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World of Warcraft®: Shadowlands Arrives November 23 | Business – The Maryville Forum

October 29, 2020 Overwatch No comments

IRVINE, Calif.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Oct 29, 2020–

No living soul on Azeroth truly knows what awaits in the world beyond their own—but the heroes of the Horde and the Alliance will soon find out. Today, Blizzard Entertainment announced that World of Warcraft ®: Shadowlands has a new launch date of November 23 at 3 p.m. PST (November 24 at 12 a.m. CET)!

Originally scheduled for release in late October, Shadowlands was delayed to allow more time for fine-tuning and polish based on feedback from the ongoing beta test, helping ensure players’ journey into Azeroth’s afterlife will be an epic experience at launch.

The eighth World of Warcraft expansion sends players on a journey into the Shadowlands, a realm of infinite afterlives where mortal souls go to find new purpose—or suffer eternal torment at the mercy of the Jailer in his Tower of the Damned. As players explore this otherworldly frontier, they’ll discover the fates of Warcraft legends, forge a bond with one of four Covenants who rule over the Shadowlands’ disparate domains, and ultimately confront a threat shrouded in darkness with designs to unmake the cosmos.

Blizzard today also announced dates for multiple upcoming Shadowlands -related content releases:

The Scourge Invade Azeroth November 10 – With the Helm of Domination torn apart and the sky over Icecrown shattered, the undead Scourge make a resurgence—and Azeroth’s heroes must confront this Death-born threat before it consumes the mortal world of Azeroth. This Shadowlands pre-expansion event goes live starting November 10.
The Gates of Castle Nathria Open December 8 – Castle Nathria, the first epic 10-boss raid of Shadowlands, will be available starting December 8. The opening of the raid also signals the start of Shadowlands Raid, Mythic Dungeon, and PvP Season 1.

About Blizzard Entertainment, Inc.

Best known for blockbuster hits including World of Warcraft ®, Hearthstone, Overwatch ®, the Warcraft, StarCraft ®, and Diablo ® franchises, and the multifranchise Heroes of the Storm ®, Blizzard Entertainment, Inc. ( www.blizzard.com ), a division of Activision Blizzard (NASDAQ: ATVI), is a premier developer and publisher of entertainment software renowned for creating some of the industry’s most critically acclaimed games. Blizzard Entertainment’s track record includes twenty-two #1 games * and multiple Game of the Year awards. The company’s online gaming service, Battle.net ®, is one of the largest in the world, with millions of active players.

*Sales and/or downloads based on internal company records and reports from key distributors.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-looking Statements:

Information in this press release that involves Blizzard Entertainment’s expectations, plans, intentions or strategies regarding the future, including statements about the availability, features, and functionality of World of Warcraft®: Shadowlands, including Shadowlands -related content releases, are forward-looking statements that are not facts and involve a number of risks and uncertainties. Factors that could cause Blizzard Entertainment’s actual future results to differ materially from those expressed in the forward-looking statements set forth in this release include unanticipated product delays and other factors identified in the risk factors sections of Activision Blizzard’s most recent annual report on Form 10-K and any subsequent quarterly reports on Form 10-Q. The forward-looking statements in this release are based upon information available to Blizzard Entertainment and Activision Blizzard as of the date of this release, and neither Blizzard Entertainment nor Activision Blizzard assumes any obligation to update any such forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements believed to be true when made may ultimately prove to be incorrect. These statements are not guarantees of the future performance of Blizzard Entertainment or Activision Blizzard and are subject to risks, uncertainties and other factors, some of which are beyond its control and may cause actual results to differ materially from current expectations.

CONTACT: Andrew Meyer

Sr. Public Relations Manager

949.955.1380 x61353

KEYWORD: CALIFORNIA UNITED STATES NORTH AMERICA

INDUSTRY KEYWORD: SOFTWARE MEN ENTERTAINMENT CONSUMER ELECTRONICS SPECIALTY CONSUMER TECHNOLOGY TEENS RETAIL WOMEN AUDIO/VIDEO ELECTRONIC GAMES

SOURCE: Blizzard Entertainment, Inc.

PUB: 10/29/2020 03:38 PM/DISC: 10/29/2020 03:38 PM

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Google Antitrust Case Draws Sports Industry Eyes With Digital Rights in Play – Yahoo Sports

October 29, 2020 Overwatch No comments

Google for, in the words of Attorney General William Barr, “unlawfully maintaining a monopoly in general search services and search advertising in violation of the U.S. antitrust laws.”” data-reactid=”19″>The U.S. Department of Justice has brought a historic case against Google for, in the words of Attorney General William Barr, “unlawfully maintaining a monopoly in general search services and search advertising in violation of the U.S. antitrust laws.”

If successful, the lawsuit could dramatically alter users’ internet experience—including for sports fans and the industry that competes for their time and dollars.

There’s no denying Google’s prevalence. According to Justice Department calculations, the Mountain View, Calif.-based company accounts for 88 percent of general search engine queries in the U.S. and 94 percent of searches on mobile devices. Google is so pervasive that its name has become a verb.

The legal question is not whether Google has obtained a dominant share of the search engine market. It’s how the company reached this lofty status, the strategies it employs to stay ahead and how the consumer is ultimately affected.

Frank Vuono, co-founder and partner of 16W Marketing, tells Sportico in a phone interview. “Google is so prolific it penetrates every level of sports.”” data-reactid=”28″>“I’m sure leagues are watching [the case] with a keen eye,” Frank Vuono, co-founder and partner of 16W Marketing, tells Sportico in a phone interview. “Google is so prolific it penetrates every level of sports.”

