Front Office Sports: “The esports market is anticipated to grow to 29.6 million monthly viewers in the U.S. representing 46% of the total gaming video-content viewers.”
“The esports market is now worth over $1 billion as an industry with 475 million active followers.”
“Europe currently represents only about $138 million of global esports revenues of the total estimated $1.4 billion global revenue in 2022.”
IGN: “Located in the town of Senai in Johor, Malaysia, the SEM9 Senai Esports Hotel boasts luxurious rooms fitted with the latest technological facilities in gaming.”
“Developed and built by the Southeast Asian SEM9 esports organisation and backed by SEAGM and Aiken Digital, SEM9 Senai aims to bring a brand new concept in the gaming and esports field. The hotel is a mere three-minute walk from the Senai International Airport.”
“SEM9 Senai proffers the ultimate in comfort, marrying form and function to meet the toughest of needs of not just the best esports teams worldwide, but also to cater to guests of all kinds with a bevvy of gaming and non-gaming rooms,” said SEM9 chairman Tommy Chieng.
“The entire hotel is fitted with high-speed broadband and mobile internet access, be it via WiFi or cable. Console and mobile gamers won’t feel left out either as there are rooms fitted with a PlayStation 5 and DualSense wireless controllers.”
USU: “Esports are gaining popularity as a spectator sport, and college sports programs are taking notice. Utah State University is taking this opportunity to combine esports and academics through an expanding undergraduate curriculum and growing competitive esports club.”
“We have two classes in esports. The first one is casual esports, where students can come and play games, but they study how they feel inside the game … and also we teach another esports class called developmental esports, where we try to develop students’ skills in certain types of games,” said Ramy Shabaan, an assistant professor of Instructional Technology and Learning Sciences at USU.
“Andrew Walker, the department head of Instructional Technology and Learning Sciences at USU, said esports has put the university in a unique position to blur the lines between recreation and academics.”
“Esports is certainly a growing space, especially in academia, where we’re still trying to work through what this looks like,” Walker said. “I really love our structure here at Utah State University; it’s a collaborative venture between campus recreation as a club sport, and also with our academic unit. And we both have interesting roles to play.”
The Journal: “Youth esports organization Vanta Leagues has announced it will expand its programming to include high school students beginning this fall, raising the maximum player age to 18 from 14, making Vanta’s free esports set-up guide and league organization structure accessible at no cost to high schools nationwide.”
“Vanta recently partnered with STEM Fuse, a provider of STEM-based digital curriculum to 15,000 U.S. schools whose new esports curriculum includes resources from Vanta Leagues. Schools can use STEM Fuse’s free start guide to quickly start teams and even regional leagues using their own coaches and curriculum; Vanta Leagues offers subscription plans for schools that include team coaching, scheduling, logistics, and more.”
“Currently, Vanta is open to students ages 8–14. Vanta Leagues emphasizes a team-based, holistic environment through their “kid-safe gamer platform, teaching the next generation of gamers how to become outstanding citizens,” the company said.”
Forbes: “The top ten are now worth an average of $353 million, up 46% from 2020, but most are rapidly diversifying their businesses as they face down the industry’s challenges.”
TSM is the most valuable Esports company. It is worth $540 million — this 32% increase since 2020.
Coming right behind TSM is 100 Thieves, whose value sits at $460 million. 100 Thieves saw a whopping 142% increase since 2020. “No team in Forbes’ ranking has appreciated more than 100 Thieves, which was fifth on the 2020 list at $190 million.”
Team Liquid is listed at 3rd place, with its value just behind 100 Thieves’, at $440 million. Team Liquid has seen a 42% increase since 2020.
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Tapinto: “eSports wagering will exceed $10 billion in New Jersey for the first time in 2022, according to analysts at Sportingpedia.com. One reason for the growth is the April 4 authorization by the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement of Esports Entertainment Group and its VIE.gg platform in time for wagers to place online bets on one of eSports’ most prestigious tournaments – the Mid-Season Invitational 2022 (MSI 2022), scheduled to begin May 10.”
“With New Jersey offering 100% eSports betting beginning this month, bettors have easy access to wagering on one of the fast-growing sports segments,” said Sportingpedia.com lead analyst Glenn Roberts.
CPR: “The state’s high school athletics authority has ambitious plans to expand esports into half of Colorado high schools. Rashaan Davis, who oversees esports for the Colorado High School Activities Association, said this year’s season is the busiest yet.”
“The growing popularity of esports gaming has fueled dozens of professional leagues across the globe. Revenue-wise, the industry is exceeding expectations, with figures crossing the ten-figure threshold in 2020, according to some reports. And it may soon be legitimized on the world’s biggest sporting stage, with the International Olympic Committee hiring someone to lead its foray into virtual sports.”
“There are over 100 teams playing multiple titles across our state,” Davis said. “We offer League of Legends, Rocket League, Madden and [Super Smash Bros. Ultimate].”
“Here are some ways in which AI technology will improve eSports and eSports betting:
AI technology can significantly reduce the occurrence of deliberate match/game manipulations.
AI can be used to make accurate analyses and predictions.
eSports players/characters are usually developed to share similar abilities with the real-life players they represent. With AI, it is possible to train these players/characters through different AI-powered tools and system designs.
The application of AI-enabled tools such as computer vision, deep learning, and machine learning will help to improve the general eSports environment. This will also attract more audiences who will appreciate the tough nature of the games and their entertainment.”
iGB: “The full launch will allow bettors in New Jersey to wager on authorized professional esports events, which will include games such as Call of Duty, Overwatch and Counter-Strike: Global Offensive.”
“Esports Entertainment is the first operator to be given full esports betting authorisation in the state.”
“We are pleased with the completion of the soft play period, which is a testament to all the hard work by our team over the past year,” said Grant Johnson, CEO of Esports Entertainment Group. “As the first licensed esports-focused betting site in North America, we’re thrilled to fully launch the VIE.gg platform in New Jersey, one of the largest and most promising jurisdictions for sports wagering in the country.”
Forbes: “WYLDE, a young esports organization founded just two years ago, has today announced it has a new co-owner: global sports star and world’s fastest man and eight-time Olympic gold medalist, Usain Bolt.”
“Based in Dublin, Ireland, WYLDE is the brainchild of former JP Morgan investment banker Steve Daly and David Cronin, a founding shareholder of Irish technology company QUMAS.”
“However, WYLDE–which stands for “What You Love Doing Esports”–proudly promotes its “deep roots in the Caribbean,” while its teams and players come from countries including France, Germany, the U.K., The Netherlands, Slovenia, and Spain. Right now, WYLDE teams compete in Rainbow Six Siege, VALORANT, Rocket League, and FIFA.”
eSportslink 