eSports
NBA 2K LEAGUE REVEALS 265 PLAYERS VYING FOR 63 SPOTS AT 2021 NBA 2K LEAGUE DRAFT
The NBA 2K League announced the pool of 265 players who are eligible for the 2021 NBA 2K League Draft, which will be held virtually on Saturday, March 13 at 7 p.m. ET and livestreamed on the NBA 2K League’s Twitch and YouTube channels.
The 265 draft-eligible players consist of 175 players who earned eligibility through the NBA 2K League Draft Prospect Series, 22 players from international qualifying events over the last two offseasons, five players from the NBA 2K League’s Women in Gaming initiative, five players who were identified by the NBA 2K League and its teams as high-performing players in the 2K community, and 58 unretained players from the 2020 season. The offseason evaluation process also featured events for teams to evaluate only draft-eligible players competing against each other, including the NBA 2K League Draft Prospect Series Showcase and the NBA 2K League Combine. A complete list of draft-eligible players is available here*.
This year’s draft pool includes a record 33 international players from nine countries – Australia, Canada, China, France, Germany, Singapore, Spain, Turkey and the U.K. – and a record 10 women, who earned eligibility through both the NBA 2K League Draft Prospect Series and the NBA 2K League’s Women in Gaming initiative. Fans can visit the NBA 2K League YouTube channel to meet some of the members of this year’s class in the NBA 2K League original content series, “Draft Hopefuls.”
At the conclusion of the four-round draft, all 23 NBA 2K League teams will have completed their six-person rosters. Lakers Gaming has the first overall pick, Pacers Gaming has the second overall pick, and the Gen.G Tigers of Shanghai have the third overall pick. For the complete draft order, click here.
“The 2020-21 offseason evaluation process was our most extensive to date, including 38 team-hosted tournaments as part of the NBA 2K League Draft Prospect Series, three international qualifying tournaments, a revamped Women in Gaming initiative and our first combine solely for draft-eligible players,” said NBA 2K League President Brendan Donohue. “We’re looking forward to an exciting draft night as our teams add 63 of the best 2K players in the world in advance of our fourth season.”
For the first time, fans watching the draft will have access to a variety of viewing options through Twitch’s Command Center, including 2v2 MyPark games with former NBA 2K League players, draftees; live interviews with draftees; and the Virtual VIP Lounge featuring influencers Champ2K, Dominus, Dribble2Much, KILLA KAY, KRYPTO9095, Miro and Overtime Megan. The broadcast will also feature special guests announcing select picks, including hip-hop artists 2 Chainz (Hawks Talon GC) and Big Latto (Hawks Talon GC), Boston Celtics President Rich Gotham (CLTX Crossover Gaming), seven-time NBA Champion Robert Horry (Lakers Gaming), Executive Vice President of Operations for Hornets Sports & Entertainment James Jordan (Hornets Venom GT), Philadelphia 76ers President of Basketball Operations Daryl Morey (76ers GC) and former NBA player Quentin Richardson (Magic Gaming), as well as a live musical performance by hip-hop recording group ISO INDIES.
Scott Cole will return to host the 2021 NBA 2K League Draft alongside color commentator, esports host and broadcaster Malik Forte, NBA 2K League sideline reporter Autumn Johnson and sports host Ms.Basketball, who will serve as the Virtual VIP Lounge host. Additionally, sports and video game journalist Brian Mazique of Forbes.com and Heavy.com has joined the NBA 2K League as an insider and beat writer. Beginning with the 2021 Draft, Mazique will appear on NBA 2K League broadcasts throughout the season and will cover the league for NBA2KLeague.com.
First round selections and select additional players will be available to media via Zoom after their selection. Media interested in attending Zoom availabilities with draftees must RSVP to Devon Garden ([email protected]) by Saturday, March 13.
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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