Vuono, who has decades of experience negotiating sports naming rights, sponsorship and licensing deals, believes leagues will pay particular attention to how the case influences Google bidding for media distribution contracts: “You have to consider Google as a viable contender for rights agreements as they get renegotiated—and leagues are looking for more and more digital competition.” If Google and other large technology companies are forced to operate on smaller scales or in disintegrated pieces, Vuono warns that leagues might lose out on competition.

He adds that leagues have eyed partnerships with large technology companies in recent years. This is especially true of the NFL, which has partnered with Microsoft in anticipation of artificial intelligence and “dipped the waters” with Amazon for Thursday night distribution of games.

Vuono also sees athletes as having a vested stake in the litigation. He notes that more of them use YouTube to distribute their personal brand and content.

Changes to Google could impact sports in still other ways. Take advertisements that appear in search results: Pro leagues, apparel and sneaker companies pay for their digital shops to appear as ads on the first page. These companies also rely on search engine optimization techniques to “game” results. Those methods might not work, or work as well, with Google forced to reorganize.

announced in January between Google and Activision Blizzard, the publisher behind Overwatch League and Call of Duty League.” data-reactid=”33″>The esports industry also has a vested stake. Google has partnered with video game companies to make YouTube the exclusive streaming partner for live broadcasts. One such deal was announced in January between Google and Activision Blizzard, the publisher behind Overwatch League and Call of Duty League.

Last but not least, fans also use Google to get information. While they don’t need Google to, well, “Google”, a change in how they search might not be well received—a point Google’s attorneys will be sure to mention.

The complaint also rebukes Google for employing pre-installation contracts. These contracts require manufacturers to preload bundles of Google apps—including Google Play, search engine Chrome, Gmail, Maps and YouTube. In some instances, these apps can’t be deleted. The Justice Department calculates that Google’s use of pre-installation agreements “cover almost all Android devices sold in the United States.”

Google, armed with a market value of $1 trillion, is accused of manipulating its so-called “search monopoly” to the tune of $40 billion annually in advertisers’ payments. Google then shares advertising revenue with distributors, who pledge to favor Google’s search engine. The alleged result: massive entry barriers for possible rivals. This is especially true, the Justice Department maintains, for “small, innovative search companies that cannot afford to a pay a multibillion-dollar entry fee.”

To illustrate this dynamic, the Justice Department highlights DuckDuckGo, a subscription-based search engine that contains no advertisements and doesn’t track users. As portrayed by government attorneys, DuckDuckGo faces insurmountable hurdles by having to play in the same arena as Google. Competing search engines are allegedly deprived of “access, at scale, to consumers, advertisers or data.” The Justice Department insists this is bad news for consumers who are denied the fruits of meaningful competition.

The filing of a federal antitrust lawsuit is merely the first step in a multiyear battle. Google, of course, has the financial wherewithal to wage a spirited defense. The company will contend that the marketplace remains competitive and that its success is a reflection of superior quality. To that point, expect Google to stress that consumers simply like its products and services, both of which are mostly free and constantly innovating.

ridicules the case as “deeply flawed” but warns it could “make it harder for people to get the search services they want to use.” Google maintains the Justice Department has willfully misconstrued consumer preferences. “People,” the spokesperson insists, “use Google because they choose to, not because they’re forced to, or because they can’t find alternatives.” U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta, whose 131-page antitrust opinion in 2015 blocked a proposed merger between Sysco and U.S. Foods, is presiding over U.S. v. Google.” data-reactid=”44″>In a blog post, a Google spokesperson not only ridicules the case as “deeply flawed” but warns it could “make it harder for people to get the search services they want to use.” Google maintains the Justice Department has willfully misconstrued consumer preferences. “People,” the spokesperson insists, “use Google because they choose to, not because they’re forced to, or because they can’t find alternatives.” U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta, whose 131-page antitrust opinion in 2015 blocked a proposed merger between Sysco and U.S. Foods, is presiding over U.S. v. Google.

While the case has only begun, Google has reason to worry about potential ramifications. Should the Justice Department prevail, Judge Mehta would be tasked with ordering a corrective plan. The Justice Department warns that without sufficient remedies, “Google will continue executing its anticompetitive strategy, crippling the competitive process, reducing consumer choice and stifling innovation.” To that end, the government seeks unspecified “structural relief” to “cure” Google’s supposed monopolies.

In the context of an antitrust dispute, “structural relief” is an ominous expression. Google and its extensive array of properties could be dissolved into independent competing companies.

agreed, and Standard Oil was broken up into competing entities.” data-reactid=”47″>Google wouldn’t be the first behemoth to suffer such a fate. At its height, Standard Oil controlled approximately 90 percent of the U.S. oil refining business. The federal government argued the company had illegally blocked competition from access to pipelines and unlawfully undercut rivals through selective price cutting and rebates. The U.S. Supreme Court agreed, and Standard Oil was broken up into competing entities.

There are other unwelcome possibilities for Google. An adverse ruling could amplify calls to regulate Google, Amazon, Facebook and similar websites as public utilities. Big tech has arguably become so essential to everyday life that it is comparable to electricity and natural gas. Public utilities are closely regulated and are required to serve the public good.

Cox Announces Call Of Duty: Warzone Pro-Am Championship Winners – Bleeding Cool News

October 29, 2020 Overwatch No comments

Home » Games » Cox Announces Call Of Duty: Warzone Pro-Am Championship Winners

Cox revealed the winners of the Call Of Duty: Warzone Pro-Am Championship today with a pair of surprise winners from the pack. The company announced this tournament just a couple of weeks ago as part of a fun promotional deal with the COD League team the Florida Mutineers. The winners of the tournament ended up being Ka’ale “Pacesetter” Haili and Jason “Gangstazsalute88” Conway, who walk away with a cool $15k for their efforts while the runner’s up The Dezmond and aHTracT12 take away $5k. You can read more about the tournament below as we look forward to seeing if this will become a regular thing. And you can watch the full event on Twitch.

