SVG: “The esports industry was among the first to get live broadcasts rolling again after the pandemic arrived, but the events have largely been online and without fans. That changes this weekend: ESL Gaming’s Intel Extreme Masters (IEM) Katowice event has taken over the Spodek arena for the largest LAN esports event with in-person fans in nearly two years. And, despite the current fraught scene in Eastern Europe, fans have flocked to the Polish city to experience the event first-hand.”

“We can safely say that this is the biggest LAN event with fans since the pandemic began at the same event back in 2020,” says ESL Gaming Senior Broadcast Engineer Adrian Segarceanu, who is serving as EIC in Katowice.

Formula 1: “Following today’s announcement of the 2021 F1 season’s audience and attendance figures, F1 can confirm that the 2021 F1 Esports Series presented by Aramco has broken viewership and engagement records – building upon the huge momentum gathered in 2020.

The full series, which ran throughout 2021, achieved over 23 million views across digital platforms, a 103% Year on Year increase.”

“The Series’ flagship event, the Pro Championship, was the main contributor to the large proportion of the 23m digital views with 13.8m views, representing a 47% increase from 2020.”

“In addition to digital viewership, the cumulative TV audience for the whole of the Pro Championship and the Preview Show, reached an estimated 858k – more than three times the total audience for the 2020 series (269k).”

“Across the Pro Championship events in 2021, there were 10.5m engagements on the official F1 Twitter, YouTube, Facebook, Twitch and Huya channels – more than double the 4m total in 2020. The content also received 458m impressions, and 4.1m video views, increasing on 2020 by 93% and 71% respectively.”

The Guardian: “An inaugural Commonwealth esports championships is to be held in Birmingham when the city hosts the Commonwealth Games this summer.”

“The event will take place at the International Convention Centre between 6-7 August. It has been sanctioned by the Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) executive board to happen at the same time as Birmingham 2022 while being independent of the Games and its program.”

“The Commonwealth Games themselves are scheduled to last from 26 July to 8 August, with an anticipated 5,000 athletes from 72 countries competing.”

“I am delighted that we are announcing the first Commonwealth esports championships and Commonwealth esports forum to take place in Birmingham this summer,” said CGF president, Dame Louise Martin. “Esports is continuing to grow dramatically in terms of popularity and participation, particularly amongst young people, and we are continuing to look at ways to explore how it can align with the Commonwealth Sports Movement.

CNN: “While the industry as a whole is still male-dominated, organizations have launched projects in the hope of creating a more diverse gaming environment.”

“An example of this is the Valorant Game Changers initiative which looks to provide a platform for marginalized genders to compete and develop into professional players.”

“Riot Games’ Senior Brand Manager Vera Wienken says representation is key to attracting and maintaining female participation in Valorant and esports in general.”

“Valorant itself is a relatively new game and Wienken thinks its format and narrative open itself up to a more diverse audience. ‘The characters you can play as, for example, don’t necessarily conform to gender stereotypes and this helps make the game more accessible’, says Wienken.”

Why does the Esports industry attract fewer females? Wienken believes it is because of the lack of role models: “What we would like to see and what’s happening already, which is amazing, is these women pro players are becoming role models for others and sharing their path, sharing their story so that women know and find their entry points.”

The Verge: “Microsoft is acquiring Activision, the troubled publisher of Call of Duty, World of Warcraft, and Diablo. The deal will value Activision at $68.7 billion, far in excess of the $26 billion Microsoft paid to acquire LinkedIn in 2016. It’s Microsoft’s biggest push into gaming, and the company says it will be the “third-largest gaming company by revenue, behind Tencent and Sony” once the deal closes.”

“Satya Nadella says the deal will play a key role in the development of metaverse platforms”

“Microsoft plans to add many of Activision’s games to Xbox Game Pass once the deal closes. With the acquisition of Activision, Microsoft will soon publish franchises like Warcraft, Diablo, Overwatch, Call of Duty, and Candy Crush. “Upon close, we will offer as many Activision Blizzard games as we can within Xbox Game Pass and PC Game Pass, both new titles and games from Activision Blizzard’s incredible catalog,” says Microsoft’s CEO of gaming Phil Spencer.”

Proactive: “EEG said a 256-player in-person tournament will be held on January 22-23, 2022, and will mark the launch of its LANDuel player-versus-player wagering platform”

“We are extremely excited to partner with one of the top global hotel and casino venues to kickstart the world of regulated peer to peer wagering in esports,” Esports Entertainment CEO Grant Johnson said.

“EEG noted that within the tournament, players will be able to place bets on their own matches as they try to make their way to the finals.”

“As well, the event space will feature a dedicated set of personal computers for non-tournament participants to compete inside matches on LANDuel. This allows eligible tournament spectators or casino guests the ability to side-wager in their own matches outside of the tournament.”

Forbes: “Today, 100 Thieves is announcing it has raised $60 million in a Series C round that values the company at $460 million.”

“That is up from a $160 million post-money valuation from two years ago after 100 Thieves raised $35 million in a Series B round.”