TBD: Beyond the Basement

This week Dan and Trev got together to chat about the announcement from Nadeshot that 100 Thieves are making the move into video game publishing. In a video published last week, he and co-founder John Robinson let fans know about the move, and the intention to have them involved in the process.

Watch the video here > https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r6yfj5kB0Aw

For one the biggest teams in esports, and these days more of an entertainment company then esports team, this could be seen as a risky move due to how many top games there are out there and being able to to make something great. Or, as they no doubt see it, it's the next logical move for a powerhouse business in the gaming space. 

With a great network on content creators and pro gamers, they have the internal set up to test it to the max. And with a huge community following their every move, they could likely sell out whatever they produce. But will it be good enough and is the team in place to make it great? 

This and much is dissected by TBD, and do let us know what you think too either on here or on social. 

Thanks for listening!

TBD. 

The big talking point recently, especially in the sports gaming space, has been the long anticipated parting of ways, or conscious uncoupling, of world football governing body FIFA and gamers publisher EA Sports. 

How has it come to this and what does it mean for both the people, like us, who play it at home, and for the professional esports circuit? 

We talk about this and many other elements to this news. 

What do you think, who will come out smelling of roses?

TBD

This week we chat about Bens recent trip to Kansas City for the Halo Majors, an international Halo tournament with teams from around the world.

• Did it live up to expectations?
• Any big observations?
• Hear it all here.

If you enjoy this podcast then make sure you subscribe or follow.

TBD

Welcome to another episode of TBD and we're delighted to welcome a couple of fantastic guests from Florida-based esports org, Misfits Gaming Group (MGG), to speak with us. Will Pazos is SVP of Block Born, the new blockchain gaming platform recently announced by MGG, and Vas Roberts, the EVP Head of Global Partnerships.

In this week's episode you can find out;

• How Misfits position themselves compared to other teams
• The values MGG use when talking to prospective commercial partners
• How Block Born and the deal with Tezos came about
• How influencers have given NFTs a bad name through their treatment of fans when launching in the space
• Why it's important to be in blockchain for the long term
• The Tezos Accelerator Incubator, and how it is going to help blockchain gaming
• The long term aims of both Misfits and Block Born

Thank you for listening. To find out more about MGG and Block Born then head to the links below.

https://misfitsgaming.gg/

https://misfitsgaming.gg/misfits-gaming-group-selects-tezos-as-official-blockchain-partner/

See you again next week!

TBD

This week we welcome James, a national award winner of Innovation, Esports Director at QMC & National Trainer for Pearson for the esports BTEC. He's also a speaker at the Festival of Education, BETT, EGX and a NASEF mentor. And on top of that he is Manager of QMSAMURAI. Quite a lot for one person!

We spoke to James about both his role in bringing one of the first BTEC in Esports courses to Queen Mary's College in Basingstoke, as well as his more recent role in helping his local tech giant Yoyotech in developing esports arenas, and advising other education establishments around the country. 

In summary we cover;

• How he came to help set up the BTEC in esports course at QMC.
• The reactions from parents and authorities both then, and now. And how they have changed.
• Failing upwards and learning to work the way that is best for you.
• Highlighting some of the mistakes that they made, and learnt from, in setting up the course.
• Yoyotech and their help in setting up the college esports arena, and how he came to now be working with them to help expand into education.
• Going up to the launch of Newcastle United's esport arena and how this type of facility is now becoming a growing area for football clubs - though he couldn't mention much more on who they are... yet!

If you enjoyed this podcast then do give us a subscribe, follow, like or review. 

Thanks for listening! 

TBD

Anil is the co-founder of SWiftSkill, a platform aimed at helping anyone "become a monster gamer with analytics, strategy, and efficient team collaboration in esports."

Ben was at the wheel for this one and finds out more about Anil's journey to setting up SwiftSkill and what it is that they do using data that will help you and me to become better at the games we love.

We hope you enjoy this episode, check back at our other interviews to get some great insights about this amazing industry.

TBD

This week's interview is with LDN UTD co-founder Oliver Weingarten. A man with an enviable career history, tells us how he went from being a Solicitor at EPL to being CEO and co-founder of the Esports & Social movement, LDN UTD. 

Oliver brings some insightful ideas for brands that might be interested in the Esports and gaming space. Oliver also wonderfully articulates his thoughts on how Esports orgs can use their platform to effect change in society or help raise important social issue. 

Take a listen and let us know what your opinions on this, and anything else to do with esports and gaming.

Thanks for listening!

