We are living in unprecedented times.
The COVID-19 pandemic has killed tens of thousands of people around the world, and hundreds of thousands or potentially millions are still at risk. Economically, many employees, businesses and entire industries also face existential risk, or in the best case, a long pause. Our education institutions are dealing with a transition to online learning short-term while preparing students for a post-virus economy long-term.
At the same time we are all aware that this too shall pass. Certain industries are uniquely positioned to provide safe entertainment, comfort, and social connection in this moment, “filling the void” left by traditional sports, concerts, and live events all going dark.
One industry proving to be particularly resilient and necessarily right now is esports. With most of the world’s population now homebound, the number of people playing online games is at a record high. The number of people watching others play games is at a record high. Virtual racing is broadcast on television in place of live motor sports. NBA players compete from their homes in NBA 2K. And the World Health Organization encourages playing video games and adopts the #PlayApartTogether campaign. This global phenomenon is being highlighted this week by the New York Times, The Washington Post, Time Magazine and others recognizing that it is in fact esports that is filling the void.
And yet, we can do more than entertain short-term. We can also act now to prepare our students and workforce for a post-virus economy and new jobs within the gaming industry.
Toward this goal, Skillshot is pleased to announce an initiative we have been working on for many months. In collaboration with partners, we’ve developed a series of in-person and online courses focused on workforce development for the thriving game development and esports industries. These are industries with combined global revenue of $140 billion, making gaming not only more resilient but also much bigger economically than the film and music industries combined.
The first of these courses will roll out in our home state of Georgia this fall, delivered in partnership with the Georgia Film Academy and Georgia State University’s Creative Media Industries Institute (CMII). Students will earn hours in the class, which will credit to CMII’s programs in Game Design and Media Entrepreneurship. Many other courses will follow.
In the meantime, as the internet says, “Stay Home, Play Games”.
And once this passes, we hope to be part of the workforce development engine that keeps the world playing hard, AND working hard.
During Super Bowl LIV weekend, the Skillshot team went down to Miami to open up the latest 8 to 80 Zone in partnership with NFL Hall of Famers Steve Young and Jerry Rice, and the Forever Young Foundation. This esports and STEM center will provide underprivileged kids with access to essential technology to help them grow into the tech leaders of the future.
“Jerry and I believe that parents of youth who are passionate about gaming should take time to understand the learning potential and opportunities that esports brings,” said Steve Young. “Gaming and the competitive esports world provides a stepping stone into coding, publishing, and mass media art. We as parents should embrace this.”
Many thanks to KontrolFreek, Alienware, SteelSeries, and Rocket League for providing gear to support the grand opening. It took a community of partners and organizations working together to make this center a reality. We're excited to see how it will serve the community for years to come.
The National Association of Collegiate Esports (NACE), a nonprofit membership association and the only governing body of collegiate esports in North America, today announced their strategic partnership with Skillshot Media, esports infrastructure provider and agency, to offer collegiate competition, event production, and rights commercialization.
NACE is the association of college varsity esports programs, with over 200 member universities contributing over $16 million annually in esports scholarships. Skillshot Media has produced and licensed esports competition and events in North America for over 5 years, across numerous titles and genres, with over 1 billion video views.
“Skillshot Media powered our initial collegiate competitions for CS:GO, Smite, and other titles. After hearing our member school appetite for more competition, we considered many partners, and Skillshot was the clear choice for a strategic partner based on shared vision and capabilities,” said Michael Brooks, NACE Executive Director. “We are thrilled to offer more game titles and more live events, including collegiate Fortnite this spring and many more games to come in the fall.”
Todd Harris, Skillshot CEO, added, “NACE member schools are the true pioneers and thought leaders in collegiate esports, the schools who are committing scholarship dollars, coaches, and facilities, and are committed to positive and balanced outcomes for their student-athletes. We're excited to partner with NACE to scale esports to colleges nationwide – more schools, more game titles, more events. With our infrastructure, production capability and publisher relationships we aim to provide value to participating schools, the competing teams, and also importantly our partnered game publishers. Beyond competition, together we are also developing governance and internship opportunities for students wishing to enter the esports industry.”
