The Business of Esports

In the latest weekly news show, we discuss the NFL doing a Super Bowl activation inside Roblox, the Grammys handing out an award for game music, Samsung building their own VR and metaverse hardware, Saudi Arabia announcing a very vague partnership with Sandbox, Meta pivoting their Horizons product to target teenagers, F1 driver Max Verstappen supposedly building a sim rig inside his private jet, and so much more!

In the latest weekly news show with special guests Joanie Kraut (WIGI), Ben Paro (YouGov), and Danielle Rourke (Dell Technologies), we discuss special YouGov data focused on female gamers and female esports fans, EA ditching Apex Legends on mobile, Phil Spencer declaring that Xbox put out too few games in 2022, Saudi Arabia announcing the Gamers8 festival for 2023, and so much more!

In the latest weekly news and podcast after-show, we discuss China video game sales slowing, Gala Games announcing a partnership with Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson and Mark Wahlberg then retracting it, the Australian Open doing a metaverse activation in Roblox for 2023, L'Oreal jumping on the metaverse bandwagon, Gen.G's CEO offering a grim prediction on esports, and so much more!

In the latest weekly news and podcast after-show, we discuss Microsoft defying the FTC, 100 Thieves making significant layoffs, Sony teasing a gaming EV brand, Razer and others launching haptic gaming products at CES 2023, and so much more!

In the latest weekly news and podcast after-show (sponsored by YouGov), we discuss Sentinels leaving the competitive Fortnite scene, Tencent receiving licenses to release more games in China including Valorant, the Indian government providing more support for gaming and other entertainment industries, Trainwrecks claiming Twitch has a viewbotting problem, and so much more!

In this episode, with special guest Jonathan Brovda (Co-Founder & CEO of GamerGains), we discuss play-to-earn gaming, web3 rewards for web2 games, increasing gamer engagement, GamerGains' beta launch, solving some of the challenges of crypto in gaming, and so much more!

In this episode (321) of Office Hours, with our host William “The Professor” Collis, we discuss The Professor's top five predictions for 2023!

In this episode, we come to you live from the L.A. Comic Con in Los Angeles, California where we discuss the overlap between video games and other niche communities in the entertainment sector, with special guests Erin Ashley Simon (Co-Owner of XSET), Clinton Sparks (Grammy-Nominated Music Producer and XSET's Co-Founder), Cy Chang (Co-Founder of Lightwork and easylive.io), Eyal Zafir (Investor for Liberty Global Ventures), and our very own “Judge” Jimmy Baratta serving as moderator!

In the latest weekly news and podcast after-show (sponsored by YouGov), we discuss Epic Games agreeing to pay over $520 million in fines and refunds, High On Life dominating Xbox Game Pass, BMW reducing its esports sponsorships, Chris Metzen returning to Blizzard to work on WoW, Free Fire seeing a 90% drop in viewership, and so much more!

In this episode, with special guests Andrew Drake (CEO of Bad Moon Talent) and Reed Trimble (Vice President of Partnerships at Bad Moon Talent), we discuss how to identify top talent, creating successful partnerships with brands, the shifting power dynamic in the talent space, Bad Moon Talent's record year, working on metaverse experiences in Fortnite, and so much more!

In this episode (317) of Office Hours, with our host William “The Professor” Collis, we discuss William attending The 2022 Esports Awards, how the show played out, and why The Esports Awards matter!

In the latest weekly news and podcast after-show (sponsored by YouGov), we discuss GameStop posting a massive decline in quarterly revenues, the Microsoft acquisition of Activision-Blizzard being challenged by the FTC, a judge authorizing a class-action lawsuit against Fortnite for the game being too addictive, Riot Games suing NetEase for copyright infringement, Epic Games launching child-friendly accounts, Fortnite dominating Pornhub searches, MrBeast hosting a $1 million Fortnite tournament, Steam launching on Tesla vehicles, and so much more!

In this episode, with special guests Kristin Anderson (CEO of FitGMR) and Samir Bolar (COO of FitGMR), we discuss launching the FitGMR app, working with Cloud9, promoting health in esports, the impact of health & wellness on performance, and so much more!

In this episode (314) of Office Hours, with our host William “The Professor” Collis, we discuss The Esports Awards securing a sponsorship with Amazon Music!

In the latest weekly news and podcast after-show (sponsored by YouGov), we discuss YouTube not being mentioned in the Call of Duty League's broadcast announcement, Trainwreck launching a platform to rival Twitch, Bethesda planning a mobile game, CD Projekt launching a Game of the Year edition of Cyberpunk 2077, Geoff Keighley shortening The Game Awards, Newcastle United teaming up with VOV, Cooler Master Gaming Pods, and so much more!

In this episode, with special guest Jordan "Laz" Lazarus (CEO of Xen Gaming), we discuss starting an esports organization right out of college, running Fortnite tournaments, working with content creators, hacking audience growth on social media, choosing games to compete in, building an esports team without venture capital backing, and so much more!

In this episode (311) of Office Hours, with our host William “The Professor” Collis, we discuss the Call of Duty League Major 2 coming to Boston this February!

