TALKESPORT

ONE Esports, a subsidiary of Group ONE Holdings (ONE), today announced it has signed a long-term partnership with Samsung in Southeast Asia.

This is the latest major partnership for ONE Esports, following recent partnership announcements with Activision Blizzard, foodpanda Thailand, Franklin Templeton, FWD, Marriott Bonvoy, and McDonald’s Philippines.

This partnership with Samsung will see ONE Esports develop an exclusive ONE Esports mobile app for Samsung devices in Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam, to be launched in the second half of 2022.

The app will be positioned as the go-to source for esports news and content in Southeast Asia, and will be seamlessly integrated into the ONE Esports media ecosystem, featuring news and content syndicated from ONE Esports’ website, oneesports.gg, which will be localized across each market. Samsung users will also get to enjoy exclusive videos and rewards produced by the ONE Esports team for the app.

The app will be made available in the Samsung Galaxy Store and Google Play Store for over-the-air download exclusively on Samsung mobile devices this year.

“I am proud to announce this partnership with Samsung that brings ONE Esports’ world-class esports content natively on mobile, in collaboration with Southeast Asia’s leader in mobile devices and experiences. Samsung clearly understands that brands need to connect and engage with the next generation to stay ahead of the curve, and mobile devices and esports are two of the most effective ways to reach them. As the penetration of mobile usage and gaming across Southeast Asia continues to grow, this partnership will give the new generation of mobile-first consumers the best way to consume esports content,” said Carlos Alimurung, CEO, ONE Esports.

“Led by a young, digital, and global audience, esports is shaping up to be the future of sports, media, and entertainment. Through this unprecedented partnership with ONE Esports, we are excited to bring the galaxy of esports to Samsung mobile users, many of whom are passionate about esports and mobile gaming. ONE Esports is uniquely positioned as Southeast Asia’s premier esports media organisation, and our partnership sets the cornerstone for combining the best of esports experiences with the best mobile gaming devices for our customers,” said Chris Tarr, Head of Mobile Services & Partnerships, Southeast Asia and Oceania at Samsung Electronics.

To supplement the app launch, ONE Esports will run various activations to promote Samsung on oneesports.gg.

Additionally, ONE Esports and Samsung will work together closely to bring a mobile esports tournament to life in 2022. More details on the tournament will be released at a later date.

SANTA MONICA (January 22, 2022): Team Liquid is proud to announce the acquisition of Limit Guild, one of the largest signings in the organization’s history. Led by Max “Maximum” Smith, Limit Guild is one of the world’s most popular raiding guilds, with over 30 million viewed hours as they raced to make PvE history.

As leaders in the World of Warcraft raiding community, Limit Guild recently achieved World Firsts in Castle Nathria and Ny’alotha raids.

Limit Guild will form a major pillar of Liquid MMO: a new gaming vertical within Team Liquid that will tackle one of the world’s most popular genres — massively multiplayer online role-playing games.

From the mythical regions of Azeroth to the boundless wonder of Eorzea, Team Liquid is going all-in on MMOs with investments in players, content creators, and staff. The design philosophy for Liquid MMO is inspired by fantasy worlds, incorporating elements that might be found in the skylights of The Crystarium or on the gates of Silvermoon.

“When Team Liquid enters a new space, we do so intending to be the best,” said Steve Arhancet, Co-CEO of Team Liquid. “We maintained that philosophy with MMOs — wanting to work with the best to achieve competitive greatness. With Max and Limit, we found not only an excellent team with a proven track record but an authentic group of individuals who pursue greatness with integrity, aligning perfectly with Team Liquid’s values as an organization.” 

The acquisition Limit Guild — accounting for 40+ players, coaches and staff — will form the foundation of Team Liquid’s entry into World of Warcraft, Final Fantasy XIV Online and more, with eyes on Riot Games’ future MMO offering. As the guild retires its Limit branding to become Liquid, Maximum has acquired an equity position in Team Liquid and become a minority owner, overseeing how Liquid approaches the MMOs of today and tomorrow. 

“Couldn’t be happier to join Team Liquid,” said Guild Leader Max “Maximum” Smith. “From the start, everyone at TL impressed us with their professionalism, their commitment to winning, their global presence and vision for expansion in MMOs. They’ve entrusted me with minority ownership of the company, a huge honor and responsibility I won’t take for granted.”

WoW Patch 9.2 is coming soon, and with it, another fierce Race to World First. Team Liquid will be hosting 35+ of its new raiders in one location as they chase glory within the Sepulcher of the First Ones, producing an expansive, upgraded Race to World First broadcast that will showcase every boss attempt along the way.

“As someone with a history in this genre, it’s amazing to see Liquid MMO finally take flight,” said Mike Milanov, Chief Business Development Officer for Team Liquid. “We have been evaluating this for many months from a brand, commercial and athletic perspective. Bringing on board Max and the team involved a sizable long term investment into a whole new ecosystem for Liquid and we are excited to grow this venture as we race for world firsts in World of Warcraft and new titles on the horizon.” 

In joining forces with the best raiding guild around, Team Liquid has a tremendous opportunity to extend its leadership from esports into the global MMO ecosystem. As it ventures forth, Team Liquid is eager to apply its values of diversity, equity, inclusion, belonging, accessibility, and justice in the organization’s short term and long term planning for MMOs.

In addition to her responsibilities as Liquid MMO General Manager, Azorea will spearhead the creation of an advisory council of women in the space, aimed at developing resources and strategies that enable more women to grow as expert players. With Azorea’s expertise, Team Liquid will identify cutting edge raiding guilds led by women to shine a light on their communities, offer mentorship and create safer spaces for women to thrive. This is only the start — more details will be revealed in the coming weeks. 

“Team Liquid places a high premium on diversity, equity, inclusion, belonging and justice in the esports and gaming space, and we’re going to apply those values throughout Liquid MMO,” said Claire Hungate, President and COO of Team Liquid. “We have a tremendous opportunity to elevate marginalized voices by creating safer, more empathetic communities within the MMOs we enter. It’s a priority for Team Liquid to lay the groundwork for more women to earn top flight competitive opportunities, and at the very least, play in a space free from harassment and toxicity.”  

“I have always been passionate about diversity and inclusion in the Warcraft community,” said Azorea, General Manager of Liquid MMO. “It’s so exciting to now have the opportunity and resources to make a significant impact in a space that means so much to me!”

Savvy Gaming Group, backed by the Saudi Arabian government’s Public Investment Fund, has acquired two of the biggest names in the world of esports tournament operators – ESL and FACEIT, for a combined sum of $1.5 Billion.

The company aims to merge the two giants to create a new global leader in competitive gaming – the ESL FACEIT group. 

ESL, which was owned by Modern Times Group, is known globally for conducting major tournaments across popular esports titles like CSGO and DOTA 2.

FACEIT is also one of the leading tournament organizers and an esports platform for games like CSGO, League of Legends, or Rainbow Six Siege.

“Together with our combined resources we will improve our existing products and develop innovative initiatives for players, teams and fans,” the official FACEIT Twitter handle posted. 

“Our mission remains unchanged: to create a world where everybody can be somebody,” ESL CEO Craig Levine said in a press release. “Our merger with FACEIT, along with the backing of SGG, will give us more know-how, capabilities, and resources than ever before to deliver on this vision.”

The transaction is expected to close in Q2 2022.