TBD

We are back with another interview, this time Trev sat down with Nyki Inskip, Computer science lead teacher at Queen Mary's College Basingstoke for a chat on all things minecraft. 

What followed was a fascinating insight into how Nyki and the College are using Minecraft to engage and educate pupils. From using Minecraft to learn numbers to working as a team, Minecraft and indeed gaming as a whole are becoming a large part of the education system. Have a listen.

TBD

In our first interview of 2022, Trev and Dan sat down with The SimGrid's Head of Commercial, Josh Martin.

SimGrid is a place for amateur and professional sim racers to compete against fellow drivers in leagues and endurance events. A place that has grown as sim racing has become hugely popular during the pandemic.

In a wide ranging chat we cover everything from non-endemic brands moving into the space, to whether a future F1 champion could be found from sim racing.

The week we go guestless and instead offer twenty minutes of podcasting gold as Trev, Ben and Dan discuss primarily Ubisoft, and a move into NFTs that has generated headlines such as;

"Ubisoft Quartz is just NFT snake oil"

and

"Ubisoft's NFTs are a new shade of beige"

But was it really such a terrible idea, or a good idea that was packaged all wrong? Listen for some great insights into the whole drama.

And also we touched on the move by Meta (Facebook) with their US launch of Horizon Worlds, their big move into the metaverse, and what it could mean for the average gamer (and worker) out there. Another fascinating area that we're only just scratching the surface on (listen to last week's episode with Eric Londré for a deep dive into this).

And there was a mini book review as we talked Ready Player One, and its sequel Ready Player Two - and there is a great recommendation of one to read from Trev towards the end. 

If you enjoy this, then do make sure you take a listen through our archive and give us a like, subscribe or a follow.

Thanks! TBD.

This week Trev spoke to Patrik Jackiewicz, Senior Partnerships Manager at Stockholm-based startup Challengermode. He made the move mid-pandemic from London to Sweden and has been working with brands in helping them to set up competitions with the maximum of ease, with so much of what they do automated. Meaning human resource to run an event is kept to a minimum. 

Make sure you listen to find out more on this exciting startup, and how they are adapting now that it's not 100% online events, as we've seen in recent times, and in-person events are coming back in a big way.

See you next week for another great interview, and if you enjoyed this then make sure you check out our archive. And follow/subscribe so that you are updated when a new episode drops. 

Or follow us on social media - find TBD Beyond the Basement on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/tbd-beyond-the-basement/ 

Thanks!

TB&D. 

After mentioning this esports team in every podcast that we have done, it was great to finally get someone in from the team to talk to us. Grant Rousseau was a fantastic guest and even managed to settle a bet between Ben and Trev as to the origins of the Finn Harps shirt sponsorship - it's a great story and worth listening to see who was right. 

In this episode we cover the team's commitment to building a grassroots base, the position he sees the UK esports scene as being in compared to the rest of the world, the pressures of being a public company and also having David Beckham as an investor, and what the future looks like for Guild Esports. 

Thanks to Grant for coming onto the show. Make sure you follow his great posts on LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/grant-rousseau/) and Twitter (https://twitter.com/GrantRous).

TBD is brought to you in partnership with Buzz.ie

This week we take a pause on the interviews, though we have some great ones already 'in the can', to find out what the news was from the recent 'ESI London' event held at Boxpark Wembley. One that our own Trev Keane was able to fly over for and hosted a panel on the topic of "Eyes on the Prize - How to seize the attention of the streaming generation" - and enjoyed being able to meet people... actually in-person!

There is lots to cover in this one (including Trev's terrible panel hosting jokes), and to finish it off Dan and Ben go through their favourite stories from the last week - the much talked about 'Metaverse' and also Oats Overnight entering the world of esports sponsorship. 

Tune in every week for the latest news and interviews from the UK & ireland gaming/esports industry. 

TBD.

We've been wanted to get Chris Kissack onto TBD for a while now and it was great to finally get him on a call. He's been a gaming enthusiast most of his life, and has managed to turn his passion into his job.

His corporate expertise has helped to develop the esports scene in the Isle of Man, an island that has an independent government from the UK and is famed in the eGaming (betting) space, as well as IT and sports (Isle of Man TT race for example). 

We got Chris's views on a number of subjects, from the approach the island has taken with its sponsorship of esports team X7, what they've learnt from the gaming industry and even some views on the rise of crypto in the industry. Some nuggets in here that you won't want to miss.

