Brand’s “News of the Week” (March 1st – March 7th)

 

Both gamers and team owners/organizers have a lot of sources to get relevant, day-to-day information from… But what about Brand managers and ambassadors?

If you’re interested in the latest marketing collaboration that occurred in the first week of March, then this is your place.

 

1) 2021 E3 In-Person Event Canceled, Rumours LA Documents

The Board of Los Angeles Convention and Tourism Development published a report stating the yearly show has been “canceled.” It’s the second year in a row for E3’s cancellation.

But the report also shed some lights of hope over fans waiting for this event, in which the board seems to be “working on 2022 & 2023 license, as well on broadcast options at LA Live/LACC” as it’s backed up by other ESA reports, mentioning a 3-day digital event.

It would be just a matter of time for game companies to announce their summer plans in the following weeks. What do you think will happen for E3 and other events?

 

 

2) Razer Announces Razer DevCon 2021 and Launches New ‘Sneki Snek’ Pillow for Conservation Efforts

Gaming hardware giant is throwing two announcements in the same week: the first Razer DevCon would be the first of those, and a new “Sneki Snek” pillow would follow second.

Razer’s DevCon event is scheduled for May 7 and it will be streamed on the company’s Twitch account. Its panels will cover topics around main products: Razer Chroma (lighting systems), Razer Gold (game and monetization), and THX Spatial Audio (sound production).

If you’re a developer interested to work with Razer tech, catch Razer DevCon on May 7, 2021! Learn how to take your gamer’s experience to the next level with Razer Chroma, Razer Gold or THX Spatial from our team of devs and engineers. Register here: https://t.co/Qhmo3s92zl pic.twitter.com/TDyUQAdPJU

— R Λ Z Ξ R (@Razer) March 2, 2021

The partnership with the “Conservation International” group is to save forests around the world. Razer’s part consists of donating part of every Sneki Sneki pillow purchase that takes place (retailed at $29.99 = 10 saved trees per purchase, with the goal of one million trees).

Fun fact: Sneki Snek came from a sketch created by the company’s designer for his newborn child. Since then, the three-headed serpent has become one of most recognizable and beloved mascots in the industry.

 

 

3) Valorant and Twitch Rivals Delivers “Prime 2.0” Collection

Almost anyone has such early access to Valorant’s new releases as YouTuber Vicious Ritik has. This time, the streamer showed some brand new weapon skins from the so-called “Prime 2.0” collection that is planned to be announced soon.

The new skins are for weapons like Knife, Phantom, Frenzy, Bucky, and Odin, and are designed in B&W primary colors, with heavenly golden and purple details.

The video below will show you all the new skins:

The 2.0 on its name confirms this is not the first Riot Games x Twitch partnership. In fact, they have been doing it for a long time, the first being a closed-beta code giveaway.

They have also organized the semi-pro Valorant Twitch Rivals tournament which is on-going.

 

 

4) Women’s History Month: Microsoft Apraissed but Twitch, Criticized

Xbox is one of many game companies that proactively celebrate Women’s History Month. They do it by sharing stories of female gamers like OofBunny (inspired by Senua from Hellblade), Moonshade4, and MissDeusGeek (both inspired by Lara Croft).

We’re committed to building an inclusive community where all voices can be heard.

This month, we’re amplifying the voices of women throughout the gaming industry to celebrate Intl Women’s Day & Women’s History Month.

Join us as we celebrate: https://t.co/NmsLciGZBy pic.twitter.com/pPQfoSajNd

— Xbox (@Xbox) March 1, 2021

Twitch also joined the party by tweeting a short video of streamers about ways to cultivate communities. The list of well-known invited content creators was appraised but the fact that they used “womxn” on the update message wasn’t.

The term “womxn” is often used to refer to both cisgender and transgender women, alternatively, avoiding the perceived sexist “woman/women,” which includes “man” on it.

But the reality is, several inclusive groups, find this term exclusionary.

 

 

5) Rolling Stones x Twitch Partnership to Launch New Channel

A brand-new channel comes to the streaming platform after the partnership with the music publication Rolling Stone confirmed.

The “Rolling Stone On Twitch” channel goes live Monday through Friday with featured news, interviews, and live performances, at 1-3 OM PT / 4-6 PM ET.

RS producers Tia Hill and Jon Weigell will also host a variety show with original segments and other franchises. Marcus King, Ted Park, and the Russo brothers are this week’s guests.

Tracy Chann (Twitch’s Vice President of Music) believes “Twitch is not only the intersection between artist and fan but also the place where the two can create together.”