A look at the tournament bracket for the Call Of Duty: Warzone Pro-Am Championship, courtesy of Cox. — A look at the tournament bracket for the *Call Of Duty: Warzone* Pro-Am Championship, courtesy of Cox.

The competition, powered by Elite Gamer, Cox’s new gaming service that enhances the gaming experience by reducing lag for PC gamers, began with open play-in tournaments on October 2nd, 13th, 21st and 23rd, and concluded with a celebrity Grand Finale Pro-Am Esports Championship Tournament on October 27th featuring Former 11 time defending MMA Flyweight Champion, Demetrious “Mighty Mouse” Johnson currently of Mighty Gaming, LEGIQN, Tfue and the dynamic duo Aydan & Tommey among many other elite gamers. The Call Of Duty: Warzone Pro-Am Championship Tournament, broadcast/streamed in a high-end live production, was the culmination of the four open tournaments and played remotely from players’ homes. The event featured esports pros, local celebrities, sports stars, and gaming influencers teaming up for 8 duo teams and 8 qualifying teams from Open Qualifiers (2 from each week’s open tournament) to make a 16 duo team Pro-Am Championship.

The full roster for the Pro-Am included the below teams:

Tommey & Aydan

Kekoa & RussDaddy

TheDezmond & aHTracT

sloppyharry & Unifyz

GunsWorld & Djmas23

Immude & Cinco

Pacesetter & Gangstazsalute88

Falnets & Shmelt

Invited teams for the Pro-Am included:

TFue & Symfhunny

FaZe Bloo & ClutchBelk

FaZe Pamaj & Skyz

Stince & Antwuan Woods

Karma & Stuwaki

LEGIQN & Zlaner

Mr Daft & ScummN

Mighty Mouse & BigDaddyRyyy

Merk & Maven

About Gavin Sheehan

Gavin is the current Games Editor for Bleeding Cool. He has been a lifelong geek who can chat with you about comics, television, video games, and even pro wrestling. He can also teach you how to play Star Trek chess, be your Mercy on Overwatch, recommend random cool music, and goes rogue in D&D. He also enjoys hundreds of other geeky things that can’t be covered in a single paragraph. Follow @TheGavinSheehan on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Vero, for random pictures and musings.

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Overwatch League – Danteh Re-Signs With The Houston Outlaws For The 2021 Season – Happy Gamer

October 27, 2020 Overwatch No comments

The flex DPS for the Houston Outlaws has been in the spotlight a bit more than usual as talking-heads desperate to be the first have overstepped more than once to announce things that aren’t yet a fact, such as Danteh signing the contract that was offered from the Houston Outlaws.

Dante Cruz was a bit frustrated with users making these claims, and stepped into the eternal slap-fight of Twitter to state that he had not signed any contracts as of yet.

World Of Warcraft’s Impressive Influence Buff Has Been Extended Through October Following Shadowlands Delay

That has now officially changed, coming from the Houston Outlaws Twitter account just recently, finally allowing rampant speculation to come to an end.

Welcome back @danteh
We’re thrilled to have you again for the 2021 season!#AnteUp pic.twitter.com/vKWOK3DXI9

— Houston Outlaws (@Outlaws) October 27, 2020

World of Warcraft Rise of Azshara Is Now Live, Second Update For Battle for Azeroth

Currently, anything more forthcoming than this has not been offered regarding to what the rest of the roster could possibly look like for the 2021 season.

The Thanos snap has affected the Houston Outlaws as readily as the rest of the League with some speculation as to what the 2021 season could possibly look like after deflated numbers throughout the season, the pandemic dashing all hopes for homestands, and rumors of collusion are all encircling the League.

The possibility of the Overwatch League once again taking place in a centralized place much as the first two seasons of the Overwatch League occurred, although with a bit more precaution that is similarly are rumored to arrive for the Call of Duty League that has been announced to be played on PCs, yet with controllers.

The rumored setup is that there would be a safe ‘bubble’ for all players to live and compete within, allowing for offline matches to be played on LAN that would remove the consistent issues with latency and disconnects, although would force players to be isolated in a very real sense in order to compete within the leagues.

It’s presumed both Leagues would be centralized if the effort were made, as the leagues fall under the Activision-Blizzard banner in tandem.

The 2021 season of the Overwatch League is currently very much in the air, and we’re not likely to see precisely what has been planned until the delayed beginning of the Overwatch League starts in April; an aspect that is presumed to have been facilitated on the back of both the pandemic and relatively poor viewership.

Blizzard Supposedly Turning Focus to Overwatch, Diablo Sequels as StarCraft Is Left Behind

In spite of this, the idea of the Overwatch League going anywhere is pretty far out there: Overwatch 2 is still scheduled to be released eventually and Blizzard has pushed a slew of resources into it; far too much for the league to suddenly fold after a singular poor season that was inflicted equally by business maneuvers and external sources.

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Gaming: The future of social interaction EJINSIGHT – ejinsight.com – EJ Insight

October 27, 2020 Overwatch No comments

The widespread and profound impact of COVID-19 in people’s daily lives has also had a major influence in global capital markets, with investors making a strong foray this year into themes such as “work from home” and “learn from home,” but a topic that has been relatively overlooked is “entertain from home” even as it is becoming a big part of people’s pastime.

Video games are an interesting combination of not only “entertain from home” but also “socialize from home,” and video gaming as an industry is extremely large, globally. There are more than 2.5 billion gamers worldwide who spend in excess of US$150 billion a year. Gaming as a form of entertainment is highly interactive, but also highly social. In the current environment where it is difficult to meet friends at a restaurant or hang out, gaming has been the perfect means of not only entertaining yourself, but also socializing and staying connected with friends and family.