NACE and Skillshot announced that the Spring 2020 collegiate competition includes both Fortnite and CS:GO with an invitational finals to take place at MomoCon in Atlanta, May 23rd, a festival that draws over 35,000 unique attendees.
About NACE
The National Association of Collegiate Esports (NACE) is a nonprofit membership association organized by member institutions and is the only governing body of collegiate varsity esports in North America. NACE works on building the structure and providing the tools for students needed to advance at varsity-level in collegiate esports. Areas of focus include areas such as: Eligibility, Path to Graduation, Competition & Scholarships. NACE currently includes over 200 varsity esports programs of its members, accounting for nearly 90% of all varsity programs across North America.
In a show of support for Make-A-Wish Georgia, several organizations in the Georgia gaming community have come together to fulfill Ethan’s wish of having his game about fighting cancer created and brought to market. Kennesaw State University (KSU), Skillshot Media, three developers from Hi-Rez Studios, KontrolFreek, and the Georgia Game Developers Association (GGDA) are working together to help create Ethan’s game along with student teams participating in KSU’s Global Game Jam, January 31 - Feb 2, 2020.
“This game emulates my journey in the fight against childhood cancer. I couldn’t win this battle without the doctors, nurses, chemo, blood transfusions, friends, and ability to control germs,” said Ethan. “Sometimes you just don’t feel well, and sometimes you have counts so low that you can’t leave your house. This game will give cancer warriors the chance to still play with friends and stay in bed to do it. It also takes back the control from a disease that takes so much. The kids can use it to be stronger and more expressive in beating that nasty beast.”
Global Game Jam is the world's largest game development event with multiple physical locations participating simultaneously. KSU is one of many sites in Georgia providing a place for students and game development enthusiasts to take on the challenge of creating a game in 48 hours. Ethan will meet with participating student teams from KSU and share his vision for his game before releasing the teams to work on an early iteration over 48 hours.
“It truly is a privilege to give greater meaning to Global Game Jam by lending our expertise and talented students in helping Ethan realize his dream,” said Dr. Michael Franklin, an assistant professor of gaming in Kennesaw State University’s College of Computing and Software Engineering. “We are inspired by his personal battle with cancer and his selflessness in choosing a wish that will benefit so many others, and we very much look forward to building a game that reflects his journey.”
At the conclusion of the event on Sunday, Ethan will sit on a panel to judge early versions of his game and select a winner to continue working on the project. Once a winning team is selected, they will receive ongoing mentorship from three professional game developers employed at Hi-Rez Studios, a Georgia-based game development company: Danny Wittenauer, UI & systems programmer on Paladins, Chris Malloy, Champion programmer on Paladins, and Jake Baker, gameplay programmer on Realm Royale. The three of them will donate their time to meet regularly with Ethan and the winning team to see the game through to completion.
Skillshot Media, an Atlanta-based esports solution provider, will supply video coverage during GGJ weekend at KSU and video check-ins to update the public as Ethan’s game comes to life. KontrolFreek, the Atlanta-based creator of Performance Gaming Gear, will provide gift packs to the teams working on Ethan’s game, and a grand prize to the selected winning team. In addition, the Georgia Game Developers Association will promote the winning team alongside finalists in their annual Best in Georgia competition.
“At Skillshot, we're all about building gaming communities, and what better example of the power of community than this?” said Kathryn De Shields-Moon, public relations & partnerships manager at Skillshot. “We are truly moved by the way Metro-Atlanta’s gaming community is coming together to support Make-A-Wish Georgia and make Ethan's inspirational wish come true.”
Since 1995, Make-A-Wish Georgia has been granting the wishes of local children facing critical illnesses. More than 20 years later, nearly 8,000 lives have experienced the impact of a life-changing wish. Make-A-Wish Georgia is a movement of ordinary people doing extraordinary things for wish families and communities disrupted by serious childhood illness.
