Plenty of international top speakers assembled yesterday at the very first BMW Esports Boost to discuss the future of esports. During the panel discussion the experts offered plent yof insights and new impulses for the entire industry.
LoL-Star Eefje “Sjokz” Depoortere guided us through the day as host.
Here are the highlights of the event:
Riding the waves of culture: Gaming and Esports
Christopher Hana, CEO of “The Esports Observer”, showcased the specialties of esports within the gaming culture. “Esports & Gaming have the potential to influence lifestyle and entertainment just like MTV did in the 80’s” was his conclusion.
Watching vs. Playing – Why only few games are esports
Newzoo’s Esports Market Lead Hugo Tristao discussed why some games are able to make the jump to an esports title and why others don’t. His prediction was “Traditional esport titles like LoL or Counter-Strike are still ahead of sport simulations like FIFA, but the sports titles will grow.”
Panel 1: Boon and bane – The esports image in the mainstream
The first large panel was attended by Fnatic’s CEO & Founder Sam Matthews, KeSPA’s Secretary-General Cheolhag Kim and the Esports Player Foundation’s Co-Founder Evangelos Papathanassiou. Together they discussed the role of esports and gaming in mainstream culture as well as the question whether or not esports should be at the Olympic Games.
Panel 2: Esports and big arenas – Is this still a match?
The speakers, among them Brandon Snow (CRO Activision Blizzard) and Ralf Reichert (CEO ESL Gaming) discussed the future of esport events. Is the era of arenas in esports over? What is the role of the television in the future?
Panel 3: Creating and activating physical touchpoints for competitive gamers
Which innovations are necessary to integrate gamers into the industry? Nikita Buffee (Head of Business Development & Partnerships Allied Esports), Dorian Gorr (CMO & Managing Director LVL) and Leif Petersen CEO & Founder Hologate) extensively discussed why touchpoints for gamers are still a necessity.
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Panel 4: Boost your Esports
Andreas Heyden (CEO DFL Digital Sports) and Sebastian Romanus (CEO Studio 71) discuss the growth trends and increasing importance of mobile esports, virtual influencers and virtual reality in esports and gaming. Mainstream media were also identified as growth motors in the future.
Panel 5: Advertising to a community that hates advertising
What are the golden rules for advertising in esport and gaming? Our panel with Stefan Ponikva, Vice President BMW Brand Communication and Experience, mnna Baumann (Executive Vice President Esports, Rogue Esports) and Toan Nguyen (Founder & Managing Director Jung von Matt NERD) investigated the entire thing from all relevant angles.
Panel 6: Brand values vs. violent games
Shooter games are still frowned upon in some areas of the industry despite their success. Why is that the case? Our panelists including BMW Esports’ Head Pia Schörner discussed the issue at length and also stressed out VALORANT as a potential way forward.
Panel 7: Legacy games or hype games – The next big esports titles to watch
Which is going to be the next big esports title? Will LoL, CS:GO and Dota be eclipsed by new titles? While the discussion including Bayes Esports’ COO Amir Mirzaee remained inconclusive, VALORANT was once again pointed out as having huge potential.
Panel 8: Fragmentation in esports
Stefan Zant (Managing Director Seven.One Sports and esports.com), Carlos Rodríguez (CEO and Founder G2 Esports), Tobias Knoke (Head of Gaming EMEA Partnerships Solutions Google) and Pontus Eskilsson (Vice President of Partnerships in EMEA Twitch) thoroughly discussed Content Creation and Distribution within the gaming and esport industry.
Besides those discussions, BMW also used the occassion to introduce thier newest innovation: The Rival Rig. A gaming chair that is supposed to break new ground.
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Image Credits: BMW Esports Boost