An interesting aspect of gaming that could have real world implications revolves around the concept of “metaverse.” That idea was first coined in the 1992 sci-fi book Snow Crash to describe a virtual reality-based internet with user-controlled avatars. The digital avatars you controlled also varied based on your social economic status and wealth, so it was essentially an extension of the physical world in digital format.

A recent example of that is depicted in the movie Ready Player One, but the metaverse, as it will evolve, will be more than just a virtual reality video game. It will certainly have elements of that, but it will be broader than a game. Venture capital investor Matthew Ball expects it will have elements of persistency and real time. What is likely to happen is that as technology continues to advance, the metaverse will evolve gradually where much of what is happening physically today will move towards a digital realm. There will be companies that are metaverse-first type companies, just like there are companies today that are smartphone-first type companies.

Within the video gaming space, Esports is also a very vibrant segment, with lots of things happening. It takes a lot of skill to play these games and it is also very entertaining to watch, putting them on par with some of the same kinds of elements that traditional sports have as well.

Esports has evolved over the years and some of the most popular games now include Counter-Strike, developed by Valve; League of Legends from Riot, which is owned by Tencent; and Overwatch from Activision Blizzard. Each of these games has nuances to them, but what they have in common is they have huge player bases, huge audiences and they are growing fast. For example, as one of the most popular Esports right now, League of Legends actually drew over a hundred million viewers in its most recent world championship, more than the Superbowl in the United States. That is just how big, popular and global these Esports are.

Given all that is happening in the video gaming space, particularly within the context of the ongoing global pandemic, the market seems to be undervaluing some of these companies. When you look at some of the best performing stocks since the onset of COVID-19 and put them in different buckets, the e-commerce sector and software makers appreciated more than video game stocks, even though they possess some of the same qualities driving outperformance.

Video games are like mini-social networks with sticky user bases. When you dig deeper into a typical video game company, it is really a software company. Games are created on software platforms and game engines are highly sophisticated pieces of software with complex math and physics, yet video game companies do not trade anywhere near the multiples of software as a service (SaaS) software companies and there is probably room for a re-rate in that respect. It is high time for a more permanent power-up!

— Contact us at [email protected]

Sean Sun

Managing Director and Portfolio Manager at Thornburg Investment Management

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Enthusiast Gaming : Corporate Update – Transformational Acquisition in Q3 to Fuel Next Phase of Growth – Marketscreener.com

October 26, 2020 Overwatch No comments

The largest gaming platform in North America with pro forma annual revenue of over $110 Million

Enthusiast Gaming is pleased to provide shareholders and key stakeholders another update on our business and the developments over the past few months. We are committed to providing consistent communication and transparency to our new and existing shareholders and we realize it is important for the Company to continue conveying the mission, business strategy and growth plans to our community and investors.

Transformational Acquisition of Omnia Media With Over $110 Million Annual Revenue

In late August, Enthusiast Gaming completed the transformational acquisition of LA-based, Omnia Media, the largest network of video-game focused YouTube channels in the world. Omnia Media is home to over 1,000 YouTube channels, generated more than 3 billion views of content monthly. It is home to some of the most influential gaming personalities and content creators, like Pokimane, The Sidemen and Flamingo. Omnia also creates its own content, producing more than 30 weekly shows on channels like BCC Gaming, the largest You Tube channel dedicated to Fortnite, and Arcade Cloud and Wisecrack. This content is also distributed on other platforms like Snapchat and OTT (over-the-top) smart TV platforms like Samsung and Roku. As a result of this acquisition, Enthusiast Gaming is now the largest gaming media platform in North America and the UK with a combined: 100 gaming media and news websites, 1,000 gaming YouTube Channels, 500 gaming and esports celebrities, influencers and content creators, 7 professional teams, and over 30 gaming events globally, including the upcoming EGLX and Pocket Gamer Connects Digital events in November. Enthusiast now reaches over 300 million gamers monthly who generate over 4 billion views of content per month.

This transaction catapulted Enthusiast’s revenue with the combined entity generating $110 million in pro forma revenue in 2019. The acquisition hit on all of our core growth drivers, including:

Synergies to Enthusiast Gaming’s Core Growth Drivers

Own More Viewers -adds 3.2 billion monthly views, 90 million unique monthly visitors and 1,000 YouTube channels
Create More Content -produces ~ 30 gaming shows per week and is a content engine to fuel increased engagement of gaming communities via a fully built out production team in Los Angeles
Sell More Ads and Subscriptions -premium inventory increases direct sales and margin accretion. This in turn drives influencers and blue-chip sponsors with increase in subscription formats and concepts
Develop New Revenue Streams – increases owned and operated content, network of over 500 gaming influencers and talent management services, and e-commerce and content licensing
Improved Analytics for Advertising – extensive data set for mining, and improved analytics for targeted advertising. Value is increasing for first party data and knowledge due to privacy issues

Direct Sales Gaining Momentum with Advertisers

Our direct sales team continues to drive awareness of Enthusiast’s platform to brands wanting to target the Gen Z and Millennial demographic. Over the last few months, the team has built out a robust pipeline of partners across consumer goods, technology, insurance, government and others. Enthusiast offers more touchpoints to gamers than any other company and brands are starting to notice our broad reach and frequency. Our team’s ability to design creative, custom campaigns for companies to reach this lucrative demographic is impressive and the results have been very positive. We are working with a number of new advertisers just in the past few months alone including: Gillette, SpiderTech, G FUEL, Grub Hub, Lego, HP Omen, State Farm Insurance, US Airforce and Activision.

Bought Deal Closed

In August, the Company announced and successfully closed a bought deal equity financing. Including the Over-Allotment, the gross proceeds raised was $17.25M, with a portion of the net proceeds being used to fund part of the Omnia acquisition.

Industry Leading Media Experts Join Senior Management Team

In August, we welcomed three new media and technology experts to our Senior Management team to help scale and grow our business and continue our international expansion as the leading gaming media platform.

