Meme Responsibly, or Risk Becoming One
Rivalry has added $TRUMP to its payment methods, but does failure to resonate, actually alienate?
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Patch Notes:
From Meme-Master to Meme Material? - Rivalry adds $TRUMP
Oddin and Bayes sitting in a tree - More harmony in esports data
Sir Gareth Who-gate? - ODEE becomes GB Manager
Stale Meta - Warzone pros still await payment from Activision
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From Meme-Master to Meme Material? Toronto-based sports betting and casino operator Rivalry announced this week that Trump Coin ($TRUMP) is now an accepted payment method on the platform.
The company allowed the 'memecoin’ less than 24 hours after the newly inaugurated President of the United States announced it on Friday evening. The frenzy around the coin caused its value to grow astronomically, reaching over $70 at its peak. The coin has since declined, and it is worth approximately $40 at the time of writing.
Rivalry later announced that accepting memecoins will be a pivotal part of its ‘always-on’ crypto payment strategy. Steven Salz, CEO, said, “It’s these moments that we see crypto’s potential as a universally accessible and attention-monetized asset able to mint millions, and sometimes billions, at any given moment in time - this is the area that Rivalry is positioning its brand at the center of.”
The Isle of Man-licensed operator continues to pivot from esports-centric to crypto-focused. This is reflected in the Q3 update, which shows reduced marketing spending as the company shifts focus and updates H2 2024 profitability guidance. Salz stated, “We are temporarily stepping back from providing specific guidance during this transitional period.”
Does a failure to resonate actually alienate? I long admired Rivarly’s efforts to show that esports betting wasn’t a total lost cause.
Now I almost grimace when I see posts peddling ‘NUTZ’ (the imminent Rivalry coin) and social media posts riddled with cartoon chimp avatars responding saying ‘LFG’ or ‘W’. My World of Warcraft-addled brain thought they were all ‘Looking for Group’, but apparently, it means ‘Let’s Fucking Go’ on the crypto timeline. I wonder how long it would take a bunch of these lot to clear Molten Core…
Perhaps my grey hairs doth imminently (e)sprout, but I find myself harking back to the days of a Rivalry chicken clucking around esports events brandishing a trumpet. It was a clever feat of guerilla marketing, capturing the minds of the esports audience.
Undoubtedly, the decision to pivot was made for business reasons - and I am in absolutely no position to tell the very talented folk at Rivalry that what they’re doing doesn’t work for them.
Stake’s numbers are jaw-dropping, so pursuing a slice of the crypto-gambling pie is hard to resist. The unique in-house games developed by Rivalry also give a glimpse of how I think the future of the casino vertical may look.
Despite esports-focused operators dropping like flies, esports can prove a cost-effective method of customer acquisition when appropriately utilized as a well-thought-out marketing pillar in an overall sports betting and iGaming strategy.
There are vast case studies that show that building a company that solely relies on esports wagering will not a profitable company make. Utilizing cross-sell as well as innovative social features and ‘gamification of gamers’ have all been done poorly across projects such as Unikrn in the past, and the overarching opinions of esports amongst key decision-makers at top-tier gambling operators have been shot to pieces.
For now, I say, “Rivalry, esports misses you.”
Bayes and Oddin, sitting in a tree: Bayes Esports has agreed a partnership with Oddin.gg, which will see Bayes' official data used to power Oddin’s betting feed products. For those who have tracked the intersection of esports and wagering since the dawn of time, Bayes’ relentless ‘official data only’ mantra seems to be paying off, with most data suppliers now in cahoots. Full story on SBC.
Sir Gareth Who-gate? Michael ‘ODEE’ O’Dell has been announced as the Great Britain Esports Team Manager for rosters competing in international esports tournaments. “I am honored to have been appointed as the team manager for Great Britain, and representing our nation in this capacity fills me with immense pride,” he commented in the official release.
He continued, “Having been heavily involved in the esports scene for many years, I’m excited to help British gamers reach new heights and compete for medals on the global stage, continuing the legacy of success that British Esports has already built.”
Unlike former England (football) manager Gareth Southgate, ODEE brings a wealth of experience as the former Chief Gaming Officer of London Royal Ravens and having co-founded Team Dignitas. He’ll also be taking a team of underdogs to compete on the global stage, whereas Gareth took a team of ready-made stars and fell perilously short.
I’ve not met Southgate, but I doubt he’d happily show you live CCTV footage of his fish tank. One thing’s certain, though - they’re both rather dapper gentlemen.
Sir Michael “ODEE” O’Dell does have a nice twang to it. Full story on British Esports.
Stale Meta: Several Warzone professionals still await prize money payments from Activision for the World Series of Warzone tournament in September 2024.
The difference here is that the players deal directly with Activision - not a tiny tournament provider that sprung up from nowhere and spaffed its VC money up the wall on overpaid executives and spurious marketing activations.
Diaz ‘Biffle’ Biffle, a content creator for Saudi-based Team Falcons, was one of the winning trio and is owed $100,000. He has yet to receive his prize and took to Twitter to voice his disappointment.
While cross-border payments are undoubtedly complex, Activision's inactive email support for players sums up just how daft the world of competitive video gaming can be.
Considering the World Series of Warzone is the pinnacle of competition in this specific title, the fact that it is having to be resolved through social media shows that the industry is still not all that mature.