IEM Katowice 2024. (ESI Illustration) Image credit: Helena Kristiansson, ESL FACEIT Group Mergers are part and parcel of business and are common occurrences across entertainment, media and gaming. Mergers are often pursued to create one strong brand through the consolidation of two or more companies or as a vehicle for expansion into a new sector. Esports’ financial landscape has undergone difficulties over the past couple of years, with investments slowing down amid larger global economic difficulties affecting many industries. As a result, mergers — and acquisitions — have been utilised t ..read more

Image credit: Call of Duty League North American esports franchise OpTic Texas will host this year’s Call of Duty League Championships. The event, set to run July 18th – 21st, will take place at the Credit Union of Texas Event Centre in Allen, Texas. Keep Reading OpTic Gaming partners with Italian football club Juventus Call of Duty League eliminates franchise entry fees following major structural change Not just any chess: Anichess brings power-ups to the classic game The Call of Duty League Championship is the last tournament of the competitive CoD season. Since Call of Duty franch ..read more

Image credit: Call of Duty League The Call of Duty League has announced major structural changes that will affect team revenues, their outstanding entry fees, and hosting events. The biggest update sees the Call of Duty League eliminate all outstanding entry fees that franchises owe. Moreover, any fees that were previously collected from teams will be returned in full. Keep Reading Microsoft’s Activision Blizzard acquisition: How did it happen? Esports World Cup prize pool totals over $60m Call of Duty Challengers format revealed, FACEIT integration announced In a blog post from Call ..read more

LEC Winter Split 2024 at the Riot Games Arena. Image credit: Michal Konkol/Riot Games Esports, similar to traditional sports, is made up of multiple ecosystems that span across a variety of games. As such, esports fans are treated to major tournaments and events throughout the entirety of the year.  To help you navigate the esports calendar this year, Esports Insider has created a month-by-month list of events that are taking place in 2024. These competitions range from annual World Championships to expansive leagues that cover entire regions.  This list will be updated periodic ..read more

Image credit: OpTic Gaming North American esports organisation OpTic Gaming has announced a partnership with Serie A football club Juventus. According to a release, both entities will be looking to ‘bridge the gap between traditional sports and esports’ through a series of collaborations and activations. Keep Reading OpTic Gaming partners with Smoothie King for Call of Duty League watch parties OpTic Gaming sponsors NASCAR Cup car eSerieA TIM kicks off 23/24 season with Road Show at Juventus’ Allianz Stadium The activations will include social media content, limited-edition co-brande ..read more

(ESI illustration) Image credit: Shutterstock The economics of esports is fascinating to every gamer. The idea of playing video games professionally while earning a stable salary through an esports organisation has become a real possibility no matter where the player is based. But, how do these esports organisations secure enough revenue to pay out huge player salaries? Esports organisations vary in size, so the way they operate will differ. A newer esports organisation may be more dependent on prize pools, while larger established teams now operate like multifaceted esports businesses, c ..read more

Image credit: Call of Duty League OpTic Gaming CEO Hector ‘H3cz’ Rodriguez and former Call of Duty player Seth ‘Scump’ Abner have filed a lawsuit against Activision Blizzard. The lawsuit, which was first reported by Bloomberg Law, alleges that Activision Blizzard engaged in “monopolistic, trade-restraining and anti-competitive” actions, which resulted in major financial harm to Rodriguez and his business ventures. In addition, the lawsuit claims that Activision refused to allow Rodriguez to be a sole owner of a CDL team, among other things. Keep Reading Hector Rodriguez reacquires OpTic ..read more

Image credit: FaZe Clan North American esports organisation FaZe Clan has expanded its weekly gaming tournament series ‘FaZe Fridays’, with $1m (~£792,000) in cash prizes set to be offered in 2024. The tournaments are set to feature a range of titles including Call of Duty and Fortnite, and will see a combination of online and LAN events. Keep Reading FaZe Clan partners with crypto casino Rollbit GameSquare to acquire FaZe Clan Complexity confirms continued involvement in Counter-Strike amid speculation over FaZe acquisition Prizes of $25,000 (~£19,800) will be up for grabs each week ..read more

Image credit: Blacklyte via X (@BlacklyteOffl) Multinational esports and entertainment company OverActive Media has signed a sponsorship agreement with lifestyle and gaming brand Blacklyte. As a result, Blacklyte will be featured in several branding and content activations, including an on-site space at the Toronto Ultra Major III Call of Duty tournament. Keep Reading OverActive Media announces Q3 2023 operating profit despite net loss OverActive Media launches content creator academy Toronto Ultra names CRAVE Meals as latest partner According to the release, Blacklyte will receive Ca ..read more

LEC Winter Split 2024 at the Riot Games Arena. Image credit: Michal Konkol/Riot Games Esports, similar to traditional sports, is made up of multiple ecosystems that span across a variety of games. As such, esports fans are treated to major tournaments and events throughout the entirety of the year.  To help you navigate the esports calendar this year, Esports Insider has created a month-by-month list of events that are taking place in 2024. These competitions range from annual World Championships to expansive leagues that cover entire regions.  This list will be updated periodic ..read more