Thamba Tharmalingam, COO is a results-driven executive with a strong track record of driving growth, innovation and digital transformation and joins Enthusiast after being Managing Partner at a boutique VC firm and prior to that holding various senior executive roles at Rogers Communications for 10 years leading sales & marketing functions including revenue, subscriber growth, product, commercial strategy, pricing, base management, & retention for Mobile and Cable business units. Thamba started his career in Software Development & Product Management with Technology companies including ATI Technologies, AMD, Fed-Ex & a CRM Start-up.

Warren Jansons SVP, Revenue is a media and communications expert and brings over 20 years media sales experience to Enthusiast Gaming. Prior to joining Enthusiast, Warren was VP, Sales at Acuity Ads, where he was responsible for managing sales across Canada. Over the last decade, Warren has held senior management positions at the Exchange Lab, TC Media and Ad Splash Media. His experience spans many areas including media sales, sales management and internet marketing strategy consultant. At Enthusiast, Warren is responsible for building a marketing/sales strategy to optimize our current revenue streams and unlock new opportunities to drive further revenue and growth.

James Jackson VP, Engineering brings over 25 years’ experience in ecommerce publishing and adtech. James join’s Enthusiast to lead Technology. Based in New York, James is an established, seasoned engineering professional with focus on individual responsibility, organization culture and operational responsiveness as the basis of success at tech driven companies. Previously to Enthusiast Gaming, James held senior management engineering roles at Comixology (an Amazon company), Hearst and most recently Freestar (during his tenure they captured the #1 ranking on the Inc. 5000 Fastest Growing Company list in 2019).

Luminosity Esports – Version 2.0

Luminosity Gaming continues to grow and evolve, and over the last few months our esports organization has gone through some significant changes. We have a roster of some of the world’s best esports streamers, influencers and content creators that collectively reach and engage with over 70 million social fans.

Influencer marketing is the FASTEST growing advertising channel globally and is transforming the way brands and advertisers communicate with Gen Z and Millennials. These influencers are a very important part of our competitive advantage and the advertising strategy for brands we partner with. Some of our new key creators on Team Luminosity include: Rocky No Hands, Call of Duty Creator (200K+ fans), Fresh, Twitch Streamer of the Year (12.5M+ fans), Anomaly, Valorant Content Creator (4.2M+ fans), and Muselk, Fortnite Creator (12.5M+ fans).

Signing the Largest Streamer in the World – xQc

Earlier this month, Luminosity signed xQc, one of the largest streamers in the world, with 5M+ fans, to its roster of top gaming and esports influencers and content creators. He also consistently live streams to over 50,000 concurrent viewers every night on Twitch. Born in Laval, Quebec, Canada, xQc began his playing career in Overwatch, joining the Dallas Fuel for the Overwatch League’s inaugural season. He has also played in the Overwatch World Cup representing Canada on three occasions in 2017, 2018, and 2019, as well as being named the MVP in 2017 for leading Canada to the finals of the event. His further accolades include two nominations for Streamer of the Year at the Esports Awards in 2018 and 2020, and another nomination for Streamer of the Year in 2020 at the Canadian Game Awards.

Rocky No Hands – Overcoming Adversary and Breaking Records

In July, Luminosity Gaming signed quadriplegic gamer, Rocky No Hands, a famous Call of Duty content creator. We signed Rocky directly after he competed live on one of our sites, Destructoid as part of the ‘So You Think You Can Stream’ series. Fans favoured him in the finale based on his skills, creativity with skits/video content, effort and dedication to the stream.

Rocky, who has been included in the Guinness World Records 2020 and Guinness World Records 2020 Gamer’s Edition for achieving the most Victory Royales in Fortnite and most eliminations in battle royale using a QuadStick mouth-operated joystick, was in an unfortunate accident that left him paralyzed from the neck down.

Rocky is the picture of determination, perseverance and overcoming adversary, we are honoured to have him on Team Luminosity and can’t wait to watch him continue smashing records!

FRESH Luminosity Merchandise Collab
with Rapper Lil Tecca and Fortnite star, Fresh

Enthusiast Gaming and global lifestyle brand, Bravado, partnered to launch an exclusive Luminosity Gaming merchandise collection featuring top billboard rapper, Lil Tecca, and Team Luminosity’s top Fortnite streamer, Fresh, who was recently named Top Streamer on Twitch by the Shorty Awards.

The partnership between Enthusiast Gaming, Universal Music Group, and Bravado brings together some of the largest global brands in gaming, music and lifestyle, and provides one platform to reach and engage with hundreds of millions of people globally.

The Fresh, Lil Tecca collaboration comes off the heels of Lil Tecca’s successful launch of his debut studio album, Virgo World which is a follow-up to last year’s critically-acclaimed Billboard-charting ‘We Love You Tecca’ mixtape. Partnering with Enthusiast Gaming and Luminosity gives Bravado access to over 300 million gamers and esports fans to help promote Lil Tecca’s album release in a creative, engaging way through fashion and lifestyle.

In the Media

About Enthusiast Gaming

Enthusiast Gaming (TSX: EGLX)(OTCQB: ENGMF)(FSE: 2AV) is building the world’s largest platform of communities for gamers and esports fans. Already the largest gaming platform in North America and the United Kingdom, the Company’s business is comprised of three main pillars: Media, Entertainment and Esports. Enthusiast Gaming’s digital media platform includes approximately 100 gaming related websites and 1,000 YouTube channels which collectively generate 4.2 billion views monthly. Enthusiast Gaming’s esports division, Luminosity Gaming, is a leading global esports franchise that consists of 7 professional esports teams under ownership and management, including the Vancouver Titans Overwatch team and the Seattle Surge Call of Duty team. Collectively, the integrated ecosystem reaches over 300 million gaming enthusiasts on a monthly basis. Enthusiast Gaming’s entertainment division, EG Live, owns and operates Canada’s largest gaming expo, Enthusiast Gaming Live Expo, EGLX (eglx.com), and the largest mobile gaming event in Europe, Pocket Gamer Connects (pgconnects.com). For more information on the Company visit enthusiastgaming.com. For more information on Luminosity Gaming visit luminosity.gg.

