From sponsorships to industry-wide announcements, Insider Sport has you covered when it comes to the world of esports.
This week’s edition highlights the latest developments within the sector, including FIFA signing a deal with Japanese game developer Konami to advance the presence of esports within the football industry.
Under the agreement, two FIFAe World Cup competitions will take place on Konami’s eFootball title. These competitions will take place on console and mobile, with both events taking place later in 2024.
Qualifying for both events begins today (10 October), although the exact dates of the tournaments have not yet been confirmed.
Nations set to compete in the competitions are Argentina, Brazil, Costa Rica, England, France, India, Indonesia, Japan, Korea Republic, Malaysia, Morocco, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Saudi Arabia, Spain, Thailand and Türkiye.
Koji Kobayashi, Senior Executive Officer at Konami, commented: “At Konami, we have continued to take on challenges in the development of football simulation and esports.
“We would like to express our sincere gratitude to FIFA for providing us with this opportunity. We can’t wait for the FIFAe World Cup to begin. We look forward to sharing the enthusiasm, excitement, and joy of our players around the world through the FIFAe World Cup.”
Earlier this year, Manchester United renewed its partnership with Konami, its official video game partner since 2019. The deal included chances for the club’s supporters to access eFootball-related rewards.
PlayerX names former NFL star as brand ambassador
Fantasy esports platform PlayerX has named Drew Brees, a former NFL player, as its latest brand ambassador.
As part of his role, Brees will effectively become the face of the brand, playing a part in all of the company’s promotions, consumer-facing product roll-outs and B2B interactions.
Additionally, the former NFL player has invested in the company and said that he has “never seen a more innovative vision for what fan interactivity with sports and media can be.”
Brees spent 20 seasons in the NFL and was part of the New Orleans Saints squad that won the Super Bowl in 2010. This deal with PlayerX marks his first big investment into the esports sector.
PlayerX offers in-game statistics and fantasy features and as reported by Esports Insider is a global partner of esports data company GRID Esports. The publication states that PlayerX and GRID have exclusive data and video rights agreements, meaning that GRID’s data for esports tournaments can be used by PlayerX to enhance the user experience.
Mike Vela, Founder and CEO of WCF, commented: “We couldn’t be happier to have Drew on board to help us launch PlayerX to the next level. In looking for the right partner who embodies the characteristics of family values, kid-friendly interaction, fun, and superior skill that PlayerX stands for, we couldn’t think of a better teammate than Drew to help guide us into the future.”
VSPO renames to Hero Esports amid senior reshuffle
VSPO, a Chinese tournament organiser, has announced significant changes to its leadership team, with CEO Dino Ying transitioning to Executive Chairman.
Following this reshuffle, VSPO will promote its Co-Founder, CFO and Head of Global Strategy, Danny Tang, to lead the company as CEO. Additionally, VSPO’s Group VP and Head of Capital Markets, Finance and Legal, Luying Wang, will become the company’s Acting CFO.
In addition to these changes to the leadership team, the company has revealed it will be renaming to Hero Esports.
It is believed that Ying will use his time away from the CEO position to experience and explore new esports products and experiences.
Commenting on the move, Ying said: “This marks the start of an exciting new chapter for VSPO, soon to be Hero Esports. The launch of the ACL has the potential to be a further catalyst for not only the growth of our company but also the broader esports industry.
“I look forward to continuing to work closely with Danny and the team, as well as on the ACL’s development, engaging with international organisations to support the continued development of the esports industry and all those involved in it.”
