The global esports scene continues to grow exponentially, as it was confirmed earlier this month that a number of tournaments would appear at the 2022 Asian Games.
Breaking down the biggest esports developments of the last week, Esports Insider Sub-Editor Tom Daniels, highlighting the inclusion of eight prominent titles at the 2022 Asian Games, due to be held in the city of Hangzhou, China.
The eight games which will be featured at the international tournament include League of Legends, Hearthstone, Dota 2 and Street Fighter V, with esports making its debut as an official medal sport.
“This is a significant step for esports,” Daniels remarked. “It does open the question as to whether we’re going to see an Olympic, esports centric partnership in the future.”
The move builds on continued mainstream acceptance of esports by traditional sports sectors, as the two spaces become increasingly intertwined. Noticeably, football and esports are increasingly forging links, with players Gerard Pique and Jesse Lingard enhancing their interactions with the scene.
Meanwhile, another significant esports development of the week saw Claire Hungate join Team Liquid as the firm’s new Chief Operating Officer.
In her new role, Hungate will be responsible for overseeing Liquid’s profit-and-loss and overall global business strategy and operations, in addition to coordinating international expansion and acquisition efforts, identifying new revenue streams and developing diversity, equity and inclusion policies.
“I believe that quality is the best business model and Team Liquid embodies that through its direct relationship with its engaged, loyal and growing audience,” Hungate remarked.
Daniels detailed: “Hungate has a lot of entertainment experience behind her, most notably being the Managing director of Warner Bros TV Production UK, but also serving as an Independent Director at international games publisher Avalanche Group and is a Chair of production music library, The Nerve.”
“Overall I think this is a very interesting appointment, and it will be very intriguing to see how Hungate can use her vast entertainment experience to push Team Liquid further from a commercial standpoint and a content standpoint, and from a brand standpoint as well.”
He added: “I think that this move is going to be very interesting, and I can’t wait to see how Team Liquid’s direction changes because of this appointment.”
Additional stories covered in last week’s ESI Digest include FaZe Clan’s partnership with DC Comics, the confirmation of the 2021 League of Legends Worlds competition in Iceland by Riot Games and WePay Esports debut in Rocket League.
Source – Esports Insider YouTube Channel