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Enthusiast Gaming Holdings Inc. published this content on 26 October 2020 and is solely responsible for the information contained therein. Distributed by Public, unedited and unaltered, on 26 October 2020 19:39:03 UTC

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Activision Kicks Off Game-Publisher Earnings on Thursday. Here’s What to Expect. – Barron’s

October 26, 2020 Overwatch No comments

Jefferies analyst Alex Giaimo thinks Activision is the stock to buy ahead of earnings.

Troy Harvey/Bloomberg

The major U.S. game publishers are set to report results for the quarter ended in September in the next two weeks. Activision Blizzard kicks things off after the market closes on Thursday, while Electronic Arts and Take-Two Interactive Software follow a week later.

After a highflying first half, shares of trio have trailed the broader Nasdaq Composite index in the past three months. Take-Two stock (ticker: TTWO) has gained 9% in that period, compared with Activision stock’s (ATVI) 2% gain and EA stock’s (EA) 6% drop.

Jefferies analyst Alex Giaimo thinks Activision is the stock to buy ahead of earnings. He has a Buy rating on the company’s shares and Hold on shares of Take-Two and EA—though his price targets imply solid upside for all three. He wrote in a note on Sunday that the stock’s bulls might be frustrated with its meager return in the past three months, and will look to earnings to push the price higher.

“While another healthy beat is expected,” he wrote, “investors continue to debate the 2021 growth trajectory,” which likely won’t be addressed until the fourth quarter.

The company delayed the introduction of the World of Warcraft: Shadowlands expansion, which has cast doubt on whether Overwatch 2 will still come out in 2021. He does note that industry chatter suggests optimism on a near-term debut for that title.

“We continue to believe investors are underestimating the sustainability of current trends,” he wrote. With the stock trading at about 24 times consensus 2021 earnings expectations, he sees a strong setup for the stock to move higher. He has a $105 price target, calling it his favorite name in the space.

Electronic Arts, meanwhile, has fallen in recent months. He does note that EA has beaten and raised forward expectations in five-straight quarters, driven by broader strength across its titles.

“Given the recent underperformance and modest expectations, EA could represent a nice tactical long into earnings if they can execute,” he wrote.

Despite weakness from its mobile titles, he think’s EA’s multiple at 21 times consensus fiscal 2022 earnings-per-share estimates could create a “nice risk/reward” heading into the November introductions of next-generation videogame consoles and the next Battlefield title in fiscal 2022. He has a Hold rating with a $150 price target on the stock.

For Take-Two, he thinks investors expect a healthy beat. Upbeat sentiment is driven in part by hopes of growth driven by the company’s future releases, as gamers and investors alike wait for news on the next Grand Theft Auto title. He doesn’t think that announcement will come soon.

“TTWO remains the most highly debated name in the group, with bulls willing to wait for GTA 6 and accumulate shares on pullbacks while bears believe the name is too expensive and will remain rangebound until we get more pipeline clarity,” Giaimo wrote.

The company historically leaves game announcements to its labels, so Giaimo thinks its “very unlikely we receive any needle moving news on the [second quarter] earnings call.”

He has a Hold rating on the stock with a $180 price target.

Activision stock was down 1.4% to $79.92 Monday afternoon. EA stock was down 1.3% to $125.15 and Take-Two stock was down 1.3% to $162.25. The S&P 500 index was down 2.7%.

Write to Connor Smith at connor.smith@barrons.com

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Activision (ATVI) to Report Q3 Earnings: What’s in Store? – Yahoo Finance

October 26, 2020 Overwatch No comments

Activision Blizzard ATVI is set to report third-quarter 2020 results on Oct 29.

For the to-be-reported quarter, the company expects non-GAAP revenues of $1.80 billion and earnings of 75 cents per share.

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for revenues is pegged at $1.70 billion, indicating an increase of 39.7% from the year-ago quarter’s reported figure.

Moreover, the consensus mark for third-quarter earnings has stayed at 64 cents per share in the past 30 days. The projected figure suggests a surge of 100% from the year-ago quarter’s reported figure.

Notably, the company’s earnings beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate in all the trailing four quarters, the average being 30.5%.

Activision Blizzard, Inc Price and EPS Surprise

Activision Blizzard, Inc price-eps-surprise | Activision Blizzard, Inc Quote

Let’s see how things have shaped up prior to this announcement.

Factors to Consider

Activision’s popular franchises, including Call of Duty, Overwatch, Hearthstone, World of Warcraft, Candy Crush Saga and Candy Crush Friends Saga are expected to have attracted coronavirus-induced home-confined gamers in the to-be-reported quarter.

Higher in-game spending is expected to have driven both net bookings and the top line of this Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) company. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.

Activision expects net bookings of $1.65 billion for the third quarter.

Moreover, strong video game spending in the quarter bodes well for Activision. Per Venturebeat, which cited NPD data, the U.S. video game sales in July, August and September increased 32%, 37% and 10%, respectively.

Activision’s popular franchises are expected to have significantly benefited from these solid sales. The Call of Duty franchise is one of the company’s major drivers. Call of Duty: Black Ops 4, Call of Duty: Warzone and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare have been huge successes.

Markedly, Call of Duty: Mobile, which has been developed in collaboration with Tencent’s TCEHY Timi Studios, surpassed 250 million downloads, globally, within a span of eight months, surpassing Fortnite from Epic Games and PUBG Mobile from Tencent, per Sensor Tower data.

