NiP partners with the WWF, esports-focused music label OFFMETA launches | ESI Digest #34

Each week, ESI Digest breaks down the weekly happenings in the esports industry, making sense of things so you don’t have to. As well as being housed on YouTube, ESI Digest is available on all major podcast platforms and is also available in written form below.

On this week’s ESI Digest we cover, esports-focused music label OFFMETA‘s launch, WWF and Ninjas in Pyjamas’ partnership, Enthusiast Gaming’s Icy Veins acquisition, Kevin Durant’s investment in Andbox, plus Wild Rift entering the ESL Premiership

This edition of the ESI Digest is in partnership with payments solution firm AstroPay.

Gaming and esports music label OFFMETA launches

OFFMETA, a new record label designed to intersect the esports, gaming and music industries, has officially launched.

The label will act as a gateway for music companies and artists to enter the esports sector. As such, OFFMETA will represent a range of established and emerging artists which will be integrated into broadcasts and content around esports and gaming.

WWF partners with Ninjas in Pyjamas

Image credit: NiP, WWF

Wildlife conservation organisation World Wide Fund For Nature (WWF) is set to collaborate with Ninjas in Pyjamas for the Earth Hour 2021 campaign.

Organised by WWF, Earth Hour is a global effort occurring on March 27th that encourages people around the world to switch off their electronics in support of nature and the planet.

The global fundraising campaign will see both entities collaborate to produce a livestream event series to raise funds and drive awareness for WWF’s wildlife conservation and environmental sustainability programmes. The virtual streaming series will run between March 13th-28th.

ESL UK adds League of Legends: Wild Rift to ESL Premiership

ESL UK, a regional branch of esports tournament organiser ESL, has announced it will host a League of Legends: Wild Rift tournament. 

The one-off tournament, known as the ESL Wild Rift Premiership, will see teams from the UK, Ireland, and the Nordics compete in one of the first Wild Rift tournaments for the regions.

Enthusiast Gaming’s set to acquire Icy Veins for €7m

Enthusiast Gaming, the parent company of Luminosity Gaming, is set to acquire news and strategy guide platform Icy Veins for €7m (~£5.99m).

The amount is expected to be paid in cash and stock, plus an earnout has been agreed by Enthusiast Gaming and Vedatis SAS, Icy Veins’ owners, should certain milestones be achieved.

Kevin Durant invests in New York esports org Andbox

Kevin Durant
Credit: Getty Images

NBA superstar Kevin Durant and his agent Rich Kleiman have invested in New York esports organisation Andbox through their investment vehicle, Thirty Five Ventures.

Durant and Kleiman will join the Andbox team as investors and creative partners, according to a release. Durant and Thirty Five will be active partners across different initiatives for Andbox, including the creation of new entertainment content and the design of new merchandise collections.

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ESI Digest, in partnership with AstroPay, is part of the ESI Network, a collection of podcasts encompassing the esports industry. For deep dives into the major areas of esports with subject matter experts, check out ESI Focus. For conversations with key personnel and major stakeholders in esports, ESI Insight is the series for you.