“A wish can be a transformational experience for our kids. Our wish kids believe the inspiration, hope and joy provided by their wish helped them not just feel better, but sometimes get better,” said Tim Earley, Make-A-Wish Georgia CEO. “With the help of an incredible gaming community like KSU, Skillshot, Hi-Rez Studios, KontrolFreek, and the GGDA, our hope is that Ethan’s wish will bring him the same life-change that so many our wish kids experience.”
Skillshot Media, the esports entity formerly owned by Alpharetta-based game publisher Hi-Rez Studios, announced today the completion of a management buy-out by two former Hi-Rez executives. Skillshot will operate as an independent, publisher-agnostic esports solution provider and agency, and Hi-Rez Studios no longer has an ownership interest in the company.
Hi-Rez Studios Co-founder Todd Harris and former Vice President Nabil Ismail will exit Hi-Rez and serve as CEO and COO of Skillshot Media, and in strategic partnership with INAP will develop an esports operations center and production studio in downtown Atlanta. This new Esports Media Center, operated by Skillshot, will be located at 250 Williams Street NW in Atlanta, co-located within INAP’s flagship Atlanta data center facility.
“With 15 years in game development and marketing, we have seen first-hand how a community-driven esports approach delivers results for both the game publisher and brand partners,'' said Todd Harris, CEO of Skillshot Media. “Players who watch esports are more engaged and spend more money with the game publisher. Those players also have higher spending and goodwill toward partners who authentically support esports events. We believe brands that want to reach the next generation of consumers will discover esports to be the most effective and efficient way to connect with that massive audience, and Skillshot wants to help them do exactly that.”
INAP’s flagship Atlanta data center features low latency network performance enabled by patented route optimization technology and an onsight network operations center to keep game server and broadcasting infrastructure operational and at peak efficiency.
“Gaming and esports is not only the largest entertainment industry but one of the most demanding in terms of performance,” said TJ Waldorf, CMO at INAP. “INAP is proud to have powered esports communities for over a decade, and this strategic partnership with Skillshot allows us to even better serve the fast growing gaming and esports industry.”
Continues Harris, “Esports demands an IT infrastructure built for speed, reliability, and global scalability. Players are competing for millions of dollars and INAP delivers the performance required for that competitive environment. This Esports Media Center is walking distance to the Georgia World Congress Center, State Farm Arena, Mercedes-Benz Stadium, and public transportation to the world’s busiest airport, allowing us to easily integrate with other Atlanta venues and hospitality partners for esports events.”
About INAP
Internap Corporation (NASDAQ: INAP) is a leading-edge provider of high-performance data center and cloud solutions with 100 network Points of Presence worldwide. INAP’s full-spectrum portfolio of high-density colocation managed cloud hosting and network solutions supports evolving IT infrastructure requirements for customers ranging from the Fortune 500 to emerging startups. INAP operates in 21 metropolitan markets, primarily in North America, with 14 INAP Data Center Flagships connected by a low-latency, high-capacity network.For more information, visit www.INAP.com.
On Thursday, Nov. 14 through Friday, Nov. 15, Esports Summit 2019 will take place at the Georgia World Congress Center. Presented by Skillshot Media, this conference is the premier business-focused esports conference in the southeast running alongside Hi-Rez Expo and DreamHack Atlanta.
With a focus on educating attendees about opportunities in the competitive gaming industry, Esports Summit presents tours of Atlanta facilities supporting the growth of esports, such as Turner Studios, the recreational venue Axis Replay, INAP’s downtown data center and the Hi-Rez Expo at DreamHack Atlanta World Championships.
INAP (NASDAQ: INAP), a leading-edge provider of high-performance data center and cloud solutions, is the official “Powered By” partner of Esports Summit and secured the title sponsorship. Hi-Rez Studios is the Presenting Publisher sponsor of the Summit.
Featured speakers include Kevin Lin, co-founder of Twitch, Sundance DiGiovanni, co-founder of Major League Gaming; and more than 30 other executive speakers representing esports team organizations, Georgia government officials, investors, technology centers, brand agencies, and financial services institutions. Friday’s program includes panels, keynotes, breakout sessions, and networking opportunities.