Additionally, the game witnessed strong sequential growth in engagement and player investment, as well as monthly seasonal-content addition in second-quarter 2020.

Moreover, launched on Mar 10, Call of Duty: Warzone attracted more than 75 million players as of Aug 4. These numbers are likely to have grown further thanks to the coronavirus pandemic that has kept people confined to their homes.

Furthermore, the success of World of Warcraft Classic indicates a strong portfolio.

However, Activision faces stiff competition from the likes of Take Two Interactive Software TTWO, Nintendo and Electronic Arts EA apart from Tencent and Epic Games.

Notably, Take Two’s Red Dead Redemption 2 and Borderlands 3 gained significant popularity. Moreover, Nintendo’s Animal Crossing: New Horizons gained substantial popularity within a short span of time.

Moreover, EA’s Apex Legends, NBA Live 20, Plants vs. Zombies and Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order were also a huge rage.

Nevertheless, Activision’s strong portfolio of games is expected to have boosted monthly active user base in the to-be-reported quarter.

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It’s OK to Play One Game Forever – WIRED

October 24, 2020 Overwatch No comments

Video games are art. But they aren’t art like books; if you just read Harry Potter over and over, somebody might say “read another book.” And they’d be right. But here’s the thing about games these days: The content isn’t the content. The experience is the content.

You can play Dark Souls 10 times over, a different build each time—shield-only combat, fully naked—and have 10 distinct game experiences. You can play 600 hours of Overwatch—believe me, I have—and, thrown into the churn of random teammates, execute (or fail to execute) unique strategy each game. It’s like sucking on a big, color-changing jawbreaker for a couple of years. The jawbreaker is sweet, then sour, then floral or bitter, and every time you want to taste candy, you take it out of the jar and pop it in your mouth.

You can just play one game forever. Maybe no one’s told you that. You can play one game forever, and that doesn’t make you boring, uncultured, or less of a gamer—League of Legends, Candy Crush, The Witcher 3, whatever. It shouldn’t be controversial, the idea that you can enjoy one thing for as long as you’d like. It is. You will be told you’re wrong. Mostly, by other gamers. Gaming didn’t become a $100 billion industry off the easily satisfied.

Decades of targeted marketing and mutually reinforcing business interests interlock to keep gamers always wanting just a little more. To participate in the global moment of a new Halo launch, you might fancy that new Xbox. Your whole feed is the latest God of War teaser video; preordering the game, and telling your friends, signals your belonging. If you call yourself a Final Fantasy fan, how could you not buy the Final Fantasy VII remake? To be sure, plenty of this acquisitiveness comes from a love of gaming, not from unthinking avarice. But for a lot of modern game-players, FOMO is a constant companion. Wanting-a-little-more has translated into a social need, even an identity.

The games industry has mastered this moment in capitalism by insinuating that gamers’ status as community members is at least partly contingent on a regular stream of consumption. There is an undeniable link between the amount of games you have played and your gamer cachet, your relatability to your social ecosystem. I don’t say this to shame anybody. It’s praiseworthy to have played a lot of games, just like it’s praiseworthy to have read every Jane Austen novel or watched every Jodorowsky film. These are just the conditions under which the single-game devotee is dismissed.

Overwatch came out in 2016 and I have played it basically every day since. My two obsessions: video games and Overwatch. The game has changed, of course. There are new characters, maps, modes, costumes. The player base fluctuates. But it’s the same couple of gameplay loops: Defend the objective and do it with guns and lasers. Friends and acquaintances dropped off the game one by one after a couple months or a year. As they moved on—bored, jaded, or otherwise—they began to look at me askew. “Why would you play a dead game?” Well, I’d respond, a couple million people might disagree with that characterization. “Do people even play that anymore?” Yes. We’ve been through this. “Why don’t you play, like, the new Call of Duty? Or Valorant?” I do, sometimes, but for the most part, I like Overwatch.

It’s a little strange that social acceptance of the single-game devotee is lagging behind corporations’ acceptance of them. (Often, culture goes the other direction). Over the last couple of years, Activision-Blizzard, EA, Ubisoft, Riot Games, and any number of top game companies are designing their games to continually capture players’ interest past the accepted 20 to 60 hours of expected gameplay. This trend in game design is called “games a service.” Online competitive games like DoTA 2 and Fortnite are constantly refreshed with new characters, cosmetics, and modes, ensuring their enduring relevance in the news cycle and in players’ rat brains. Well, I’ll just log in to scan the new emotes.

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Activision Blizzard: A Solid Stock Pick with Attractive Growth Options (NASDAQ:… – AlKhaleej Today

October 24, 2020 Overwatch No comments

Source: Engadget

Activision Blizzard’s (ATVI) strategy of leveraging its top performing titles to drive user and engagement is producing great results. Call of Duty has exceeded expectations for the past few quarters. The recent approval of Call of Duty: Mobile in China will continue to generate strong bookings. The game is scheduled to officially launch on October 29th and there are already over 50 million pre-registered users. Call of Duty’s strong performance was largely backed by solid engagements in other titles, including World of Warcraft, Overwatch, Hearthstone and Candy Crush. In the future, Activision plans to add more content to keep up with the current engagement and MAU (Monthly Active Users) growth trend. This is supported by new titles including Tony Hawk Pro Skater and Crash Bandicoot.

While valuation seems foamy, I expect value investors to find the stock attractive. Risk averse investors should wait for the occasional correction to open a position.