In the latest weekly news and podcast after-show (sponsored by YouGov), we discuss EA Sports reviving College Football video games, Apex Legends Mobile being named iPhone game of the year on the App Store, Rivalry announcing it just had its best quarter ever, God of War Ragnarök breaking a PlayStation record, Activision relaunching Call of Duty: Warzone, Sony officially launching esports tournaments for the PlayStation 5, and so much more!

In this episode, we come to you live from GITEX GLOBAL's Future Blockchain Summit in Dubai, UAE where we discuss if NFTs are dead, with special guests Dirk Lueth (Co-Founder of Upland), Batis Samadian (Founder of SPACE), Tina Nemat (Co-Founder of tonicLABS.io), Dana Howell (Founder of MetaDana.io), and our very own Paul “The Profit” Dawalibi!

In this episode (308) of Office Hours, with our host William “The Professor” Collis, we discuss some of the biggest titles in video games using 3D billboards to promote their games, including the new VALORANT ad for Harbor!

In the latest weekly news and podcast after-show (sponsored by YouGov), we discuss World of Warcraft leaving China, the Chinese media claiming video games are okay again, Ubisoft games returning to Steam, Allied Esports launching a stock repurchasing program, Amazon Luna being hit with major layoffs, Texas A&M looking to bring esports to a local mall, Shroud teaming up with MAINGEAR, the CEO of Guild Esports stepping down, and so much more!

In this episode, with special guest Scott Cole (Ambassador for Philips Norelco, Creative Influencer for Wasserman, Broadcaster for The Montag Group), we discuss the rise and history of Call of Duty esports, broadcasting for both traditional sports and esports, endemic sponsorships in the gaming space, monetization in the esports scene, how looking good makes you play good, and so much more!

In this episode (305) of Office Hours, with our host William “The Professor” Collis, we discuss McDonald's releasing the PERFECT gaming chair!

In the latest weekly news and podcast after-show (sponsored by YouGov), we discuss TSM responding to the massive failure of FTX, fans calling the new Call of Duty game "an algorithm," God of War Ragnarök making franchise history, YouGov insights with Ben Paro, Apple Arcade reportedly having over 100 million subscribers, Phil Spencer saying Xbox needs to do more with mobile gaming, Apple planning a lot for its mixed reality headsets, Fnatic getting involved with music, and so much more!

In this episode, we come to you live from GITEX GLOBAL's Future Blockchain Summit in Dubai, UAE where we discuss the future of Web3 Gaming, with special guests Cevat Yerli (Co-Founder of Crytek), Damian Urvois (Founder of Room11), moderator Brian Rose (host of London Real podcast), and our very own Paul “The Profit” Dawalibi!

In this episode (302) of Office Hours, with our host William “The Professor” Collis, we discuss the God of War Ragnarök trailer that featured celebrity fathers like LeBron James, Ben Stiller, and John Travolta talking with their kids about parent-child dynamics!

In the latest weekly news and podcast after-show (sponsored by YouGov), we discuss Embracer shutting down a mobile studio, Take-Two's mobile business suffering, Capcom seeing more success in PC gaming, Blizzard claiming that Overwatch 2 attracted over 35 million players in its first month, Blizzard announcing that its licenses will soon expire in China, McDonald's developing the next evolution in gaming chairs, Palmer Luckey creating a VR headset that can kill you, and so much more!

In this episode, with special guest Andrew Spalter (Founder & CEO of East Goes Global), we discuss western influencers entering the Chinese market, helping Ninja bring his brand to Chinese social media platforms, the state of the Chinese gaming industry, how even small influencers can benefit from a presence in China, and so much more!

In this episode (299) of Office Hours, with our host William “The Professor” Collis, we discuss how Overwatch 2 has been crushing it since the game was launched on October 4th, 2022, and what that means for the gaming industry!

In the latest weekly news and podcast after-show (sponsored by YouGov), we discuss Phil Spencer providing information on several aspects of the Xbox business, esports potentially coming to the X Games, the Saudi gaming market experiencing growth according to a YouGov report, China seeing its video game market decline, Nike sponsoring its first esports athlete, Tundra Esports winning The International 2022, Henry Cavill showing interest in producing a video game, and so much more!

In this episode, with special guest Sean Pate (Brand Marketing and Communications Officer at Zenni Optical), we discuss targeting the gaming audience with innovative products, partnering with influencers, teams, and leagues, building a marketing strategy when entering the gaming market for the first time, becoming an endemic brand, and so much more!

In this episode (296) of Office Hours, with our host William “The Professor” Collis, we discuss the upcoming Halo events calendar now that the Halo World Championship has concluded!

In the latest weekly news and podcast after-show (sponsored by https://business.yougov.com/sectors/gaming-esports/boe (YouGov)), we discuss Sony reportedly trying to limit Call of Duty's presence on Game Pass, Xbox trying to make a mobile gaming storefront, Netflix opening a fifth game studio, Embracer Group giving an update on The Lord Of The Rings, Burberry teaming up with Minecraft, Steam breaking the record for concurrent players, and so much more!

