribuna do Paraná in 2020.
Julien Josset, co-founder of North Star Network, said: “Thank you to the team at GRPCOM for their faith in us to take the brand forward. Um Dois Esportes is an established and renowned site in Paraná State, and we’re excited about the challenge of developing this asset.
“We’re happy to maintain the collaboration with the existing editorial team, and look forward to working with them, bringing our unique NSN approach, to take UDE forward.”
NSN’s signing of Um Dois Esportes is the media house’s fourth acquisition of 2024, following the recent deals to purchase UK-based SportsMole and MrFixitsTips, as well as Chilean site AlAireLibre, which was announced in March.
The latest addition to the North Star media portfolio joins existing assets including Top Mercato, Afrik-Foot, and Vringe. The Paris-based company already oversees a significant Brazilian operation, delivering over 6 million sessions per month, from the likes of Trivela, Premier League Brasil and Lakers Brasil.
NSN will retain Curitiba-based journalists from the Um Dois Esportes legacy team to maintain the asset’s unique tone and popular coverage of the Paraná sports scene across site and social.
Rafael Mello, Director of GRPCOM, said: “We were surprised by the interest, and initially had no intention of selling Um Dois, but as the conversations evolved, we realised this was a serious group with good intentions. We were very happy to see our project being valued by a large international group and going global, demonstrating the quality of the content we produced.
“We’re also proud that North Star inherited our journalists, who are truly responsible for the success of the product we offer readers every day.”
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