Ray himself returns to the show under a new name and a new brand, but his approach to the CDL and his squad hasn't changed! He's still focused on improving the team, the players, and bringing new prestige to not one, but now TWO CoD giants. Ray Lussier is the first member of the OpTic organization to talk about the recent merger with Envy, and we get his thoughts on that as well as, of course, his thoughts on the upcoming Major 1 CDL tournament. Major 1 starts Thursday, March 3rd out of...

Amateur school-centered esports may be in trouble in terms of the options of platforms presented to them, as recently a league operator across High School Esports has sent cease and desist letters to other scholastic leagues playing games they claim exclusivity to. From League of Legends to Mario Kart and more, league operators are struggling to provide games of all kinds to schools under their care. Today we were joined by member of Generation Esports, founders of the HSEL, MSEL, NJCAAE, and...

You may know Jake Lucky from his previous work throwing out various updates from around the esports industry but his post-Esports Talk career has a neat little bump in the road. Not really a bump, but in conjunction with partner AlexB, the two are on journey to build a distinctive collection of esports merch, apparel, jerseys, hoodies, t-shirts (long, short, and sleeveless), and even some LEGO sets? They talk about the beginnings, the fun times, and the possible futures contained with their...

The news was teased out over the last few weeks, but finally it was confirmed that Torrent, the esports arm of Wisdom Gaming, was joining the Halo Championship Series. With players from Pushin P and Unsigned Talent, they secured a top 16 performance in a tough Open format, but before that went down this past weekend, we had a chance to talk to Wade Penfold, the VP of Esports at Wisdom Gaming. Also known as "Dreadnaught," Wade has been all around esports as a professional player in "Heros of...

Collegiate esports programs and clubs are in dire need of direction in terms of not just events but also things like media rights, revenue sharing, and content creation and monetization. It's largely untapped ecosystem, where the NCAA has been uninvolved. That's ESPORTSU and Angel Bernhard Thomas come into play, with CSMG's connections to collegiate conferences across the US, they can help provide direction to a new subset of clients. Angela joins us to talk all about this launch of ESPORTSU...

We often hear about grassroots esports in the states outside of the urban population centers. Rarely do we hear news about local scenes outside the 50 States. Axel Rivera is a student at the University of Puerto Rico in San Juan by day, and by night he commentates and helps run local FGC events on the island. We discuss how these events are organized, what and where the community holds these events, and what can best help grow the scene on an island of nearly 3 million people. Follow Axel...

Foley & Lardner, a US-based law firm, just released their 4th Annual Esports Survey Report, wherein industry experts and professionals give their honest insight as to what trends and in what direction the esports industry will grow. In conjunction with the Esports Observer and the Sports Business Journal, Foley surveyed over 400 of these individuals. One of the attornies behind the curtain of this report, Michael Wall, helped break down the survey results with everything from who they...

Esports Engine has made waves in the industry and outside the industry since its inception in the latter half of 2019 and part of that success came from the work put forth by production and broadcast teams behind the scenes for Esports Engine. Ryan Thompson is the company's Chief Production Officer who has the reigns in how their product gets delivered to their clients' satisfactions. From tournament organizers to large tech companies, the clientele base Ryan helps oversees saw difficulties...

Roc Gaming Network is a grassroots esports organization serving Upstate New York and has been collaborating with locals in the midst of the pandemic. Now they are making headway by combining the marketability of cannabis with the attraction of gaming. Brandon Isaac aka "Bobby0" is the Army veteran who launched Roc Gaming, and is now launching his own cannabis line focus toward gamers who partake, labeled RESN. Bobby0 and I discuss the role cannabis opportunities can play at a local level as...

Every route to achieve a career as a pro player is unique, but sometimes there's a story that is little more... intriguing. iShiny came from Overwatch Contenders, moved into Apex Legends with Fnatic NA joined by his brother, Muffins. Along the way the pandemic shifted teams and iShiny found himself on Complexity, and now he and the team (Reptar & Monsoon) are preparing for Split 1 Playoffs in North America's Apex Legends Global Series. Follow iShiny on social media channels @iShiny and...

It's the start of a new year and in honor of that we have to bring a new perspective. From Call of Duty to Valorant to Halo, Fortnite and more, Tim Krajewski of The Center Ring brings his opinions into the fray. Listen in and feel things from our discussion, whether you agree or disagree! Vote for the Esports Network Podcast as the Best Esport Podcast for the Sports Podcast Awards! Watch The Gamer Hour - Esportz Network's new show from Times Square. If you are interested in being a...

The story of Charlie Reilly and Mason Mullenioux founding Generation Esports is fascinating one, that's not too unheard of in the start up world. Marcus Watts joined Generation Esports later on as their Marketing Director because of the impact they have on the lives of students across the country. We talk about their latest work with at-risk kids and the plans they have in store for 2022. Visit Generation Esports website here! Watch The Gamer Hour - Esportz Network's new show from Times...