In this episode, with special guest Martin Kim (Chief Revenue Officer of Gen.G Esports), we discuss Gen.G's approach to creating new partnerships, how esports companies are able to thrive, transitioning from traditional sports to esports, how working with Major League Baseball and the Dodgers prepared Martin for his current job, and so much more!

In this episode (293) of Office Hours, with our host William “The Professor” Collis, we discuss FIFA partnering with Roblox to launch the FIFA World experience on the children's gaming platform!

In the latest weekly news and podcast after-show (sponsored by https://business.yougov.com/sectors/gaming-esports/boe (YouGov)), we discuss the ups and downs of Overwatch 2, FIFA expanding its presence into other platforms, Homa Games raising another $100 million, G4 TV being shutdown, Valve registering a trademark for a potentially new IP, and so much more!

In this episode, with our special guest Lachlan Power (YouTuber and the Founder of PWR), we discuss creating PWR, choosing the esports that his organization participates in, the evolution of the Fortnite esports scene, being a famous content creator, how PWR is different from every other gaming org, leveraging fame to create success in esports, and so much more!

In this episode (290) of Office Hours, with our host William “The Professor” Collis, we discuss how the EU, Japan, and South Korea have all taken steps to bring some rules and regulations to the metaverse!

In the latest weekly news and podcast after-show (sponsored by https://business.yougov.com/sectors/gaming-esports/boe (YouGov)), we discuss Microsoft considering an investment in Zupee, Indian streamers dealing with pay cuts, Twitch responding to rev-share complaints, Milk claiming it's the official performance drink for gamers, Logitech teaming up with Herman Miller for a $1,000 gaming chair, and so much more!

In this episode, with our special guest Jeff Donnelley (CEO of MegaFans.com), we discuss the growth of mobile gaming, hosting esports tournaments, the growth of esports in different parts of the world, the business model around providing tools to game developers, extracting data from esports tournaments, and so much more!

In this episode (287) of Office Hours, with our host William “The Professor” Collis, we discuss how the EU, Japan, and South Korea have all taken steps to bring some rules and regulations to the metaverse!

In the latest weekly news and podcast after-show (sponsored by https://business.yougov.com/sectors/gaming-esports/boe (YouGov)), we discuss Google finally shutting down Stadia, FaZe Clan revealing that $71.4 million of its backstop commitments defaulted on their obligations, CD Projekt planning new games based on Cyberpunk and The Witcher, the founder of 100 Thieves launching an energy drink, Sony acquiring esports events as they pivot to PC gaming, Tamagotchi developing a line of Baby Yoda devices, GameStop running into problems with video game preorders, a tattoo artist winning a lawsuit against Take-Two and the WWE, Verizon and Razer joining forces for a handheld console, a new type of gaming chair, and so much more!

In this episode, with our special guest, Daniel Marcus (Founding Partner at Hustle Law and Adjunct Professor of Esports Business At New York University), we discuss teaching the business of esports, why so many sports team owners buy esports teams, the similarities and differences between traditional sports and esports, esports adopting business models of traditional sports, and so much more!

In this episode (284) of Office Hours, with our host William “The Professor” Collis, we discuss the incredibly successful beta launch of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II, which ran from September 24th to the 28th!

In the latest weekly news and podcast after-show (sponsored by https://business.yougov.com/sectors/gaming-esports/boe (YouGov)), with special guest Nicole Pike of YouGov, we discuss David Beckham renegotiating his deal with Guild Esports, Disney wanting two Star Wars games a year, Ludwig launching a new agency that is working with xQc, Cyberpunk surpassing the 1 million daily player mark, Logitech releasing a new handheld gaming console in October, and so much more!

In this episode, with our special guest, Liam Savarese (Head of Business Development at Botisimo), we discuss breaking into esports after non-esports careers, managing content creators, leveraging loyalty to drive engagement and monetization, working with YouTubers and esports orgs, being acquired by Optic, and so much more!

In this episode (281) of Office Hours, with our host William “The Professor” Collis, we discuss Guild of Guardians teaming up with eight of the world's most recognizable esports organizations!

In the latest weekly news and podcast after-show (sponsored by https://business.yougov.com/sectors/gaming-esports/boe (YouGov)), we discuss the future of the Saudi Arabian esports and gaming scene following the Next World Forum, GTA VI being leaked, the VALORANT Champions skin bundle generating $32 million, and so much more!

In this episode, with our special guest, His Royal Highness, Prince Faisal Bin Bandar Bin Sultan Al Saud (President of the Saudi Esports Federation), we discuss the Saudi Esports Federation, the success of the Next World Forum, what's next for the Saudi esports scene, the rise of gaming and esports in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and so much more!

In this episode (278) of Office Hours, with our host William “The Professor” Collis, we discuss eVenture Limited, the owner of the VPN service hide.me, acquiring the Croatian esports org Valiance!

In this episode, we come to you live from the Next World Forum in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia where we discuss all the exciting panels and events that took place during the conference, with special guests Lucy Hedges (Technology Editor for Metro UK), Mark Cai (Enterprise Influencer Relations for NVIDIA), moderator Georgia Tolley (Journalist & Radio Presenter for Dubai Eye 103.8), and our very own Paul “The Profit” Dawalibi!