This week we’ve seen a plethora of investment in the esports space. It’s been from an array of different sources as well. The highlights include: bookmaker Unikrn investing in CS:GO team BIG; Genesis BBQ Chicken getting involved in League of Legends; Miami Heat partnering with Misfits and Lionsgate collaborating with Immortals.
We are delighted to announce our partnership with the @MiamiHEAT! ? pic.twitter.com/DDlB5KoIie
— Misfits Gaming (@MisfitsGG) January 10, 2017
Miami Heat partner with Misfits
Miami Heat became the latest NBA team to get involved in esports revealing that they have invested in European esports organisation Misfits.
The Europeans have already adopted the colours of the Heat, and hold rosters in League of Legends, Overwatch, Super Smash Brothers, Heroes of the Storm and Hearthstone.
Michael McCullough, Executive Vice President and CMO of Miami Heat stated: “What we saw was an opportunity to partner with somebody who could help us reach this millennial audience while at the same we could help them reach a more mainstream audience.”
Read the full article here.
Unikrn invest in CS:GO team BIG
Unikrn, the esports bookmaker, has announced its investment into a newly formed German CS:GO roster called Berlin International Gaming (BIG).
Fatih “gob b” Dayik, Nikola “LEGIJA” Ninic, Johannes “tabseN” Wodarz, Johannes “nex” Maget and Kevin “keev” Bartholomäus are the five names that make up the roster.
Unikrn CEO Rahul Sood said: “We are not only partnering up with BIG, we are actually investing in them! We want to create value for the team but at the same time we are completely hands-off when it comes to the daily operation or anything roster related. We support them through financial backing and business development.”
Read the full article here.
Genesis BBQ Chicken enter LCK
Genesis BBQ Chicken, a Korean BBQ chain has purchased the ESC Ever League of Legends. The team has been reborn under then name BBQ Olivers and will compete in the LCK 2017. 
KeSPA Chairman Jeon Byung Heon commented: “Through support from BBQ—who lead Korea’s healthy dining culture—I am certain that Korean esports and BBQ will grow together. Going forward, the association will not grow lazy in its efforts to create an healthy esports ecosystem and an esports culture everyone can enjoy.”
Read the fulll article here.
Lionsgate invest in Immortals
It was revealed earlier this week that Lionsgate had entered esports through the Immortals brand. Although no figures and exact details have been revealed, it would be safe to assume that there’s likely a fair bit of money behind the deal.
Immortals CEO Noah Whinston stated: “Lionsgate is the perfect entrepreneurial partner for our Immortals family. Immortals and Lionsgate are both focused on developing new entertainment formats, and we’re thrilled to collaborate with them at the cutting edge of esports media.”
Lionsgate President of Interactive Ventures & Games, Peter Levin, commented: “We’re delighted to be an early mover in a market that has the potential to transform the face of sports entertainment.
“Our involvement in esports creates tremendous opportunities to develop new content and utilise our suite of distribution platforms for a coveted consumer demographic with compelling engagement metrics. Collaborating with an elite group of partners, the combination of the Lionsgate and Immortals brands will be formidable.”
Read the full article here.
