The Stratospheric Rise of Esports

With its value heading towards the $1.5 billion mark, the esports and gaming markets are definitely ones to tap in to. In the year 2022, there were 532 million esports viewers worldwide. The cross-over of sports, computer games and popular culture personalities means that more and more licensing deals are being done in this arena. The rise of new platforms too has meant global availability. However, it is still at present a rather male-dominated world. A recent study showed that Fortnite and Call of Duty are the highest paying Esports games in the UK, with Jaden Ashman the highest-paid UK Esports player overall with a total of over $1.3 million dollars earned from Fortnite – conversely Sarah Harrison, the highest paid female player in the UK earned $50,000 (report by CasinoAlpha). Esports is a male-dominated industry, with the highest-ranking player earning 2604% more than his female counterpart. Within esports teams with salaried players, women are the minority; within the top 100 streamers on Twitch, only one is a woman.

Despite this pay gap however, esports is an industry that has a low barrier to entry; with only a computer and internet access to get started.

A spokesperson for CasinoAlpha.co.nz commented on the findings: “The growth of the esports industry in recent years has allowed young people the opportunity to explore a wider range of employment options and revenue streams than before.

The advances in internet and gaming technology have allowed Esports to become just as big as traditional sport and it is now a multi-billion-dollar industry. In the future, it will be interesting to see the ways in which this ever-growing industry will tackle the pay disparity between men and women so that more players have a chance at the big leagues.”

Bidstack, the technology company pioneering native in-game advertising, has announced the launch of Bidstack Sports - a dedicated division formed to expand the scope of access and depth of activation for sponsorship and fan engagement models in virtual sports environments. A multi-year technology partnership with SimWin Sports coincides with the launch and will see the world’s first virtual fantasy sports league integrate Bidstack’s enterprise technology across its growing universe of sports franchises and properties.

The foundational product launch for Bidstack Sports is a first-of-its-kind tech solution that enables both league and club rights holders to instantaneously deliver dynamic content and messaging within their virtual stadiums and environments, supporting the versatile control of highly-valuable digital spaces. This marks a step change for traditional sports sponsorship by establishing a technological gateway that enables real and virtual world activations to operate in parallel, unlocking new complementary revenue models, whilst simultaneously supporting next-gen fan engagement and continued industry growth. Bidstack Sports is led by EA Sports veteran and former head of commercial partnerships for Madden NFL, Alex Nunez, who partnered with Pizza Hut to create the world’s first virtual stadium rights deal, inside Madden NFL 20. Alex Nunez, SVP & Head of Bidstack Sports, commented:

“Each year, the advancements in sports simulation gaming are bringing fans closer to the real-world experience – from gameplay animation and athlete likenesses to the environmental and atmospheric detail of the most iconic venues in sport. Our mission is to help amplify that evolving realism, while introducing innovative commercial growth and fan-engagement opportunities in the virtual space made possible through Bidstack’s tech. The new product we’ve created addresses the largely untapped media values available for the sports industry in gaming by enabling publishers and rights holders to natively monetize and dynamically communicate inside virtual stadiums through a controlled content management dashboard. This tech solution represents a remarkable opportunity to drive net-new sponsorship revenues and increase communication with the next generation of fans.

“We’re incredibly proud to launch Bidstack Sports with SimWin Sports, a first-of-itskind platform that resembles a traditional sports architecture of individual leagues and franchises portrayed in the virtual space; this partnership showcases the power, sophistication and control of Bidstack tech and shines the light on our potential to expand to every corner of the sports industry.”

SimWin Sports, the world’s first virtual sports league that provides daily fantasy players and esports fans with the ability to watch, predict, collect, play, and earn, will launch with a league of 32 American football teams before spanning out to basketball, soccer and other sports with teams and franchises under the stewardship of celebrity owners and sports stars, including Magic Johnson and Jerry Rice. Bidstack’s technology and new rights holder product will underpin SimWin’s stadium sponsorship and marketing ecosystem by allowing franchise owners to manage and monetise virtual environments through advanced audience targeting, native rendering and data processing capabilities.

SimWin Sports is led by fellow EA Sports veterans David Ortiz and Tom Goedde, with over 30 years of gaming experience each. In his video game career, Goedde excelled at product, brand and athlete marketing, and parlayed that into an impressive Real Money Gaming career launching the first U.S. online sportsbooks with DraftKings and taking them public prior to spearheading SimWin with Ortiz. Ortiz has been involved in the gaming industry since college and, through his innovation, has earned several prominent gaming awards, including a spot on the 100 Most Influential People in Gaming list.

