Loaded’s Post

To better understand how talent management in #gaming and #esports is shaping up in 2024, Digiday spoke to eight talent managers representing a range of companies across the industry. Here are some of the challenges they are facing — and how they hope to overcome them. In this piece by Alexander Lee, we speak to Brandon Freytag of Loaded, Damon Lau, David Wales of Nani Talent, and Justin Miclat of The Kinetic Group.

FaZe Clan is going through a massive rebirth. From listing on the NASDAQ and reaching a $1 BILLION valuation, to the stock price plummeting, massive public content fights between its creators & staff and then the CEO being fired. Now it's attempting to rise from the ashes. GameSquare Holdings Inc. has taken ownership and given it back to the OG's. Now another player has entered the mix. I'm personally bullish on FaZe* long term as I know how bloody good the people are behind the scenes who are running it. However, with any content-heavy company, it comes with big ups & downs. *This is NOT investment advice, and I won't comment on the GSQ stock. I'm not a financial analyst, I just have opinions on the FaZe Clan brand. I would say to closely watch this space. https://lnkd.in/guK95tGJ

🤝 Q&A: BGaming and BetConstruct on building positive partnerships. 🗣 NEXT.io sits down with BGaming chief content officer Olga Levshina and BetConstruct head of gaming Ruzanna Elchyan, to discuss the power of partnerships in the iGaming sector.   ✍ From collaborating on content to integrating technologies, the partnership between BGaming and BetConstruct has helped push both companies further than they could have gone alone.   #leadership #igaming #partnership

Earn Alliance, a leading web3 game aggregator, has bolstered its leadership team with three strategic hires: Kimberly Knoller as Chief Marketing Officer, Graeme Griffin as Head of Games, and Amit Goel as Director of Product (Ad Tech). 'Knoller, a cross-industry veteran, brings over a decade of expertise in entertainment marketing, fan acquisition, and audience engagement. Her visionary leadership and innovative strategies have driven success for renowned artists and brands. Griffin, with over two decades of gaming industry experience, is passionate about crafting meaningful gaming experiences. 'I view games as a potent medium, comparable to, if not more influential than, TV, movies, and books,' he said. Goel, a seasoned software engineer and product manager, will focus on building and scaling the programmatic ad exchange for mobile and casual gaming. 'I look forward to seeing these possibilities come to life as we build the ad-tech systems for the next generation of gaming,' Goel stated. These key appointments position Earn Alliance at the forefront of the web3 gaming revolution, leveraging innovative technologies to create engaging ecosystems for gamers. @earnalliance #web3gaming #gametech #gamingcommunity

Reflecting on NoiLabs visit to TwitchCon over the last weekend. It was exhilarating to meet streamers, creators, and industry experts who are shaping the future of the creator economy Here are my top 3 takeaways from the event :    ✨ First off I was surprised to see so many types of streamers on Twitch. A big part of streamers on Twitch are gamers, however, many non-gaming IRL streamers are thriving on the platform and building their strong communities. 🤝Creators and Community  I saw huge queues of fans line up to meet their favorite streamers. Went to a few community meetups and met streamers and their fans who had traveled 100’s of km’s to meet and interact with each other. Creators are actively paying attention to what the interests of their fans are and are finding new ways to engage them. 🎮Focus on Creator Monetization  Several panels and workshops focused on 2 key things; how can creators monetize and secondly on the need to build processes and systems to make themselves a business unit. This requires structure in the content creation process and taking support from others for work for which they are not experts. I left with feeling energized by the vibrancy of the ecosystem. Cu next year at #twitchcon. Twitch #creatoreconomy #creators  #learnings #insights --------------- I am building Noilabs “We enable creators to hire their teams” Connect with me - ankita@noilabs.com