In-game Call of Duty net bookings more than doubled from the first quarter and were around five times higher than the prior-year quarter. For the first three quarters, net bookings for Modern Warfare in-game now exceeded the price of three Call of Duty titles in the same period. – Q2’20 earnings call

Activision Blizzard had strong results last quarter. Revenue increased $ 380 million while earnings per share increased $ 0.28. Activision’s perfect strength for mobile devices, consoles and PCs ensured that all platforms contributed to the amazing beat. The Beat also benefited from Activision’s sizeable global reach of 425 million players. The growth of the MAU (Monthly Active Users) has largely benefited from a strong commitment to Call of Duty across all platforms. The gaming industry is emerging as a social media platform for gamers whose engagement translates into solid in-game revenues and digital subscriptions. I expect this trend will support Activision’s growth over the long term.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare remains the top-selling video game, YTD. Activision took several spots in the top ten best-selling game list in September. I assume that this trend will continue towards the end of the year. The strong viewership on Twitch continues to underscore the strong commitment and demand for its key titles. Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1 + 2, a recent release, also pulls impressive numbers as it ranks 4th in the top 10 best-selling video games in September. Crash Bandicoot 4: Time to Get Strong Reviews for Metacritic While Crash Bandicoot debuted heavily, it has yet to be released on Nintendo Switch. Previous iterations of the game have been very successful on Nintendo Switch. Right now, most of its revenue comes from Play Station 4. Because of this, I expect the game will find it difficult to surpass its previous iterations.

In addition to growth, margins also improved in the previous quarter. Gross and operating margins benefited from in-game revenue despite headwinds in digital advertising revenue. I expect digital advertising income to gradually recover in the second half of the year. Revenue performance and margin expansion helped Activision maintain a solid free cash flow margin. FCF was $ 755 million last quarter compared to $ 127 million last year. As we move forward, I expect both margins and operating cash flow to normalize as Activision invests in new content and game additions.

The Call of Duty League has 1.1 million YouTube subscribers and their fight for the 2020 championship reached a maximum viewership of 330,000 people, all on Google’s video platform – Source – engadget

Activision meets its strategic needs. A recent poll by Piper Sandler highlighted Activision’s popularity with teenagers in the third quarter. Activision plans to maintain this success with the release of more content and titles. Activision is also working to grow its esports fan base. Twitch has been known to attract more viewers and streamers to games like Fortnite. Other top contenders include Valorant, a first-person shooter game published by Tencent (OTCPK: TCEHY). Valorant is a strong competitor to Overwatch. Overwatch is one of Activision’s strong titles, having sold over 50 million copies. Activision is currently working on Overwatch 2. The Overwatch League has also played a strategic role in Activision’s esports strategy. Valorant ranks in the list of the most streamed games on Twitch, indicating its serious threat to Overwatch’s fan base. Valorant also made the list of the most watched esports games in September. Activision recently switched to YouTube for great results. This move strengthens Activision’s visibility across streaming platforms.

rating

Activision has benefited immensely from the demand-side tailwind. The market is still skeptical about its ability to sustainably monetize the expansion and new iterations of titles like Overwatch, Diablo, and Call of Duty. Given the volatility of video games, investors are expecting more titles to fuel the sustainability of revenue. Activision will release Overwatch 2 and Diablo in the coming quarters. When we add the strong strategy for mobile titles and sports, I think Activision is a good argument to keep the momentum going. Activision has a solid balance sheet and strong cash flow margins to continue investing in its stocks. When we factor in the multiple tailwinds in favor of video game platforms and the network effects of the 425 million monthly active users, we can argue that Activision will continue to generate solid cash flow margins over the long term.

Source: Author (using data from Seeking Alpha and Finbox)

I forecast a 5-year return on sales of 5% and an EBITDA margin of 30% to 35%. My sales growth forecast is conservative compared to the analyst consensus of double-digit sales growth over the next five years. I’m also happy with a discount rate of 7% – 8% which is moderate in a low interest rate environment while also taking into account the unpredictability of the gaming industry. Finally, I assume growth to eternity of 4%, which takes into account the sustained demand for new titles and the solid growth of the top titles.

Risks

Activision’s momentum factor depends on a handful of games to drive growth. Given the competitive nature of the gaming industry, Activision’s revenue growth is subject to the whims of gamers, trends and seasonality.

Call of Duty: Mobile was recently launched in China. While the prospects for the game are huge, the strained relationship between the US and China makes it difficult to call this a home run.

The advent of free and mobile games has raised the barrier to entry for new studios. The success of games like Fortnite shows how easily players’ attention can be drawn to the hot titles. This makes it risky to predict future earnings for the Activision stocks.

Activision generates a significant portion of its revenue from cell phone ads. Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL) has created new guidelines to limit the amount of data developers can collect for target users. This makes it harder for developers to sell ads on their platform. IDFA (Identifier for Advertiser) is a way for brands to measure the effectiveness of their campaign. This will be replaced by the SKAdNetwork. Apple has postponed the implementation of the new updates until next year. If Apple continues to implement it, Activision’s advertising revenue could be impacted.

Conclusion

Activision is enjoying solid momentum. The growth and EPS factors have benefited from favorable trends that are fueling demand for video games. While it invests in maintaining exposure, competitive pressure and the capricious nature of players continue to drive the risk premium. Activision is valued fairly given the expected volatility of its future revenue guidance. I expect single-digit sales growth and a sustained EBITDA margin in the short term. I find the rating at the current price inline. Given Activision’s attractive margins and cash flows, value investors shouldn’t hesitate to take advantage of withdrawals, which will improve the overall return for shareholders.

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Disclosure: I / we have no positions in the stocks mentioned and no plans to open positions within the next 72 hours. I wrote this article myself and it expresses my own opinion. I don’t get any compensation for this (except from Seeking Alpha). I do not have a business relationship with any company whose stocks are mentioned in this article.

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Jefferies analyst Alex Giaimo thinks Activision is the stock to buy ahead of earnings.

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Activision Blizzard, Inc Price and EPS Surprise

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It’s OK to Play One Game Forever – WIRED

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Jefferies analyst Alex Giaimo thinks Activision is the stock to buy ahead of earnings.

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