Tag: gaming

Facebook Live Challenges Twitch By Adding Support For Gameplay Broadcast On Desktop

Posted on by Lab Team

What Happened
Facebook is one-upping Twitch by expanding its live video capabilities to all desktop users. Previously, only Page owners can start a live broadcast from a desktop device. Now, any Facebook user can go Live directly from Facebook’s desktop website via their webcam, or hook up their professional equipment and software to the desktop devices for a more polished livestream. This also means users can now broadcast gameplay from their computer, which will put Facebook Live in direct competition with Twitch.

What Brands Need To Do
As formidable as Facebook’s massive user base may seem, Twitch doesn’t have much to worry about in the short term as it will take considerable time and efforts for Facebook to cultivate a vibrant gamer community that Twitch has already locked in. Nevertheless, this move signals Facebook’s recognition of esports and the big media opportunity it presents. If it can continue to improve its Live video product to accommodate gameplay broadcasts, the social network might just carve out a space for itself amongst the fierce competition between Twitch, Ustream, and YouTube Gaming.

As companies race to capture the young, male-skewing eSports audience, brands, especially those seeking global recognition, need to start leveraging the massive reach of eSports events and platforms via sponsorships and ads.

 

Source: The Verge

 

Twitch To Start Selling Games On Its Site This Spring

Posted on by Lab Team

What Happened
Twitch is ready to take the logical expansion from streaming video gameplays to selling video games. The company announced on Monday that it will start to make game titles available for purchases later this spring. The company will be working both big-name and indie game publishers for the launch, including Ubisoft, Telltale Games, Digital Extremes, Hi-Rez Studios, tinyBuild, Paradox Interactive, Trion Worlds, Vlambeer, and others.

Once Twitch users make a purchase, they can play the game via Twitch Launcher, a software for that Twitch Prime customers uses to redeem games and loot codes. They can also opt to download and play the games through existing developer and publisher-operated services, including Uplay.

What Brands Need To Do
This move will no doubt open up a new revenue stream for Twitch while also setting it up for competition against other game marketplaces like Steam and Valve. While this may not be a common marketing ploy, several QSR and CPG brands have worked with video game publishers to develop games that incorporated their brand IPs. For brands, this means they will soon have a new platform to sell and promote the branded video game content they own.

 

Source: TechCrunch

Twitch Goes Ad-Free For Amazon Prime Members

Posted on by Lab Team

What Happened
Amazon is once again expanding the perks of its Prime membership to include ad-free viewing on Twitch, the leading gameplay streaming site that Amazon acquired in 2014 for $970 million. In addition, Amazon is tapping into the gaming community on Twitch to sell more video games by offering discounts and special offers on copies sold on Amazon.com.

What Brands Need To Do
According to Amazon, Twitch has close to 10 million daily active users, and over 15,000 broadcasters on Twitch have signed on to the company’s partnership program to monetize their streams on a revenue-sharing basis. The move to support ad-free viewing on Twitch is one of the latest examples of media companies catering to consumers’ growing aversion to ads, which pushes brands to explore other forms of advertising, such as branded live content or sponsored gaming events, to reach Prime members on Twitch.

For more information on how brands should leverage interesting branded content to earn consumer eyeballs, check out the Ad Avoidance section of our Outlook 2016.

 

Source: The Verge

Amazon Launches New Alexa Developer Tool For Audio Games

Posted on by Lab Team

What Happened
Amazon is adding a new developer tool for building with Alexa Skills Kit that aims to make it easier for developers to create “choose-your-own-adventure” audio games. The tool includes a graphic interface for crafting and visualizing decision-tree flowcharts that will guide players through games with audio clues. Developers have already been making audio games for Alexa with the most high-profile one so far being The Wayne Investigation, a Batman-themed mystery game that Warner Bros. launched in March to promote the release of its Batman Vs. Superman movie.

What Brands Need To Do
While Alexa-enabled Echo and Fire TV devices may not seem like an obvious choice for gaming, the conversational interface they employ opens up interesting possibilities for brands to engage with Alexa users via voice-based interactions. With this developer tool, Amazon is encouraging developers to explore Alexa’s gaming capacity. Brands interested in developing branded Alexa skills should consider leveraging this handy tool to create a fun, gamified experience.

 

Source: CNET

AMC Networks Launching An SVOD Service For International Gamers

Posted on by Lab Team

What Happened
AMC Networks has become the latest media company to jump on the eSports bandwagon, as its Iberian subsidiary announced the launch of its first SVOD channel focused on gaming and eSports content. With some help from video gaming network Machinima, AMC International Networks Iberia will be making this new on-demand service available for gaming enthusiasts in Spain and Portugal via pay TV, smart TVs, and mobile apps. Last week, the U.K.’s biggest pay-TV broadcaster Sky also announced it is set to launch a dedicated eSports channel.

Why Brands Should Care
The rapid growth of eSports in recent years has drawn attention from media companies as ESPN, Turner, and Yahoo all entered the field with dedicated online content portals. Turner, in particular, brought eSports programming to primetime on TBS to further broaden its reach. As they race to capture the vast eSports audience, brands, especially those seeking global recognition, should consider leveraging the massive reach of eSports events to get in front of international audiences via sponsorships and ads.