We're almost two years deep into the COVID19 pandemic and esports events are still at the mercy of it. In fact this impacts industries beyond esports. Now with the speed of transmission from the Omicron variant of the coronavirus, we're seeing infection numbers not seen since mid-2020. Our CEO, Mark Thimmig, is more than just aware of this fact, he's trying to find a solution as it pertains to testing. Test kits for COVID are in increasing demand but the supplies for it appear to be...

We don't often think about how the sounds of the games we love are brought to live or even the logistics of recording those ad campaigns you hear on your television or radio. Gabe Kunda is a rising star voice actor who has done national ad campaigns for a multitude of properties and companies. In relation to esports though he is best known as the voice of KAY/O in Valorant, Jackal in Call of Duty Cold War's Season Four Battlepass, and if you're a fan of anime, you may recognize him as Rock...

We give you a brief, albeit detailed, overview a few things to keep in mind moving into a new year. We wish you all a Happy New Year and ask that you celebrate responsibly! See ya in 2022! Watch The Gamer Hour - Esportz Network's new show from Times Square. If you are interested in being a sponsor for the Esports Minute, Esports Network Podcast, College Esports QuickTake or The Gamer Hour, please reach out to Esportz Network CEO Mark Thimmig by emailing [email protected]....

That's right we have our own awards! Listen in and be sure to share your own thoughts on the winners! Audio courtesy of ESL Archives Gambit vs. Heroic [Mirage] Map 5 - ESL Pro League Season 13 - Grand-Final which you can find here! Watch The Gamer Hour - Esportz Network's new show from Times Square. If you are interested in being a sponsor for the Esports Minute, Esports Network Podcast, College Esports QuickTake or The Gamer Hour, please reach out to Esportz Network CEO Mark Thimmig...

PLEASE GAMBLE RESPONSIBLY We know of the early hiccups, legal issues, and overall bad look given to CSGO and esports gambling in the mid-2010's, but there remains a few companies out there working to clear the air. CSGOEmpire is one such company and they are the oldest and largest gambling sites. We sat down with Luke McMillan, Match Book Operator for the site, to have him explain the developments and initiatives brought forth by CSGOEmpire. Visit CSGOEmpire's site here! Watch The...

We often see the curated press releases from companies and the news sites picking them up and providing extra insight on what this exactly means, but rarely do we get the chance to talk to someone that has been on both sides of the fence. Cody Luongo has spent 4 years publishing articles on Esports Insider and now has spent a year with one of the fastest growing public relations agencies in esports and gaming. JSA+Partners represents clients like Electronic Arts, Vindex, and Complexity...

Landon Gorbenko is the Head of Mental Performance & Gaming at FitGMR, a technology company designed to help your average gamer with their fitness, nutrition, and physical & mental wellbeing. He's also the Esports Instructor at an emerging program in Keyano College up in Fort McMurray, Alberta. He talks a bit about his esports journey and how he came about to join the industry as well as what his new roles entail. Landon is on Twitter @VertexPsyc and you can check out his LinkedIn...

Today we discuss the importance of gear in a content creators set up! We bring on two members of the Fnatic Network of streamers and creators who discusses the upgrade path they embarked when they found success in the space! Fnatic themselves recently partnered with Shure to upgrade their Network members setups, which these two received. See news of the partnership here! PilotCeeBee is a Germany-based Twitch streamer who is also currently towards her commercial pilot's license. Phyzik is...

Often when looking at these esports competitors on the mainstage we tend to focus on the events as they unfold in front of us. However, it's important to keep in mind that it's often a long journey to get to that stage, and often it starts at home. Anne Fish is known as the mother of NRG Fortnite player "benjyfishy," and Johnny Andersen is the father of 100T Fortnite player "MrSavage." Together these two joined forces to release books detailing their experiences as the parents of young...

Danny Martin returns to the program this time bearing news that initial Grand Opening of Esposure's newest facility has gone off without a hitch! Esposure looks to capitalize and showcase their skillset to the world at large, a world looking to get involved with the next generation through esports. Danny explains the possibilities, hopes, and initiatives this new physical storefront for esports can provide as well as continuing to make headway in bringing further education with esports....

Mike Sepso has a long storied career within the esports industry from Co-Founding MLG in the '00s to working with Activision-Blizzard on their cutting edge products in the 2010's to now growing and developing an events and entertainment esports platform like Vindex. He joins us to talk about the variety of experiences they provide with other companies under the Vindex umbrella like Esports Engine and Belong Gaming Arenas. Watch The Gamer Hour - Esportz Network's new show from Times...

Just a quick update/tease on a few things at the Esportz Network! Happy Thanksgiving and Happy Holidays! Watch The Gamer Hour - Esportz Network's new show from Times Square. If you are interested in being a sponsor for the Esports Minute, Esports Network Podcast, College Esports QuickTake or The Gamer Hour, please reach out to Esportz Network CEO Mark Thimmig by emailing [email protected]. If you enjoyed the podcast, please rate and subscribe, it helps us out a ton! For...