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Everyone thought that this year, we'd be able to go to a lot of physical events. After 2020, we were able to stay together because of the idea, the hope. The esports industry took on a new challenge last year by switching to online tournaments and events, but the industry was ready to go back to what it was built for in 2021.
There were a few physical events that the keeper didn't notice. After two years on ice, Esports Insider brought back its ESI London event. The Halo Championship Series Kickoff Major Raleigh 2021 opened last week, and hundreds of people came to see it. The 15th letter of the Greek alphabet, which is called omicron, has become more important to people around the world in December.
ESI, the go-to source for all things esports business, is launching Heat Map, a monthly feature that looks at the big picture of what's going on in the industry. If you sign up for the accompanying newsletter, you won't have to worry about being in the cold again.
Desports: esports, blockchain, and more, all in one.
New things come out every quarter, and they say they'll fight the big dogs. That upcomer story, which is so popular with young people, comes back again and again. A lot less David vs. Goliath and a lot more "Started from the Bottom." Upcomer stories are common in both esport and crypto communities. But for every moon shot, there are more than a thousand duds in both fields. Every day, there are new crypto-coins, esports teams, NFT projects, and tournaments. Each space has a unique speed at which it changes, and in 2021 the two moved closer together.
A private and public market data company called Pitchbook says that venture capitalists will invest $30 billion in the crypto industry in 2021. This figure is based on data from private and public markets. This might have something to do with this year's huge rise in crypto partnerships in esports. Since January, ESI has reported on more than 25 esports cryptocurrency partnerships that have been made since then. Check out ESI Staff Writer Ivan imi's 2021 esports-themed investment review, Angels & Unicorns, now.
There are still a lot of rules about how crypto can be advertised and sold in different countries. The industry's current and maybe even old model is based on brand partnerships. A lot of people think that crypto companies have a lot of money and are willing to spend it wherever they can spread their message (not dissimilar to the gambling sector, honestly). There are a lot of people who are really into esports who are also very online. A lot of them already have a crypto wallet. Everyone loves memes, too.
According to Coinbase's Q3 blog, the company made 68 investments in 2021 and has a portfolio of more than 200 projects and companies in its portfolio. This year, the crypto juggernaut teamed up with Team Liquid, BIG Esports, Apex Legends, ESL Gaming, Evil Geniuses, BLAST Premier, and BLAST Rising to make a lot of money for them.
Bybit took a group-focused approach. They signed deals with Astralis and the Alliance, NAVI, and Virtus.pro. In addition, FTX is known for partnering with TSM and then the LCS, which raised a few eyebrows because Riot wouldn't let TSM change its name on its esports broadcasts. Crypto.com teamed up with Fnatic and Twitch Rivals, and both Crypto.com and FTX paid huge sums to have their names on NBA stadiums.
Outside of the big esports names, we got a lot of pitches from shiny new organizations that said they were built on the blockchain or used only cryptocurrency. I don't want to hear about the "metaverse" pitches at all. I think vapourware (not to be confused with vaporwave) will be back in the modern lexicon next year, or a new term for a TikTok-friendly term will come up.
As of now, there are still a lot of well-known organizations and TOs that don't have a crypto link. The reason for this hesitance could be because they already have a relationship with a financial institution or a payment provider, or they aren't yet sure if they want to jump on the rocket. 100T kept up with its Cash App activation, Dignitas signed with QNTMPAY, LOUD linked with Itau Bank, and Mastercard continued to support the LEC.
Published by Micheal Warner
a year ago 
