The demand, the excitement, the revenue growth ahead for video gaming has been incredibly impressive, creating a potential $257 billion opportunity by 2025. "Gaming is one of the largest and fastest-growing forms of entertainment in the world. We expect there to be more than $200 billion of revenue in this industry in 2021," Kyle Vikstrom, Microsoft's director of investor relations said, as quoted by CNN. Even shares of Sony soared in recent weeks after the company raised its fiscal-year operating profit outlook on a surge in video-game demand. Nintendo saw operating profits triple this year on big demand, too. However, growth may be far from over. The sector, which is has thrived during the pandemic, could see further, exceptional demand from the 2020 holiday season, from the release of new gaming consoles, and from further pandemic lockdowns. That excitement is creating big opportunity for related companies, such as Enthusiast Gaming Holdings Inc. (TSX:EGLX)(OTCQB:ENGMF), Activision Blizzard Inc. (NASDAQ:ATVI), Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ:EA), Take-Two Interactive Software (NASDAQ:TTWO), and Sony Corp. (NYSE:SNE).
Enthusiast Gaming Holdings Inc. (TSX:EGLX)(OTCQB:ENGMF) BREAKING NEWS: Enthusiast Gaming Holdings Inc., announced the launch of BCC Gaming, its first free ad-supported streaming television, or FAST, channel, which is available on Samsung TV Plus, Samsung’s free Smart TV video service, in the United States.
This licensing and distribution activity is the latest result of Enthusiast Gaming’s recent acquisition of Omnia Media, which extends the company from one that was previously focused on online esports and gaming communities to one that produces and distributes premium, original content--now reaching 300 million gamers monthly and counting. By combining the #1 Fortnite community with some of the world’s top gaming and pop culture creators such as Arcade Cloud, WiseCrack, and more, and making such content available on Samsung TV Plus, BCC Gaming aims to offer the hottest gaming content in one place, for viewers at home.
“As gaming continues to be a dominant entertainment source, being twice as big as the music and film industries combined, and with it being the new social network, making our content available on Samsung TV Plus was the next natural step in the company’s growth,” said Adrian Montgomery, CEO of Enthusiast Gaming. “We successfully captured the attention of those who live on the web, with Nintendo Enthusiast, Destructoid, The Sims Resource, and many others, and with the acquisition of Omnia Media, those who live on their phones and on social media. Samsung TV Plus, allows us to reach a whole new audience, and we couldn’t be more excited to start this next chapter with them.”
BCC Gaming can be found on Samsung TV Plus, channel 1353, and programming is set to include: “BCC”, “The Squad”, “Block Squad”, “Roach Plays”, “Wisecrack Edition”, “Arcade Cloud News”, “Sidemen” and “Zero Punctuation”.
- As the largest Fortnite community channel and a top 5 gaming brand on YouTube, each week, “BCC” will feature the best highlights from Fortnite, Among Us, Call of Duty, Grand Theft Auto and more. It’s SportsCenter for Fortnite.
- The most popular Fortnite-inspired animated series on the internet with over 200 million YouTube views and 65 episodes, is Arcade Cloud’s “The Squad”, their signature ensemble comedy follows a lovable band of misfits who must work together to survive an ever-changing and always dangerous battle royale.
- “Block Squad” is an animated comedy series inspired by the best-selling game of all time, Minecraft. Follow Stan and his square squad of animal pals as they navigate an ever-changing world of biomes, zombies, and blocks. Since launching in August 2019, Block Squad has over 50 million YouTube views as well as tens of millions of views on Snapchat.
- Also hailing from Arcade Cloud, is “Roach Plays”, their one-of-a-kind spin on “Let’s Play” streams, which features hilarious commentary from fan-favorite star of The Squad, Roach, animated over real gameplay from Fortnite, Minecraft, and other trending games.
- Wisecrack’s collective of academics, filmmakers, artists, and pop culture junkies are inspired by their constant curiosity for the world around them, and dive into the deeper meaning of your favorite games, movies, TV shows, albums, and more on “Wisecrack Edition”.
- “Arcade Cloud News” is the source for all the latest in the world of gaming. With three new videos a week, Arcade Cloud News is always on the pulse of everything gaming, from news and tips on all the biggest titles to next gen console wars.
- In “Sidemen”, the stars of the eponymous YouTube Red original series and one of the most popular gaming collectives of gaming personalities in the world, deliver personality-driven fresh content, from livestreams to let’s play to challenges, to millions of loyal fans around the globe.
