News Crows buy professional eSports team - Update: SOLD

[dogs105]

Will Crowmania stock their Polos?

Hope so! I'd buy one.

 

[dogs105]

So I have been doing a bit more reading, and need some help from one of you experts please:

LoL, DOTA and Smite sound like basically the same game. Is this correct?

 

[DD#23]

So I have been doing a bit more reading, and need some help from one of you experts please:

LoL, DOTA and Smite sound like basically the same game. Is this correct?

yep "MOBA" is the term.

more similar to each other than rugby league is to union in many ways but completely different in the details.

 

[Deaneus!]

http://www.riftherald.com/2017/5/23...ft-rivals-new-international-tournament-series

Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam will play host to this Rift Rivals tournament from July 3-6 as each region sends their three highest seeded teams. Representing Southeast Asia will be the GIGABYTE Marines, Ascension Gaming and Mineski, Oceania will be represented by Dire Wolves, Legacy and Sin Gaming while Japan will send Detonation Gaming, Rampage and Unsold Stuff Gaming.

 

[GreyCrow]

Were in Asia!!!

Pfft China we got Ho China Minh baby

 

[GreyCrow]

Oh and in honour of our eNtry eVery word that starts with an e will be eLevated to 2nd letter capital

 

[Interloperer]

So I have been doing a bit more reading, and need some help from one of you experts please:

LoL, DOTA and Smite sound like basically the same game. Is this correct?

Essentially, yes.

They are all clones/spiritual successors of something called "Defense of the Ancients" (DOTA), which was a modification, (really just a single custom map with special rules,) for the Blizzard game Warcraft 3 first released in 2003. The term Multiplayer Online Battle Arena (MOBA) is a neologism invented so people didn't have to describe every game like this as a "DOTA clone."

The basic structure of a MOBA:
* 2 competing teams defending a base
* Diamond shaped field with a base in two opposite corners
* Teams have 2 parts. weak computer-controlled "creeps" that near-endlessly leave their teams base, march forward mindlessly and attack the first enemy they see (human or computer). And 5 player-controlled characters, each with various special abilities.
* Player characters gain strength by killing enemies. A small boost from defeating a creep, a large boost from killing another player's character.
* First team to destroy the other base wins.

DOTA was incredibly popular, but not something that made the developers significant money due to it being a mod for another company's existing game. And it didn't make Blizzard that much money other than a few people buying Warcraft 3 to play DOTA. It was also tied to the network infrastructure of a mostly unrelated game, so many features that could make organising games easier could not be implemented

Several from the DOTA development team went onto start similar projects in an attempt to cash-in and build network/administrative infrastructure specifically to cater for the large number of people playing the game and the competitive scene.

Most notable are:
* Riot Games' "League of Legends" (LOL), which is extremely similar to DOTA with new characters. Riot is now owned by Tencent one of the top 10 largest companies in the world.
* Valve Software's "Dota 2" (note that its not an acronym), a 'true sequel' that was until January identical to and maintained alongside the original. Valve inadvertently came into control of much of the digital PC game sales market due to their Steam software/marketplace being the first digital distribution service that was not horrible. Dota 2 is their vehicle to get Steam into many Asian markets
* Activision-Blizzard's "Heroes of the Storm", a relatively simpler version of this sort of game staring characters from Blizzard's games. A later attempt to cash in on what they couldn't with DOTA

(Smite came along a bit later and its main difference is that the camera is behind the player like an action game)

The rivalry between LoL and Dota2 and their importance to the companies that owns them are why I think it's a relatively safe market to get into. Traditionally the main risk in "e-sports" has been the lack of viability of the leagues. But these two games have enormous pre-existing fanbases and are financially critical to two competing companies, who themselves have essentially infinite funds to support the product.

 

[LC40]

My sons are into the two games( not so much football unfortunately)
One loves Dota2 the other LOL.
Endlessly hear about the money on offer. It's huge!

https://www.esportsearnings.com/comparisons/zcdd-dota-2-vs-lol

 

[DD#23]

The rivalry between LoL and Dota2 and their importance to the companies that owns them are why I think it's a relatively safe market to get into. Traditionally the main risk in "e-sports" has been the lack of viability of the leagues. But these two games have enormous pre-existing fanbases and are financially critical to two competing companies, who themselves have essentially infinite funds to support the product.

this is a great point

 

[DD#23]

 

[baldandbroke]

In the current AFL survey ...

 

[GreyCrow]

If they don't play Spyro they can GAGF

 

[DD#23]

just to give people more insight into gaming culture everyone knew this one back in 2008 lol

 

[Niximus]

 

[DD#23]

I was just coming to post that Niximus

like his perspective on it.

 

[Bob Neil]

FYI for the geeks out there you may be aware that the latest version of Mary Meeker's annual Internet Trends presentation is now available.

Slide 145 is interesting as it shows some of the global precedents for our purchase of an ESL team.

 

[dogs105]

Good start to Split 2 for the Legacy LoL team today, with a 2-1 win over Sin Gaming. First place after minor round goes straight into GF, and 2-5 play off in the Gauntlet series.

Overall winner has a chance to qualify for the World Championship in China later in the year.

Apparently the offseason training camp in Korea was very useful for our boys.

Go Legacy!

 

[Bob Neil]

Does anyone know - or could guesstimate - what the annual operating costs are for an eSports team? Presumably, having now bought this team, we're responsible for underwriting their costs - hopefully they're running at or above break-even so it isn't a drain on our funds but it's not without risk...

 

[spexau]

Does anyone know - or could guesstimate - what the annual operating costs are for an eSports team? Presumably, having now bought this team, we're responsible for underwriting their costs - hopefully they're running at or above break-even so it isn't a drain on our funds but it's not without risk...

Hard to say without knowing how many people are involved. The players themselves would be getting paid very little in terms of salary I'd have thought. Mostly promise of a % of prize money.

 

[WetCrow1991]

just to give people more insight into gaming culture everyone knew this one back in 2008 lol

2006 to be more accurate.

 

[MRB37]

Does anyone know - or could guesstimate - what the annual operating costs are for an eSports team? Presumably, having now bought this team, we're responsible for underwriting their costs - hopefully they're running at or above break-even so it isn't a drain on our funds but it's not without risk...

Fagan said at the time it'd be a cash positive investment.

 

[spexau]

Bit more about eSports and streaming in general

 

[MRB37]

 

[Deaneus!]

Note the use of #weflyasone

 

[GreyCrow]

#wekillasone
#weshootMOBAasone
#wegameasone