“Esports is quickly entering the mainstream as a staple of the global entertainment industry, presenting infinite ways for organizations and brands to be a part of the industry’s incredible growth,” said TJ Waldorf, CMO at INAP and featured keynote speaker. “INAP is proud to have powered online gaming and esports communities for more than a decade. We can’t wait to welcome attendees to this first-of-its-kind event for the region.”
In addition to the tours, an evening B2B Mixer at Axis Replay, and a full day of programming and networking opportunities, Esports Summit will conclude with a “Legends of Esports” afterparty at oAK Atlanta.
“When we planned Esports Summit, we were singularly focused on providing everyone in attendance with the ability to become knowledgeable about this rapidly growing market space from the people who are shaping it,” said conference organizer Kathryn De Shields. “The esports environment is expanding every day, and it’s important that non-endemic individuals and companies are aware of present opportunities — whether it’s game publishing, increasing economic growth through tax incentives, or investing in team franchises.”
Other companies supporting Esports Summit include DreamHack, Axis Replay, RIISE Ventures, McKinney Economic Development Corporation, Radar Live, The City of Alpharetta, Select Fulton County, ELEAGUE, KontrolFreek, FANDOM, Blokz by Zenni, Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce and Aprio.
The full speaker list, agenda, and sponsor list for Esports Summit 2019 is available at www.esportssummit.live.
This article was contributed by JBatchelder , a freelance writer. If you’d like to contribute to the Skillshot blog, please DM Skillshot Media on Twitter.
Do you remember what you were doing when you were 16? It wouldn't be far-fetched to assume you were playing video games on your friend's couch. That isn't too different from what 16-year-old Kyle Giersdorf was doing on July 28, 2019 after he won the Fortnite World Cup solo finals in New York . . . except that he got paid $3 million for it.
It's no secret that esports is huge. The International: DOTA 2 Championship alone draws crowds of over 335 million worldwide, all tuning in to watch teams play for a prize pool of $25.5 million — the largest in esports history. With esports set to get even bigger, it's safe to say that more and more people are gunning to be the best in the world. To get a beat on where the next great esports athletes will come from, let's check out the continents that are experiencing the most growth in esports.
Today, esports is an entire branch of entertainment in the United States. Fornite streamers such as Ninja have drawn in a record-breaking 600,000 concurrent viewers on their gaming streams. To add to this, ESPN debuted their collegiate video game esports championship back in March 2019 — cementing its place in the American mainstream. Here in Georgia, esports' foundations are being strengthened from the ground up as Georgia is one of only five states to recognize esports as a sport on the high school level. The University of Georgia, meanwhile, offers scholarships to esports teams. Three years ago, international gaming festival DreamHack added Atlanta as a city and has experienced record growth since year over year.
Further up north, Canada is set to open the country's first dedicated esports stadium in Richmond, British Columbia. Once open, it will be the hub for major esports events in Canada and will play host to various tournaments. The stadium will reportedly seat around 250 spectators and will allow for 40 gaming set-ups along with a casual gaming area open to all.
Although Asia is known for gaming capitals like South Korea and Japan, China is not too far behind. China listed esports as an official sport in 2003 and declared it a national industry back in 2016. Companies such as the Alibaba Group Holding and Tencent Holdings have both set up venues all over China that host esports tournaments, some even on a weekly basis. To cap it off, esports will be an official medal sport at the 2022 Asian Games in China.
The Philippines is also a notable up-and-comer in the esports industry.
"Filipino e-gamers have tremendous talent and potential to conquer the global gaming arena," explains industry supporter and former Philippine senator Senator Bam Aquino.
Since August 2017, esports has been further legitimized by the Gaming and Amusements Board of the Philippines, even going as far as adding five esports games into the 2019 iteration of the Southeast Asian Games. The country also hosted the Manila Major back in 2016 — a sign of good things to come for the Philippine esports industry.
The Dubai X-Stadium is set to be a dedicated video gaming venue for the rapidly growing esports industry in the Middle East, hopefully positioning it as a future capital for hosting esports events.
