Raj Rajkotia’s Post

🎮🎯 Pioneering Beginnings: E-sports, short for electronic sports, traces its roots back to the early 1970s with competitive gaming events featuring games like 'Spacewar!' and 'Pong.' These humble beginnings set the stage for what would eventually become a global phenomenon. 🌐 Rise of Online Connectivity: The late 1990s and early 2000s saw a significant shift as the internet brought players together across the globe. Games like 'Counter-Strike' and 'StarCraft' gained popularity, with players competing online and at local LAN tournaments. 🏆 Emergence of Professionalism: The 2010s marked a turning point with the establishment of professional leagues and tournaments. Games like 'League of Legends,' 'Dota 2,' and 'StarCraft II' pioneered the way, offering substantial prize pools and attracting sponsorships. This era marked the transition from passionate amateurs to dedicated professionals. 💡 Mainstream Recognition: As live streaming platforms like Twitch and YouTube Gaming gained traction, e-sports began to capture mainstream attention. Championships like 'The International' and 'League of Legends World Championship' drew massive viewership, showcasing the potential of competitive gaming. 🌍 Global Spectacle: E-sports transcended borders, attracting a diverse international audience. The establishment of regional leagues, such as the North American League of Legends Championship Series (LCS) and the Overwatch League, allowed for localized competition while maintaining a global narrative. 🔥 Unprecedented Growth: By the mid-2010s, e-sports had already become a billion-dollar industry. Investment from traditional sports teams, tech giants, and media conglomerates propelled e-sports to new heights. The inclusion of e-sports in major multi-sport events, like the Asian Games, further solidified its legitimacy. 🤖 The Future is Now: Today, e-sports is a multifaceted ecosystem encompassing a wide range of games, genres, and platforms. Players, teams, and organizations have become brands in their own right. The advent of virtual reality, augmented reality, and AI integration promises exciting innovations on the horizon. 🌟 My Takeaway: The evolution of e-sports is a testament to the power of technology, community, and the human spirit of competition. From humble beginnings to global recognition, it's inspiring to witness how passion and innovation can transform a niche interest into a worldwide phenomenon. As we move forward, let's continue to celebrate the diverse talents and stories that make up the e-sports landscape. #eSportsEvolution #GamingLegacy #CompeteAndConquer #GamingThroughAges #EvolvingEsports #FromPixelsToPodiums #LevelingUpCompetition #GlobalGamingSaga #EpicEsportsJourney #BeyondVirtualArena #LegacyOfCompetitiveGaming #FutureOfEsports #aringujarati #gameindustry #esports #riotgames #valorant

Why do I believe sports need to seriously engage with esports now? I’ll speak on that at Leaders in Sport today! First let’s clarify; I absolutely love traditional sports. Golf, Formula 1, Tennis and especially Football has been such a big part of my life, and it’s been nothing but great. Honestly, any sport can be interesting, as long as there are top athletes, duking it out on the highest level and storytellers developing entertainment products around that; I’m there! Now Esports is coming, and it’s heading towards further mainstream acceptance and audience growth every day. It’s impossible to ignore how it’s happening if you are a traditional sports brand. It will never replace traditional sports - but it will be another option, just as big and interesting as the largest sports, and the opportunity for innovation is much more accessible due to its digital nature and early stage. In my eyes, esports continuing to grow, is a huge opportunity for sports as well to get involved, and there are 2 things that matter a lot here: 1️⃣ Talent attraction The future of work has never been more upon us, and the ways of working as a sports club needs to follow. Daring to shuffle the org charts, innovation approaches and project ownership is key to making yourself appealing to the digital talent of the future. Anyone that knows me, know that I believe in a people first approach in any aspect of a company. A vast domain experience workplace only works if paired with great young talent that speaks both languages - especially in this space. 2️⃣ Grassroots and strategic collaborations The fans develop followership at an early age, but where that funnel used to have limited options for kids, heavily dominated by football, it now has a vast difference of options. TV show franchises, toy brands branding into connect, and then obviously esports gamers from Ninjas in Pyjamas and others, content creators playing League of Legends, Minecraft, Roblox and Rocket League. And it’s great content. All sorts. Educational. Putting Beckham, Haaland, Verstappen or Alcatraz on a poster isn’t enough anymore - you need to engage - all the time. Finding creative ways to put your brand in front of them, in an authentic way where they already are is a must to keep winning in that funnel. I could go on forever, but I couldn’t be more excited about how this whole intersection is growing at the moment. Loads of momentum coming. Come find me at the event, or at ESI tomorrow and let’s create some magic! #esports #gaming #management #strategy #sports #people

LootMogul crosses 1 Million Game Plays and 2 Million Omni Channel Monthly User Visits! Exciting news to start the year 2024! LootMogul has reached the 1 Million mark in gameplay and 2 Million Omni Channel Monthly User Visits. This growth is a direct result of our recent team/league partnerships and the hard work of our ambassadors. In December 2023, we partnered with Cricket South Africa to become their official Metaverse and Gaming partner, along with their physical stadium and player rights. In January 2024, we partnered with Durban Super Giants, becoming their official Metaverse and Gaming Partner. With extensive digital twin rights of real-world sports assets and a wide in-stadium presence with athletes and experience centers, our target cumulative TV and social reach will exceed 1.3 billion people by the end of the year. At LootMogul, we believe in providing true value to customers in the age of AI and Blockchain. Our efforts to digitize and monetize the sports community have not gone unnoticed. This week, the company was recognized by Cowboy Ventures as one of the top unicorns in Gaming, Web3, and the Consumer Marketplace. Our mission at LootMogul is to create a digital twin of real-world sports assets like stadiums, stores, sports bars, etc., giving fans a true multi-verse experience and e-commerce opportunities in both the digital and physical world. This creates a new monetization and engagement opportunity for brands, teams, and stadium owners. Ultimately, LootMogul will create a new revenue stream for all stakeholders in the sports community using games, blockchain, and AI. #lootmogul #SportsTech #Gaming #AI #Blockchain #SportsCommunity #Partnerships #InvestmentOpportunities #DigitalTwin #CricketSouthAfrica #DurbanSuperGiants #Metaverse #GamingPartner #InStadiumExperience Raj Rajkotia Kuntal Sampat  Vibhu Srivastava Powerhouse Ventures Randy Hudson U2opia Mobile Harmony Thomas Doyle Corsley Edwards Manish Agarwal Natasha Shapiro John Booty Navin Prasad Kristen Kuliga, Esq. Magdalena (Mags) Kala Sportskeeda Devansh Shah Dwaipayan Mukherjee Boon Capital Advisors Cricket South Africa Mtunzi Jonas RPSG Sports Private Limited Satyam Trivedi Subodh Gupta Michael Thomas Michael Gord GDA Capital Michael D'Ambrosio Miles Jordan Bilanz Capital Advisors Sandi Bitenc Zai Ortiz Mike Grushin Jill Richmond Steve Tsao Monty Munford Narayanan Muralidharan Philip McDonald, M.D. Al 'Darth Vader' Ewers Jesse Sandoval