TGS Esports Inc. (TSX.V: TGS) has partnered with Crimson Wings Gaming to host the 3rd season of the Women’s Car Ball Championship, a Rocket League tournament explicitly held for women in esports.
The tournament has a prize pool of $10,000, features some well-known names in the space as tournament casters, and includes a partnership with Rocket League central developer (and subsidiary of Epic Games), Psyonix.
Continue reading to unpack this release and understand the benefit for TGS.
What is Rocket League?
For many investors, esports is unfamiliar territory. Just as you can’t play a game of basketball without understanding the scoring, it’s hard to get excited about esports tournaments played on games that you don’t know about.
Rocket League is a “vehicular soccer video game” in which players control rocket-boosted vehicles to score points in head-to-head games.
As of September 2020, Rocket League achieved over 1 million concurrent players for the first time ever. Additionally, Rocket League’s online viewership on the streaming platform Twitch has grown over 220% between July and October 2020, showcasing the exponentially increasing popularity of the game.
By directing resources into Rocket League at a time when the game is extremely topical, TGS stands to benefit from increased exposure to those looking for competitive content to stream.
Partnership with Psyonix
The tournament partnership with Psyonix represents extreme potential for TGS. Though the full extent of the partnership is not discussed in the press release, establishing a relationship with these kinds of video game developers is paramount for solidifying a foothold as an esports infrastructure business.
Psyonix is the sole developer of Rocket League, founded by an ex-employee of Epic Games. Epic is one of the largest video game and software developers currently active in the space and, in 2019, acquired Psyonix for “at least $250-300M USD”.
The North American video game industry is an extremely close-knit community, so TGS’ ability to cement a relationship with Psyonix could in theory lead to preferred treatment for future tournaments in Rocket League, or other Epic Games titles. Additionally, as the esports giants become more aware of TGS, it opens possibilities for a future acquisition by the majors
Read the Full Press Release Below
Strapped In, and Fired Up: TGS and Crimson Wings to host Women’s Car Ball Championship
VANCOUVER, BC, Nov. 16, 2020 /CNW/ – Put on your driving gloves, top off the tank, and get ready to experience the utter joy of Rocket League. TGS Esports Inc. (“TGS” or the “Company”) (TSXV: TGS) has teamed up with Crimson Wings to host the 3rd season of the Women’s Car Ball Championship, the world’s premier Rocket League tournament explicitly held for women.
“The WCBC is an amazing showcase of women’s esports talent, and we’re helping to make it bigger and more exciting than ever,” said Spiro Khouri, founder and CEO of TGS Esports. “This is going to be an exciting partnership – tons of action, tons of fun, and some of the best casters and hosts around.”
On November 12, the WCBC officially announced Season 3 which will kick off December 12. This season features a partnership with Rocket League developer Psyonix who is already showing support by sharing the news of Season 3 among their network.
The 2020 WCBC features divisions in Europe and North America, pitting teams of three in a round-robin style tournament starting in December. The total prize pool for this season is $10,000. Jeff “Hunted” Lowe will host the event. Casters include Deep “RJsaurus” Nadar, Andrew “Squidd” Riffe, Layla “TamashiiKanjou” Abbott, and more.
“In its first year of existence, WCBC has given women a solid footing in the world of competitive rocket league, and some tier-one esports organizations use it to scout talent and plan for their future,” said Chase “Kilk” Mitchell, founder and CEO of Crimson Wings Entertainment. “This season, we’re better and stronger than ever, and we’re so excited.”
As part of the kick off for the upcoming 3rd season TGS and Crimson Wings will be holding two open tournaments for any female Rocket League teams. November 28th will be open to any teams in Europe while December 5th will be for North American based teams. Both open events will have a cash prize. More info is available at www.thegamingstadium.com.
“Women are a large and often overlooked segment of the esports community,” Khouri said. “Hosting the WCBC allows us to continue to support these players and to introduce our brand to new competitors.”
For more information, please visit www.thegamingstadium.com or discord.gg/tgs.
Disclaimer: TGS Esports is a communications client of Edge Investments. We have also purchased stock on the open market.