"We are living in a world where digital culture is reshaping all aspects of life, including sports," says Mona Ghanem Al Marri, director-general of the Dubai Media Office. "This has led us to develop the concept of Dubai X-Stadium, which will consolidate Dubai's status as a key digital economy hub."
The government's adamant support in the growth of the industry only ensures the future of esports in the Middle East.
MBC, or the Middle East Broadcasting Center based in Dubai, recently announced that it would be setting up the Middle East’s first professional esports league in partnership with the Electronic Sports League. The country is also playing host to the world finals of the Girl Gamer Esports Festival in December — an impressive feat and a step towards inclusivity.
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The rise of esports on a global level is indicative of the development of how we perceive sports and entertainment, and how the term athlete no longer only refers to those who play on a pitch, court, or field. And while many people have different opinions about esports, there's no denying its inevitable rise — with Statista predicting that the industry will hit $1.790 billion by 2022.
Kevin Lin, co-founder of Twitch, and Sundance DiGiovanni, co-founder of Major League Gaming, as keynote speakers at Esports Summit 2019 -- the first business-focused esports conference in the southeast. Additionally, INAP, a leading-edge provider of high-performance data center and cloud solutions, is the official “Powered By” partner of Esports Summit and secured the title sponsorship. Hi-Rez Studios is the Presenting Publisher sponsor of the summit.
Presented by Skillshot Media, Esports Summit will gather leaders of the entertainment industry to discuss upcoming trends and projections for the future of esports November 14 - 15, 2019 at the Georgia World Congress Center.
“As the inaugural event in the Southeast, Esports Summit 2019 is an excellent opportunity to shine the light on one of the most robust gaming and esports ecosystems in North America, metro Atlanta,” said Grant Wainscott, head of creative industries economic development with the Metro Atlanta Chamber.
As industry veterans who helped shape the esports and streaming scene, Lin and DiGiovanni will share their insight and expertise as the co-founders of Twitch and Major League Gaming respectively. In addition to keynotes, a full-day of panels featuring esports industry professionals and endemic companies will also run on Friday, November 15.
“These first two industry titans, with a combined experience of 30 years between them, sets the bar for the level and depth of esports expertise we will provide this year at Esports Summit,” said conference organizer Kathryn De Shields. “This conference will provide content and access to the very top professionals across the esports ecosystem - representing team orgs, publishers, investors, brands, platforms, educators, and more.”
Support from the Esports Summit title sponsor, INAP, will enable comprehensive speaker content, networking opportunities, and behind-the-scenes tours of a production studio (Skillshot Media) and the World Championship live event at Hi-Rez Expo.
“We are proud to support Skillshot Media and this important, first-of-its-kind event for the region,” said TJ Waldorf, Chief Marketing Officer and Head of Customer Success at INAP. “Esports is on its way to becoming a billion-dollar industry this year, making this world-class showcase a must-attend for all parties looking to operate in this exciting and fast-growing ecosystem.”
The full speaker list and agenda for Esports Summit 2019 will be released in early Fall 2019. Tickets are currently available at an early bird discount. For tickets and additional information, visit www.esportssummit.live.
For information about sponsoring or speaking, please contact kdeshields@skillshot.com.
Today, Skillshot Media announced Esports Summit 2019, a business-focused esports conference that will take place at the Georgia World Congress Center November 14 - 15, in the days leading up to the international gaming festival DreamHack Atlanta 2019.
Esports Summit will provide comprehensive education opportunities across the entire esports ecosystem, including presentations from game publishers, brand sponsors, team organizations, professional players, tournament organizers, investors, and educators.
In addition to panels and presentations form industry leaders, the event also includes a tour of a 16,000 square foot esports production studio, and a behind-the-scenes tour of live event esports production and competition during the World Championships of Hi-Rez Expo at DreamHack Atlanta.
Early sponsors of Esports Summit include Axis Replay and RIISE Ventures who will be providing educational content for local companies leading up to the event.
The full speaker list and agenda for Esports Summit 2019 will be released in early Fall 2019. For more information about attending or sponsoring Esports Summit 2019, visit www.esportssummit.live.