Source: The Hollywood Reporter

Sky To Launch A Dedicated eSports TV Channel In UK

Posted on by Lab Team

What Happened
UK’s largest pay-TV broadcaster Sky is teaming up with ITV, another major UK broadcaster, and cable company Virgin Media to launch a new eSports TV channel dedicated to competitive gaming content 24/7. As part of the deal, ITV and Sky have acquired minority stakes in Ginx eSports TV, previously known as Ginx TV, a channel that was only available via Virgin Media’s cable packages and covered a broader range of gaming culture. The channel will launch on Sky as a 24-hour channel in the UK and Ireland on June 23, showcasing major eSports tournaments around the world in addition to its independent programming.

What Brands Need To Do
There is no denying that eSports has become a force to be reckoned with in today’s media landscape. Earlier this week, Twitch’s E3 livestreams scored 925K concurrent viewers, a number that any basic cable channel would love to hit. The rapid growth in eSports has drawn considerable attention from traditional media companies, with ESPN, Turner, and Yahoo all establishing their own dedicated portals and racing to capture the huge audience that eSports commands. Some early-adopting brands, such as Coca-Cola and Geico, have been sponsoring eSports events to reach its young, male-skewing audience. Therefore, brands should consider leveraging the massive reach of eSports events to reach their target audience via sponsorships and ads.

 

Source: Engadget

 

Microsoft Launches eSports League For Popular Racing Game

Posted on by Lab Team

What Happened
Microsoft is set to launch an eSports league for its popular racing game Forza Motorsport. Simply named Forza Racing Championship, the new official tournament will be run by Microsoft with no third-party collaborations but invites anyone to compete for real prizes. Although details are scarce at the moment, the matches are scheduled to kick off with Forza Motorsport 6 this summer.

What Brands Need To Do
Today, the top video game titles each captures tens of millions of hours of consumer attention monthly on Twitch, making eSports an important media segment that brands should not miss. Created by Turn 10 Studios and published by Microsoft, the Forza series is among the most popular Xbox games, with Forza Motorsport 6 selling over 1 million copies within the first four months of its launch. Given its popularity and Microsoft’s marketing push, this new Championship league should be a hit among game lovers, and presents brands, especially auto brands, a valuable sponsorship opportunity to reach the young, male-skewing audience that eSports typically attracts.

 

Sources: Engadget

Why Bud Light’s Big Entry Into eSports Is A Dud

Posted on by Lab Team

What Happened
Bud Light decided to venture into eSports with an “All-Stars” program with the hope of connecting with young, male-skewing eSports fans. At the DreamHack Austin event, which ran from May 6 to 8, Bud Light announced a list of what it considers the top competitors in several of the most popular video games. The beer brand invites fans to vote for their favorite gamer and the five competitors with the most votes will be crowned Bud Light All-Stars on June 14th during an E3 event, which will be broadcast live on Bud Light’s Twitch channel.

While this may look like a solid plan, Bud Light took a few missteps in its execution and ended up with a lackluster response from eSports fans. Reports from eSports outlets point out that the “All Stars” candidates that Bud Light announced were not really “top-tier” players at all, but instead a list filled with players with mediocre rankings and even several retired ones. Besides the misguided selection of players, Bud Light’s eSports All-Stars initiative does not feature competitive gaming elements, which is also a large part of why it failed to garner enthusiasm from the eSports community so far.

What Brands Need To Do
eSports is one of the fast-growing media segments that brands are eager to get into, and Bud Light is certainly commendable for attempting to connect with the eSports audience. Unfortunately, their implementation missed the mark because, essentially, they did not deliver on their promise of “All Stars.” For brands aiming to enter an emerging segment like eSports, it is important to take the time to learn about the dynamic field so as to devise a plan that incorporates the essence of competitive gaming and matches both the campaign budget and audience expectations.

 

Source: The Daily Dot & eSports Observer

Sony Sets Release Time And Pricing For PlayStation VR

Posted on by Lab Team

What Happened
On Tuesday, Sony announced during Game Developers Conference 2016 that its long-awaited PlayStation VR headset will be available in October for $399, which is significantly lower than Oculus Rift and HTC Vive, respectively priced at $599 and $799. Sony also revealed some upcoming video game titles that will be available for PlayStation VR, including an exclusive release of Star Wars: Battlefront VR Experience.

What Brands Need To Do
With the low entry price and the number of game titles available, PlayStation VR may just have a shot at conquering part of the burgeoning consumer VR market, especially considering that Sony has sold over 36 million PS4s that are ready for VR. While virtual reality may still be a few years away from mass adoption (as we predicted in the 2020 section in our Outlook 2016), companies like Sony and Facebook are laying the groundwork for that to happen. Therefore, brands looking to engage consumers with immersive experiences would be smart to start developing their own branded VR content today.

 

Source: TechCrunch

Yahoo Launches Dedicated Site For eSports

Posted on by Lab Team

What Happened
Yahoo has launched a new dedicated eSports site to capitalize on the booming popularity of competitive gaming. The new site will cover live tournaments, statistics, interviews, and news in the digital gaming industry. In related news last month, Yahoo announced that it is shutting down several content verticals, including those dedicated to food, travel, health, and parenting topics, and choosing to instead focus on four of its popular content verticals – News, Sports, Finance, and Lifestyle.

What Brands Need To Do
Yahoo’s move mirrors ESPN’s decision earlier this year to launch a dedicated content portal for eSports, as both companies aim to leverage their experience with sports coverage and vast reach of sports fans into capturing the ballooning eSports audience. Previously, brands like Coca-Cola and Geico have been sponsoring eSports tournaments to reach the millions of fans those events draw. Now with Yahoo and ESPN on board, brands will have more platforms to reach the much-coveted demographic of Millennial guys.

 

Source: Variety