eSports
Anzu and Axis Games’ Expanded Partnership Brings Programmatic In-game Ads to Esports League in Industry First
Anzu.io, the world-leading provider of in-game advertising solutions, today announced the expansion of its exclusive partnership with Axis Games, the developers of the popular game Axis Football and the newly formed Axis Football Esports League. Under the new deal, Anzu’s platform will enable programmatically delivered, blended in-game ads to be shown during a live esports tournament.
This partnership is groundbreaking for the gaming industry; it represents the first time in history that advertisers will have the opportunity to run programmatic campaigns on PC during a live esports event. When choosing Anzu as its partner for this bold move, Danny Jugan, Axis Games’ President, said, “We are excited to partner with Anzu as our advertising supplier. They provide great content and have been a pleasure to work with.”
A few months ago, the two companies created their first partnership which saw Anzu, the only in-game advertising company to hold an ISO 27001 certificate and be a member of the Xbox Tools and Middleware Program, integrate its ad serving platform into Axis Football’s PC and console game content. The ads, which are displayed on in-game objects such as stadium banners, are designed to enhance gameplay by creating an environment that more closely represents the real world. In response to seeing the in-game ads, an Axis Football 2020 beta tester said, “The banner ads added to the stadiums significantly increase the level of immersion in the game.”
In preparation for the launch of the league, Axis Games has made significant improvements to the game over the past few months, including rebranding the teams, logos, and player uniforms. The tournament will be played by 36 pre-selected gamers from the US, Canada, and Mexico, each representing a team. Fans can watch two live matchups at 6:30 pm and 8 pm EST every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday and tune in to weekly preview and post-game shows streamed during the weekends. With Axis Games’ predominantly US fanbase, the tournament games won’t conflict with NFL game times but instead act as a fun, digital supplement to the football season.
Games, complete with live commentary, will be streamed on both Twitch.tv and YouTube, giving advertisers a tremendous amount of exposure as fans from across the globe log on to watch each game. Advertisers will get access to essential metrics from the streaming platforms, including total views, geolocations, and concurrent viewership statistics. Additionally, Anzu’s platform provides advertisers with detailed campaign analytics and user data, plus precise ad viewability metrics through its ad verification solution, the first and only of its kind in the industry.
Advertisers will also benefit from Anzu’s hyper-location targeting, increasing advertisers’ ability to deliver highly relevant campaigns to specific esports venues and audiences. Furthermore, Anzu’s collaboration with Nielsen Connectivity gives advertisers insights about their campaign effectiveness. Boosting advertiser confidence even more, Anzu partners with Forensiq to include the first-ever fraud detection solution for in-game advertising.
“Anzu’s premium blended in-game ads represent a new chapter for the gaming and advertising industries. Axis Games is a company that is also interested in reinventing the gaming world through innovative monetization methods while still preserving, and improving, the gaming experience,” said Anzu CEO and Co-Founder, Itamar Benedy. “We are proud to partner with them in this revolutionary endeavor and bring the first programmatic ad campaigns to the esports world.”
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Craig Levine
Zenni Optical Announces Partnership with ESL FACEIT Group (EFG)
Zenni Optical, the world’s leading online eyewear retailer, announced a partnership with ESL FACEIT Group (EFG), the leading esports and video game entertainment company. Designed to integrate eye health education with innovative eyewear solutions for the esports community, the partnership will officially launch at DreamHack festival in Dallas, taking place from May 31 to June 2.
This collaboration will showcase a co-branded collection of lifestyle and competitive eyewear and accessories, highlighting Zenni Optical’s commitment to promoting overall eye health, particularly in addressing issues like eye fatigue and strain. Additionally, the initiative will incorporate essential eye health education across various DreamHack Festivals, in alignment with EFG’s broader mission to foster inclusive gaming worlds and engaged, supported communities.
“DreamHack and ESL represent some of the most community-centric and prestigious competitive events in the world. In their own unique ways, they embody esports for everyone. By partnering with these incredible brands across the gaming and esports spaces, we aim to create engaging experiences that combine eye-health education with innovative eyewear solutions for players and fans at all levels,” said Robb Chiarini, Head of Gaming, Sports, & Events at Zenni Optical.
“We are thrilled to partner with Zenni Optical as the Official Eyewear Partner of DreamHack and ESL. The genuine passion that Zenni has for the esports industry is a refreshing sight to see, and a major driving factor for the decision behind our partnership. Zenni’s ongoing commitment to provide eyewear for everyone mirrors our own drive to create worlds beyond gameplay for gamers everywhere,” Craig Levine, Co-CEO at EFG, said.
Bucks Gaming
CREAM CITY CONVERGENCE ESPORTS TOURNAMENT SELECTED AS CAPCOM PRO TOUR EVENT
Bucks Gaming’s Cream City Convergence Esports Tournament has been selected as a Capcom Pro Tour event, becoming one of just three tournaments in North America chosen to be a qualifier for the prestigious Capcom Cup.
The Capcom Cup is an annual Street Fighter 6 competition, hosted by video game developer and esports organizer Capcom, with a $1 million first place prize. Each year, Capcom selects a small number of tournaments worldwide to serve as Capcom Pro Tour events, with the winning players from each event qualifying for the Capcom Cup. As one of the tournaments selected by Capcom for the honor this year, Cream City Convergence will become the first esports event run by an NBA team to work with a major esports organizer.
Top-ranked Street Fighter 6 players will compete at Cream City Convergence when it returns for its second year on Saturday, Aug. 24, at Baird Center. In addition to Street Fighter 6, this year’s tournament will also have brackets for Tekken 8; Super Smash Bros Ultimate; Super Smash Bros Melee; and Guilty Gear: Strive.
eSports
Kambi and Abios Join ESIC as Anti-Corruption Supporters
The Esports Integrity Commission (ESIC) has announced Kambi and Abios, its esports data subsidiary, as new ESIC Anti-Corruption Supporters. This partnership signals the alignment of Kambi’s longstanding commitment to corporate probity and sports integrity with ESIC’s ongoing battle against match-fixing and corruption in esports.
Kambi and Abios join a distinguished class of other Anti-Corruption Supporter stakeholders who have historically worked with ESIC to ensure that attacks against the competitive integrity of esports competition are appropriately reported and dealt with. Anti-Corruption Supporters assist ESIC in investigating suspicious betting activity, supporting ESIC’s broader mission to combat cheating and betting fraud in the esports industry. Kambi and Abios’ entrance into the Anti-Corruption Supporter class will see the entities actively work with ESIC to assist in ESIC’s mission to disrupt, prevent, investigate and prosecute all attempts to compromise competitive integrity in esport competition.
Abios’ Managing Director and Founder, Anton Janér, commented: “Our mission at Abios has always been to enable the sustainable growth of esports. As such, we’re incredibly excited to join ESIC in their mission to future-proof esports through combatting match-fixing and other integrity-related malpractices. Fair play is a crucial component in ensuring the viability of esports as a long-term community and investment and we hope to be able to support the industry together with ESIC going forward.”
Stephen Hanna, ESIC’s Chief Executive Officer, commented: “We are pleased to welcome Kambi and Abios as Anti-Corruption Supporters. Kambi and Abios are well trusted and recognised operators in their respective industries, and their entrance into the Anti-Corruption Supporter class of ESIC membership emphasises their shared commitment to upholding the highest standards of integrity and fair play within the esports industry.”
The post Kambi and Abios Join ESIC as Anti-Corruption Supporters appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
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