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 in the esports sector, including esports organisation FURIA naming Brazilian footballer Neymar Jr. the president of its Kings League Brazil team.
Neymar’s first task as president of the seven-a-side football team is to select players for FURIA’s squad during the draft stage of Kings League Brazil. He will then participate in the President’s Penalty, a clause that can be triggered during matches that require the president of a team to take a penalty.
Neymar said: “Everyone who follows me knows the affection and identification I have had for FURIA since day zero.
“For me, it’s a huge joy to be able to participate more actively now, even if it’s behind the scenes. Whenever the calendar allows it, I want to be there. I am sure that with the team that is being assembled, we will always be well represented in all the games.”
Former professional footballer Gerard Pique and Spanish streamer Ibai Llanos founded the Kings League in 2022. Since being established, the league has expanded into other markets such as Italy and Brazil.
Its Brazilian competition, which Neymar will take part in, will be hosted in Sao Paulo between March and April. FURIA is one of several teams with links to esports, alongside Fluxo and LOUD.
Neymar has longstanding ties with the esports sector. During his time playing in Saudi Arabia, the Brazilian attended the Esports World Cup with fellow footballer Diogo Jota. Neymar was pictured watching the CS2 finals and meeting HRH Prince Faisal bin Bandar bin Sultan, Chairman of the Saudi Esports Federation.
Matt Dawson lists the benefits of Six Nations’ Monopoly Go! deal
Former England captain and rugby pundit Matt Dawson discussed Six Nations‘ first mobile gaming partner Monopoly Go! with Insider Sport.
In the interview, Dawson described the agreement’s potential as “absolutely enormous”. He added: “If I put my rugby hat on, the need to get into the grassroots of rugby, the whole community idea around rugby is front and centre.”
Monopoly Go! and Six Nations announced the deal last month before the international rugby tournament kicked off. Marking the first time the Six Nations has partnered with a mobile video game, Dawson stated that it marked the start of a “new commercial journey” for the sport.
Monopoly Go! holds the record for the largest mobile game launch in history and has been played 150 billion times. While rugby union is a large sport, these numbers are inconceivable to its stakeholders.
“Now, rugby doesn’t usually use those types of numbers – you’re going into a different stratosphere,” Dawson said. “And so that in itself is progress.”
The game’s gameplay focuses on community, with players able to steal money from friends, family and other players. It is this social aspect and the portability of mobile games in general that Dawson highlighted.
Additionally, the former England captain noted that this partnership demonstrates North America’s appetite for the sport, explaining that this was the first European sports partnership of Monopoly Go!
He said: “There is a huge slice of the sports pie in America that lends itself to being keen into rugby. Maybe previously we’ve just tried to throw the game out there and hold matches, but this is looking at it from a different perspective.”
To read the full interview, click HERE.
Abios powers Kindred with expanded esports deal
Esports data provider Abios has entered a multi-year partnership with betting and igaming operator Kindred Group to improve the latter’s esports offering.
As part of the agreement, Abios will provide Kindred’s in-house sportsbook, with its full esports package, including odds, data, widgets and always-on-content. This will power the operator’s flagships brands, Unibet and 32Red, as reported by SBC News.
Ben Colley, Sportsbook Director of Kindred Group, added: “Esports continues to grow in popularity, and it’s essential that we offer our customers the best possible experience in this exciting category.
“Extending our partnership with Abios via Kambi’s Odds Feed+ API and leveraging their deep expertise and esports odds solutions ensures we remain at the forefront of esports betting, delivering unparalleled products and services to our players.”
Leveraging Kambi’s Odds Feed+ API, Abios can deliver high-uptime odds across a variety of esports titles and competitions such as esoccer and ebasketball, as well as CS2, League of Legends, Dota 2 and VALORANT.
Anton Janér, Managing Director and Co-Founder of Abios, said: “We are delighted to strengthen our partnership with Unibet and the wider Kindred Group, a leader in the global sports betting and gaming market.
“This agreement showcases the value of Abios’ full esports odds packages and our ability to deliver innovative solutions that meet the evolving needs of operators and enables them to reach new audiences through the growth of esports.”
