eSports
S8UL becomes the first Indian Esports organisation to be nominated for the global “Esports Awards 2022”
Proving yet again, its stance in the global esports landscape, S8UL became the first Indian Esports organisation to get a nomination for the prestigious global “Esports Awards” in the ‘Content Group of the Year’ category while its co-founder Naman Mathur aka Mortal has been nominated for ‘Esports Personality of the Year’.
The esports awards are regarded as the most popular and significant annual awards in the Esports industry globally. It is the world’s top honour for the excellence and accomplishments of athletes and teams in the Esports industry worldwide.
S8UL is the brainchild of the country’s three veteran Esports players, Naman Mathur aka Mortal, Animesh Agarwal aka 8Bit Thug and Lokesh Jain aka Goldy, who created this organisation with an aim to shape the Indian gaming industry into a mix of professional gameplay and engaging content for the audiences.
“A nomination in the “Esports Awards” shows the strong position that S8UL has created in the global Esports circuit. It’s the result of the hard work that team S8UL has put in in the last two years. I am very confident that this nomination will be a motivation not just for us but for everyone in India who wants to contribute to the growth of Esports in the country. Mortal, as we call him the face of the Indian gaming and esports community, never misses any chance to make our country proud. I am very confident that both S8UL and Mortal are going to take a giant leap this year with these nominations and we are super excited to add more trophies at our S8UL Gaming House.” said Lokesh Jain aka Goldy.
In two years since its inception, S8UL has not only won major tournaments but has also emerged as a national sensation. With top creators and gamers on their roster, S8UL has been actively promoting the acceptance and appeal of gaming content in India through their online platforms like YouTube, Instagram, discord etc. S8UL is in contention for the award along with nine other top international organisations, such as 100 Thieves, FaZe Clan, One True King and Full Squad Gaming.
“It’s our sheer dedication and hard work that our creators have become brands in themselves. We are building an esports community which has put India on the global map. The vision we started with was to compete globally in terms of both gameplay and esports content, and we truly see the vision coming to fruition now. This has been made possible by the trust placed on our creators, the community and the brands alike. Hoping for continued support, to bring the trophies home. This is a big motivation for us to keep entertaining with newer content everyday.” said Animesh Agarwal aka 8Bit Thug.
Mortal has been nominated alongside other top athletes like Faker and Goldenboy. He is also the only Indian Esports athlete to be nominated in the history of the global “Esports Awards”. Earlier, he was nominated for the Streamer of the Year in 2020 and 2021 and claimed second place on both occasions.
“Getting nominated in the prestigious ‘Esports Awards’ is in itself a moment of pride. It’s like the Oscars for Esports where winners get selected from the best in the world. It’s the biggest recognition for any Esports athlete or a team. Esports industry has grown rapidly in the recent past and so has the competition level. It’s a great moment for S8UL and for me personally as it’s my third successive nomination, fingers crossed, hope this year “It’s Coming Home” said Naman Mathur aka Mortal.
Mortal has represented Soul in numerous PUBG/BGMI tournaments and has also won titles in events like PMIS and PMCO Spring Split: India. He has a massive fan following which includes more than seven million subscribers on YouTube and 5 million-plus followers on Instagram.
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eSports
Abios names co-founder Anton Janér as new Managing Director
Abios, the esports subsidiary of Kambi Group plc, has appointed CTO Anton Janér as its new Managing Director, succeeding Abios’ long-term CEO Oskar Bonnevier Fröberg who has stepped down to pursue new endeavours.
Having co-founded the company alongside Fröberg in 2013, Janér assumed leadership of Abios as Managing Director effective from 1 May. He brings extensive experience in technology to his new role, as well as a deep understanding of the esports market, and as CTO was instrumental in the development of Abios’ market-leading esports solutions.
Spearheaded by Fröberg for more than 10 years, Abios has witnessed incredible growth since launch, expanding the company to reach millions of esports fans, power scores of businesses in esports, media, betting, and entertainment sectors, and employ roughly 70 people worldwide.
Furthermore, Fröberg successfully navigated Abios through its acquisition by Kambi Group, a leading sports betting technology company, in 2021. Bonnevier Fröberg played a pivotal role in ensuring a smooth integration within the Kambi Group, further solidifying Abios’ position within the esports betting landscape.
Janér said: “I am honored to take on the role of Managing Director and lead Abios into its next chapter. Oskar and I have had a lot of fun together throughout the years at Abios, building the company into the industry leader it is today. I am very excited about the future of Abios and eager to take the business to new heights alongside our excellent team.”
Fröberg added: “It is with mixed emotions that I have resigned as CEO of Abios. This decision has not been an easy one, as I have dedicated more than 10 years of my life to building and leading this organisation together with Anton. However, we could not have found a better home for Abios than Kambi nor could I have found a better successor than Anton, giving me every confidence that Abios will only flourish moving forward.”
The post Abios names co-founder Anton Janér as new Managing Director appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
Angela Bernhard Thomas
CAPCOM’S STREET FIGHTERTM 6 GOING TO COLLEGE THIS FALL
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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.
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