And Gus Wenner (Rolling Stone president) agrees. Although it will be tested how all of the DMCA takedown deals echo the partnership. After all, Twitch’s music policies became notorious very recently, after Metallica had their music replaced during the BlizzConline.

 

 

6) Fortnite Fans Are Going Crazy Over Neymar Jr. Rumoured Collaboration

Epic Games keep the updates of the latest seasons closed until the leakers show us all.

This time, the rumor is that the newest trailer to Fornite’s Chapter 2 – Season 6 unveils in-game content that connects with the imagery of football superstar Neymar Jr.

The @FN_Assist Twitter account was behind the leak of the player’s #10 t-shirt design.

#Fortnite Season 6 Teaser 1 Breakdown:

Here’s EVERYTHING to be seen in the latest Season 6 Teaser images!

Let us know your thoughts for Season 6! pic.twitter.com/X9gfo1b5wj

— FNAssist – News & Leaks (@FN_Assist) March 13, 2021

While this kind of theories goes viral and dies soon; this time, it was Neymar himself who kept it alive by responding (tweeting) to the teaser trailer with the curious eyes emoji. Season 6 launches on March 16, so we won’t know for sure if it’s a rumor, until the update day.

Instead, skins of Lara Croft and DC Comics Raven were openly announced.

 

 

7) Shovel Knight and Arby’s Partnership is Happening

Restaurant chains have their eyes on gaming trends and companies. This time, it was Arby’s time to partner with Yacht Club Games, developer company of Shovel Knight, for their limited-time kid meals collaboration.

It consists of 7 collectible token launchers, each focused on a different character of the retro-pixel game: Shovel Knight, Shield Knight, Black Knight, Specter Knight, King Knight, Plague Knight, and Enchantress.

Oh it’s happening! Collect all Seven Shovel Knight Launcher Tokens, now available in Arby’s Kids Meals, for a limited-time only. https://t.co/5VzHNddIEL pic.twitter.com/10dgCMzMQR

— Arby’s (@Arbys) February 26, 2021

Each token includes a unique DLC code for Shovel Knight: Treasure Trove, including all game expansions. Be aware: the codes only work for the Nintendo Switch and Steam versions.

 

 

8) Blockchain-based “One Shot League” by Ubisoft & Belgian Pro League

Giant Ubisoft joins the Belgian Pro League to release “One Shot League,” a free-to-play game powered by blockchain technology (based on Ethereum).

This collaboration started to take place back in October 2019, when Ubisoft invited Sorare, another blockchain-based fantasy sports company, to their Entrepreneurs Lab in Paris.

The intention is to create a game in which players create a 5-player team from selected decks of cards that they’ll collect and own, in both Sorare and One-Shot League, starting March 5, when the beta version becomes available.

According to the Ubisoft director of the Blockchain Initiative, Nicolas Pouard:

“With One-Shot League, we’re showing how blockchain gives players more opportunities to play with their digital card collection. Allowing players to play with the same card in both fantasy football worlds today, but tomorrow it could allow them to enjoy it in a wide variety of games and environments, with different uses or rules — as a card, or as any sort of item.”

 

 

9) Pokémon 25th Anniversary: Everything We Got

Post Malone virtual concert broadcasted earlier this Sunday in honor of Pokemon 25th Anniversary brought us more musical and gaming surprises.

In the first place, the Nippon company is planning to release an album featuring Post Malone, Katy Perry, J Balvin, and a fourth “surprise artist” in the Autumn of this year.

Each with its own single, as well as a presumable music video and Pokémon-themed merch.

Also, the Pokemon Company announced the retro remakes “Shining Pearl” and “Brilliant Diamond,” in the region of Sinnoh. And an open-world prequel titled “Pokemon Legends: Arceus” is planned for early 2022.

Rumors of new TCG installments and franchise video games and TV series might come from their nearby press release.

 

 

10) Twitch Transparency Report is Here with Content Moderation Breakdown

This is the first time Twitch releases such a “transparent” view on how the platform’s moderation actually works.

Twitch outlines how they actually focus on the balance across its moderation efforts, with stats to prove how their ever-rising numbers align with recent popular events, such as the US election cycle.

You can access the Twitch Transparency Report on Twitch’s official site or through this link.

To give you an idea of the magnitude, they mention that 15.8 million messages were removed manually from streams in the first half of 2020 and 31 million on the second one.

This is compared to the 61.5 million vs. 98.8 million messages removed proactively by the “automod.” All of it happening before adding certain bannable words into their TOS.

Way more is talked about (with explicit examples) inside the transparency statement.