- “Zero Punctuation” is The Escapist’s long-running, groundbreaking video review series starring Ben “Yahtzee” Croshaw. Every week Zero Punctuation picks apart the games, so you don’t have to. Now in its 13th year, “Zero Punctuation” has produced nearly 700 episodes.
Also, to be made available on the channel is content from Enthusiast Gaming’s EGLX 2020, a 4-day extravaganza that will bring gamers together online, through a fusion of video games, Esports, music, fashion, and lifestyle content and events. They will replay the “Rising Stars Final Showdown,” in which amateur gamers will be given a shot to be the next gaming celebrity. Contestants will be mentored by Luminosity talent, as well as fight through a gauntlet to impress our influencer judges. The winner will receive a $100,000 Luminosity contract. And a Call of Duty Tournament, hosted by paraplegic gamer Rocky No Hands, exclusive to paraplegics using a gaming controller designed specifically for them, will air, too.
“Our audience has a tremendous appetite for gaming content--and consume it on any video platform whether it be YouTube, Snapchat, TikTok or OTT. Enthusiast Gaming is a big believer in, and champion of free ad-supported streaming television and we couldn’t be more excited to bring BCC to Samsung TV Plus. We look forward to both converting existing content and developing new gaming programming for OTT's more lean back experience,” said Greg Kampanis, Executive Vice President, Content of Enthusiast Gaming.
Other related developments from around the markets include:
Activision Blizzard Inc. (NASDAQ:ATVI) announced third-quarter 2020 results. “Our teams continue to execute our growth plans with excellence during incredibly challenging circumstances,” said Bobby Kotick, Chief Executive Officer of Activision Blizzard. “We are on a path to deliver sustained long-term growth across our fully-owned franchises. With confidence in our ability to continue to execute, we are raising our outlook for the year and remain enthusiastic for our growth prospects next year.”
Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ:EA) announced preliminary financial results for its second fiscal quarter ended September 30, 2020.“Thanks to the incredible work of our teams and everything they continue to do for players while working from home, we’re delivering more fan-favorite games, growing our leading live services, and engaging more players across more platforms than ever before,” said CEO Andrew Wilson. “Our business has grown significantly this year, and we are projecting continued expansion into FY22 and beyond.”
Take-Two Interactive Software (NASDAQ:TTWO) announced that it has reached an agreement with the Board of Codemasters for the recommended acquisition of Codemasters, the UK-based game publisher and developer. In the transaction, Codemasters' shareholders will be entitled to receive 120 pence (approximately $1.58) in cash and 0.02834 shares of Take-Two common stock for each ordinary share of Codemasters. Based on Take-Two’s closing share price of $168.68 and the exchange rate of US$1.31:£1 on November 5, 2020(being the day prior to rumors of Take-Two’s possible interest in Codemasters), the transaction values each Codemasters’ share at 485 pence ($6.39) and an implied equity value of approximately £759 million ($994 million). The acquisition is anticipated to be completed in the first quarter of calendar 2021. “We are exceedingly pleased to announce this recommended transaction with the Board of Codemasters," said Strauss Zelnick, Chairman and CEO of Take-Two. “Codemasters has a renowned history of creating some of our industry's most beloved and commercially successful racing franchises, and we believe that their offerings will be highly complementary to our sports portfolio and enhance further our organization's long-term growth. Moreover, we look forward to welcoming Codemasters' senior management and development teams into our Take-Two family, and sharing in our vision to deliver the highest quality entertainment experiences and aim to be the most innovative, creative and efficient company in our industry."
Sony Corp. (NYSE:SNE) announced launch date and price details for its highly anticipated next-generation videogame system, PlayStation 5. SIE also revealed new updates to the PS5™ game portfolio, including Final Fantasy XVI, Fortnite, Hogwarts Legacy, and a new God of War title. On November 12, PS5 will launch in seven key markets, including the U.S., Canada, Mexico, Australia, New Zealand, Japan and South Korea. The global rollout will continue on November 19 with launches throughout the rest of the world, including Europe, Middle East, South America, Asia and South Africa.
Legal Disclaimer / Except for the historical information presented herein, matters discussed in this article contains forward-looking statements that are subject to certain risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such statements. Winning Media is not registered with any financial or securities regulatory authority and does not provide nor claims to provide investment advice or recommendations to readers of this release. For making specific investment decisions, readers should seek their own advice. Winning Media is only compensated for its services in the form of cash-based compensation. Pursuant to an agreement Winning Media has been paid three thousand five hundred dollars for advertising and marketing services for Enthusiast Gaming Holdings Inc. by a third party. We own ZERO shares of Enthusiast Gaming Holdings Inc. Please click here for full disclaimer.
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