SimWin Sports CEO, David J. Ortiz, said: “Bidstack’s technology is a natural fit to power sponsorships in our sports metaverse. Advertising is critical to success in real-world and digital sports leagues, and Bidstack brings superior technology and capabilities to the games. Their ability to segment, target, and serve integrated, immersive ads authentically within the SimWin universe enables our franchise owners to curate unique stadium atmospheres for sponsors and fans. These uniquely designed game developer tools are unlocking new levels of growth potential for SimWin Sports.”

NFL Hall of Famer and Super Bowl Champion, Marshall Faulk joins an all-star roster of SimWin franchise owners, having acquired the San Diego Battleships team. Kicking off the digital season, Faulk aims to draft the ultimate roster, driving his team to a historic inaugural championship.

Bidstack Sports will build on existing ties to the sports industry, which began with the iconic Football Manager franchise in 2017. James Draper, Founder and CEO of Bidstack, initially formed the lasting bonds between the company and both Football Manager’s Sports Interactive and Norwich City FC, which recently renewed its longstanding relationship with Bidstack to serve as its esports sponsor and fan engagement partner.

Bidstack’s in-game advertising technology has already been integrated into dozens of sporting titles, with the latest product iteration set to further develop Bidstack’s existing part- nerships and introduce new growth strategies that accelerate an era of innovation within the sports industry.

Merchantwise is delivering a second augmented reality cross category retail experience for Minecraft exclusive to BIG W stores across Australia.

Following the success of the Minecraft Scavenger Hunt - the world first augmented reality activation for BIG W in January 2021 - this second significant retail event, Minecraft Quest has just launched in the Australian retailer and will be in-stores until the beginning of February 2023.

Minecraft Quest is a more than $3 million merchandise program with a strong back-toschool focus and apparel program.

An augmented reality experience like no other, the Minecraft Quest activation welcomes BIG W customers into the unique Minecraft world simply by ‘scan’ and ‘play’ technology. Free to play with no purchases required, the augmented reality experience is immediately activated when BIG W customers scan the Minecraft Quest QR code with their mobile phones on the prominent Minecraft display at the front of each retail store.

The Minecraft Quest experience begins at the entrance of each BIG W store and leads customers in-store to seek out Minecraft mobs, enter specially created Minecraft portals, and collect gemstones - with each completed quest rewarding the player with a free and ‘exclusive to the activation’ Minecraft sticker pack. Fully supported in-store with a pointof-sale program, including a Minecraft Flexi PDQ, side wings and floor decals, Minecraft

Quest is also being heavily promoted via BIG W’s website and digital channels. A one-stop shop for all things Minecraft, BIG W stocks a full range of Minecraft branded products including toys, apparel, homewares, publishing, footwear, and accessories.

“We are beyond thrilled to be again delivering an exciting and new augmented reality experience for Minecraft in BIG W over the busy summer and back-to-school period in Australia. This significant cross-category event for Minecraft is guaranteed to be an absolute retail success and is sure to be enjoyed by Australian Minecraft fans who will no doubt ‘scan and play’ many times,” said Merchantwise’s Managing Director, Kerryn McCormack.

Minecraft Quest is an exclusive retail experience and web-based game which was created by Microsoft, Canada’s Intergalactic and Minecraft’s Australian and New Zealand licensing agency, Merchantwise. Minecraft Quest creative including the in-store and online creative assets were developed by Australian creative agency, Three Scoops from the Merchantwise Group.

Recently Merchantwise partnered up the Minecraft brand with globally renowned stationery and accessory retailer, Smiggle. Launching across stores in Australia, New Zealand, Asia Pacific, and the UK markets in October 2022, it was the first time the Minecraft brand had partnered with Smiggle for a retail range.

An absolute retail and customer success, the limited-edition collection featured a branded backpack, an embossed light trolley bag, lunchboxes, a 3D print pencil case, and a character wallet. The exclusive range also included a moneybox, keyrings, pen pops and a multi-charm slapband as well as a digital clock with light projector, 4-piece stationery and accessory bundle, booksafe, notebook, socks and even a t-shirt.

The Minecraft brand continues to perform beyond expectations across consumer products in leading retailers. There are now 26 Minecraft licensed partners in the Australian and New Zealand markets across all key categories including toys, collectables, apparel, footwear and accessories, homewares, publishing, novelty and gifting, outdoor and stationery.