Still in need of more talent rosters so we can start selling your talent more this year!! I know a bunch of you have already sent them but if you have creators no matter the genre or platform please send me links in a dm or email. Please again make sure they are NA/EU and English speaking. Rates attached are very welcomed as it will help streamline pitches to clients too. LET'S EAT THIS YEAR!!!!!!! #talentmanagement #influencermarketing #youtube #twitch #tiktok #gaming #lifestyle #talentagency

🤝 Networking in the #PeakGamble Universe: Connect, Collaborate, Conquer 🚀 At #PeakGamble, we believe that connections are the jackpot to growth and innovation! 🚀🤝🎰 The iGaming world is not just about spectacular games and thrilling bets. Behind the curtains, it's a confluence of minds, where innovators, gamers, developers, and thought leaders sculpt the future of online gaming! 🤝🚀🎰 🌐 Connecting Dots, Creating Games 🌐 At #PeakGamble, we believe that every connection sows the seed for innovation. Every handshake, brainstorm, and shared idea leads us towards crafting stellar gaming experiences that captivate and thrill! 🎰💡🤝 🎉 Celebrating Collaborations 🎉 Join us as we spotlight spectacular stories of collaborations that have birthed innovations, transformed concepts into reality, and elevated the iGaming experience to stellar heights! 🚀🤝🎉 We’re not just creating games; we're crafting a community where each member, follower, and collaborator becomes a part of our journey! 🚀🌐🤝 Let’s Forge Future Success Together 🤝 Let’s craft a future where every bet, spin, and game is a testament to shared success! 🚀🤝🎰 #NetworkingPower #iGamingCollaborations #ConnectCreateConquer #PeakGambleCommunity #InnovationThroughUnity #ForgeTheFutureTogether 🚀🤝🌐

On Thursday, we shared with our community that Riot Games' first global tournament of the 2024 #esports season, the VALORANT Masters Madrid in March, reached a record-setting peak audience of 3.1 million and an Average Minute Audience (AMA) for the Final of 2.4 million. Our President of Esports, John Needham, recently spoke with Spain's Expansión (a daily newspaper among economic journals with a 58% market share and 22.2 million monthly online visitors) about Riot Games' objectives, his career path, and other topics. Some highlights from the interview: * "Esports is a very efficient way to reach millennials, Generation Z, and Generation Alpha. This audience is valuable and difficult to reach through traditional communication channels. These generations spend hours watching streamers. Therefore, our events and broadcasts reach these audiences," he specifies. Moreover, major multinationals have already focused on this industry. "Mastercard, Mercedes-Benz AG, Amazon Web Services (AWS), HP, and other premium partners have teamed up with Riot Games because of the potential of this sector," adds Needham. * For Needham, "the most important leadership principles are honesty and integrity, protecting your team when bad things happen, optimism, an inspiring vision, and fostering a culture of creative risk-taking." His [leadership] team, he says, "has remained the same for the past seven years—despite ups and downs—so I believe these principles are solid." * His staff's motivation comes "from serving the players, seeing their reaction to our broadcasts and events, and being in stadiums filled with them cheering." Likewise, successful performance is achieved "by setting simple and clear goals." * The American executive began his career when the industry was "relatively niche." His early steps among the pixels took place at Sony Online Entertainment in early 2001 when a video game titled Everquest had just 250,000 subscribers. "When Everquest reached 500,000 players, it was unprecedented. It's incredible and humbling to contrast those figures with those of League of Legends, which has had over 650 million players worldwide and whose professional competition reaches more than 150 million viewers... it makes me very proud," emphasizes the executive now responsible for directing all international events of the company's titles. Link to Spanish article (behind paywall): https://lnkd.in/gmEs2x6M If you want to check out yesterday's announcement (including plans for our upcoming VALORANT Masters Shanghai, where I'll be in a couple of weeks), go: https://lnkd.in/gmitjMYR

