James Fudge
The Esports Observer
Contact James
Discover and connect with journalists and influencers around the world, save time on email research, monitor the news, and more.
| Recent: |
|
| Past: |
|
Past articles by James:
Arizona Cardinals rookie Marco Wilson joins XSET –
Arizona Cardinals rookie Marco Wilson has joined esports and gaming company XSET. Financial terms were not disclosed. The 22-year-old former Florida Gators cornerback was drafted by the Cardinals in the fourth round of the 2021 NFL Draft. Wilson, who streams on Twitch and focuses mostly on Call of Duty Warzone, said in a release that […] → Read More
ESL Gaming signs global partnership deal with Monster Energy –
Tournament organizer ESL Gaming has secured a deal with Monster Energy to become a new global partner for the company. Monster will be activated across a multitude of ESL tournament properties. Additionally, Monster will become the first global partner of ESL’s Counter-Strike analytics platform CS:GO Hub. Monster Energy has had a longstanding relationship since 2014 […] → Read More
eFuse promotes Halina Malik to director of content –
After only three months at esports and gaming discoverability company eFuse, Halina Malik has promoted to the role of director of content. Malik made the news official on social media: “eFuse has given me the platform to be able to create content around some of the biggest titles, events, influencers, and colleges in the gaming […] → Read More
Belong Gaming Arenas begin U.S. rollout with Houston location this summer –
Vindex-owned esports facilities company Belong Gaming Arenas announced Wednesday that it will open its first esports competition center in Houston, Texas, “this summer,” followed by a roll-out in key markets such as Dallas, Columbus, Chicago and Nashville. Belong Gaming Arenas, which was bought by Vindex from games retailer GAME Digital plc in July 2020, operates […] → Read More
BIG Esports, Wyndham Tech School Launch Pilot Program for High School Students –
Melbourne, Australia-based BIG Esports along with Wyndham Tech School announced Monday that they have received funding approval from Australia’s Department of Education and Training Victoria to develop and deploy a pilot program for high school students with an entrepreneurial focus on esports. The pilot program is set to kick off in Term 4 of 2021, […] → Read More
Daniel Amos Exits Difuzed to Join Fall Guys Maker –
Daniel Amos has joined Mediatonic Games as its new global consumer products lead. Amos previously worked as head of gaming and esports for two years at Holland-based lifestyle and apparel company Difuzed. Difuzed creates licensed lifestyle products for a wide range of brands across gaming, esports, and entertainment. Prior to that, he spent more than […] → Read More
Team Vitality Launches Fan Token Through Partnership With Socios.com –
Paris-based esports organization Team Vitality announced Friday that it will soon launch its own fan token on fan engagement and rewards app Socios.com. The fan token was developed in partnership with Chiliz, a blockchain provider that services esports, traditional sports, and other entertainment industries. Financial terms of this new endeavor were not disclosed. The $VIT […] → Read More
ESPL Signs Bollywood Star Tiger Shroff as its Official Brand Ambassador –
Bollywood actor and singer Tiger Shroff has been named the brand ambassador for India’s first franchise-based esports league, Esports Premier League. Financial terms of this new deal were not disclosed. One of the highest-paid actors in India, Shroff has starred in such hit Hindi films as the Baaghi film series, Munna Michael, Student of the […] → Read More
eFuse Hires Lance Mudd as New Director of International Expansion –
Lance Mudd has joined Ohio-based gaming talent discovery and competition platform eFuse as its new director of international expansion. Mudd joins the company from the United States eSports Federation where he worked for nearly four years as its sports director. Previously he served as an advisor to Wave Esports for seven months and spent more […] → Read More
Twitch Warns Content Creators About a Flurry of DMCA Takedown Notices –
Twitch has sent an email to content creators on its platform warning of a flurry of incoming Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) takedown notifications, mostly related to video-on-demand content and clips. In an email, the Amazon-owned streaming service warned streamers that it has received 1,000 individual claims from music publishers. Most of the notifications are […] → Read More
Craig Santicchia Exits Fnatic to Launch Wolfpad Gaming –
Craig Santicchia has left London-based esports organization Fnatic to launch his own company called Wolfpad Gaming Ltd. Santicchia spent nearly three and a half years at Fnatic as its partner development director, where he worked with such brands as Monster Energy, OnePlus, BMW, AMD, Ben & Jerry’s, Gucci, UNICEF, AB InBev, Parimatch, and more. The […] → Read More
Kristen Salvatore Exits Cloud9 for New Role at The Mom Project –
Kristen Salvatore has exited North American esports organization Cloud9 to join The Mom Project as its new chief marketing officer. In her new role at The Mom Project, Salvatore will help the company further its goals of helping businesses attract and retain female talent, with a particular focus on working mothers. Salvatore leaves her position […] → Read More
Team Liquid Extends Partnership With SAP –
Team Liquid announced Monday that it has extended its partnership with software and technology solutions company SAP for another year. Financial terms of the extended deal were not disclosed. Team Liquid signed its initial partnership with SAP in 2018, with an initial focus on the organization’s Dota 2 team. In 2019, it extended the deal […] → Read More
Alfred Chak Joins Esports Engine as COO –
Esports Engine, a division of esports infrastructure company Vindex, has hired Alfred Chak as its new chief operating officer. In his new role, Chak will work with senior leadership on short and long-term business strategy, plan and execute business expansion and growth plans, and oversee the operational initiatives and financial reporting of Esports Engine. Prior […] → Read More
NYSL $100K WarzoneMania Competition Returns June 7 – 8 –
Andbox-owned Call of Duty League team New York Subliners (NYSL) announced Monday that the NYSL $100K USD WarzoneMania competition series will return June 7 – 8. Sponsors for the weekend competition featuring 16 teams competing in Call of Duty: Warzone include seating company Herman Miller’s gaming division Miller Gaming, gaming peripheral company ASTRO Gaming (which […] → Read More
FaZe Clan Hires Kai Henry as New Chief Strategy Officer –
North American esports and gaming lifestyle company FaZe Clan announced that it has hired Kai Henry as its new chief strategy officer. Henry, a former music producer and director, and has run several of his own companies aimed at managing musicians, creating lifestyle content for YouTube, event marketing, and more. In those roles, Henry helped […] → Read More
HyperX Renews Sponsorship Deal With Pokimane –
HyperX announced Wednesday that it has renewed its sponsorship deal with popular variety streamer Imane “Pokimane” Anis. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. Under the terms of the renewed sponsorship, Anis will use HyperX gaming headsets, keyboards, mice, and mouse pads exclusively during her streams and take part in other marketing initiatives. Anis […] → Read More
The International 10 Set for August in Stockholm, Sweden –
The International 10 (TI10) will take place Aug. 10 -15, Valve announced. The biggest esports competition for Dota 2 will feature a total prize pool of a little over $40M USD and will be played out in person in Stockholm, Sweden. A Group Stage will proceed with the event Aug, 5 – 8, the details […] → Read More
Former VENN Head Writer Taylor Cocke Joins Red Bull –
Former VENN Head Writer Taylor Cocke announced via social media Monday that he has joined Red Bull as its new senior producer of gaming. It is unclear what his new role will entail as of this writing. Prior to joining Red Bull, Cocke helped VENN by writing and producing esports and culture content for its […] → Read More
Krafton Announces PUBG Mobile Replacement for India: Battlegrounds Mobile India –
PUBG Mobile will return to India, albeit under a new name, according to an announcement from Soth Korean video game developer Krafton, Inc. The game will be released under the new name, Battlegrounds Mobile India, and will be launched as a free-to-play offering on mobile devices. There will be a pre-registration period before launch (at […] → Read More