As #layoffs sweep the #gamingindustry, esports is getting hit particularly hard, leaving some industry veterans feeling less than optimistic about the future of competitive gaming. The story of the esports industry has always been a balancing act between the genuine passion generated by gaming at its highest levels and the less flashy, but increasingly important challenge of converting #esports fandom into actual revenue. For years, steadily growing viewership numbers were enough to convince investors that profitability was just around the corner — but in 2024, that facade is falling away. In spite of the esports industry’s public struggles, longtime observers of the space remain split about just how dire the situation actually is. Some believe that last month’s layoffs are evidence that esports will never become more than a marketing expenditure for game developers, while others see them as a necessary correction on the industry’s path to profitability. To shed some light on the current state of esports, Digiday hosted a Twitter Space featuring leading industry journalists and observers on Feb. 8. Here are some of the key takeaways. In this piece by Alexander Lee, we hear from Jacob Wolf and Rod Breslau (Slasher).

🎮 𝗘𝘅𝗰𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗖𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗮𝗯𝗼𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗔𝗹𝗲𝗿𝘁 𝗮𝘁 WePlay HUB & 𝗪𝗲𝗣𝗹𝗮𝘆 𝗩𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲𝘀! 🎮   🤝We are thrilled to announce a 𝗴𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗯𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗰𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗮𝗯𝗼𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 between 𝗪𝗲𝗣𝗹𝗮𝘆 𝗩𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 Phenoms Agency, a strategic partnership poised to significantly 𝗲𝗻𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗳𝗼𝗼𝘁𝗽𝗿𝗶𝗻𝘁 𝗮𝗰𝗿𝗼𝘀𝘀 𝗘𝘂𝗿𝗼𝗽𝗲 🌍 Through this partnership, 𝗪𝗲𝗣𝗹𝗮𝘆 𝗩𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲𝘀 is set to expand its already established reach within the 𝗘𝘂𝗿𝗼𝗽𝗲𝗮𝗻 𝗴𝗮𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗲𝗰𝗼𝘀𝘆𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗺 🎮 This collaboration will be about 𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢 𝘸𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘳, 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘳𝘰𝘣𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘯𝘦𝘵𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘬 🌐, 𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘰𝘸𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘶𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘤𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳 🔍 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘤𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘦 🤝 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘨𝘢𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘴𝘵𝘶𝘥𝘪𝘰𝘴 that are pushing the 𝗯𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗮𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗶𝗻𝗻𝗼𝘃𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 🌀. By broadening our horizons, we aim to identify and support the 𝗻𝗲𝘅𝘁 𝗴𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗼𝗳 𝗴𝗮𝗺𝗲 𝗱𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹𝗼𝗽𝗲𝗿𝘀 ensuring that great ideas receive the support and recognition they deserve.   𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗽𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗻𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗣𝗵𝗲𝗻𝗼𝗺𝘀 𝗔𝗴𝗲𝗻𝗰𝘆 is a testament to our commitment to not just participate in the gaming industry's evolution but to actively shape it, paving the way for mutual 𝗴𝗿𝗼𝘄𝘁𝗵 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘀𝘂𝗰𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀. We are excited to embark on this journey, and we look forward to the incredible impact our combined efforts will have 𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗴𝗮𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗲𝗰𝗼𝘀𝘆𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗺 𝗶𝗻 𝗘𝘂𝗿𝗼𝗽𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗯𝗲𝘆𝗼𝗻𝗱. 🌟 𝘈 𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘤𝘪𝘢𝘭 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬𝘴 𝘨𝘰𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘰 Rémy Gogoll Gogoll, whose invaluable insights and dedication have been pivotal in forging this partnership 🤝 ✨ 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝘆 𝘁𝘂𝗻𝗲𝗱 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝘂𝗽𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗲𝘀 𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗲𝘅𝗰𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗽𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗻𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽! 🚀 #WePlayVentures #PhenomsAgency #GamingIndustry #EuropeanExpansion #Innovation #GameDevelopment #StrategicPartnership #TechInnovation