Follow Chris for his great insights on Twitter - https://twitter.com/ChrisKissack - and LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/chriskissack

For this episode, Dan and Ben spoke with Conor Barron from An Post, what you might see as a traditional company that is Ireland’s leading supplier of postal, e-commerce and financial services. And Colm Roche from Core Sponsorship, who have worked closely with An Post on their move into the world of esports. 

An Post launched their new product, Money Mate, which is aimed very much at that younger gaming generation, and teamed up with Legion Esports to form an Irish initiative is aiming to catch up with the growing global interest in esports by developing top talent and introducing a new league.

The Legion eSports series will involve five events over the next 12 months with a prize pool of €5,000. We spoke to Conor and Colm about how this initiative came about, the challenges faced from within at such a traditional brand, and what they see as the future for esports and gaming for the company.

We hope you enjoy this episode. Have a listen to the others we have put together this year, and we'll be getting more interviews and chats out over the coming weeks. 

This week Trev, Dan and Ben get together to chat about some of the highlights from gaming and esports in UK and Ireland. And there was a lot to go through!

• Belfast Storm have started life in the NLC, the Northern League of Legends Championship, and it's one that Ben has been keeping a close eye on.
• F1 Esports launches the new season in October, with four rounds being held at Gfinity in London. The drivers battle on 12 tracks to determine who will win this year's driver and team championships. Can Red Bull make it three-in-a-row.
• Trev is a busy man within the esports world and was part of the recently announced J1 Esports team formed at Norwich City. Get the inside track on the reasons behind that launch from the man himself.
• EA has been reportedly looking into dropping the FIFA name from their title - will it actually happen? and how will Goals.co and Striker coming in to make it 4 major football titles change the landscape?
• And on the FIFA front, we discussed Hashtag United receiving a record fee for the transfer of their FIFA player, Tom Leese, to ExCel Esports. Is it going to start a trend or is it a one off?
• To finish off we carried on the football theme by discussing Finn Harps new partnership deal with David Beckham-backed Guild Esports. It's a move that could be smart and benefit both parties. 

If you enjoy this podcast then do check out our previous interviews and chats. We'll be back very soon with the next episode, so make sure you subscribe to make sure it appears on your list. 

This week's guest has moved through the worlds of advertising and Premier League football before moving into esports with FaZe Clan and now GameSquare. With Trev and Ben otherwise engaged, this time Dan sits down with Jan Neumeister to discuss this journey and all of this;

• Jan's passion for audience behaviour, and how the relationships between teams and fans differ in esports compared to sports.
• The acquisition of Code Red by GameSquare and how it came about. 
• The differences between working in esports compared to 'traditional' sports.
• Where the opportunities are for investment and acquisition in esports at the moment.
• And much more... it's 30 minutes you'll find fascinating.

Find out more about GameSquare at https://www.gamesquare.com 

And make sure you follow us on your platform of choice, and give us a follow on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/company/tbd-beyond-the-basement

In this episode, Trev and Ben (no Dan this week due to the sniffles) get into the heart of what's happening in esports and gaming. Including; 

Warzone - banned 500k cheaters, what is 'Smurfing', how Rambo could get Ben back into playing the game.

Roblox - a golden opportunity for brands and Trev talks about how he competes with his son in the game.

Training camps for gamers - Guild (with David Beckham leading the way) are launching subscription training camps, and why Ben things this is a fantastic first move from the team.

Celebrity Esports - Another idea the guys love, one that includes names such as Jimmy Carr and Diversity. Grenade Energy and Primark are just two of the names already to have gotten involved, could more follow?

Thanks for listening! Next time we'll be back with an awesome video with someone who has gone from the advertising world into football and now into esports. Firstly with FaZe Clan and now GameSquare. Subscribe to make sure you don't miss it. 

Thanks, T, B & D.

The gang's back together, with Trev, Ben and Dan finally finding the time in their hectic schedules to chat about the latest news and developments in esports and gaming - with very much a sports hat on.

This time they dig into the Olympic Virtual Series, which was announced recently as a first step by the IOC in working with governing bodies in this field. But the mix of sailing, rowing, motorsport and cycling leaves a lot of questions as to the direction they are taking and how successful it will be.

We then launched into the rise of celebrity/gaming crossovers in recent times with Neymar Jr & Fortnite and Cristiano & Free Fire, and Trev asked the others who they thought would make good future collaborations. What makes for a good personality going into these games? And would Conor McGregor be a good representative for Ireland in gaming?

And talking of characters in games, could we see Sherlock Holmes in Fortnite or add in other historical characters to help young people understand more about their stories. One for the education sector maybe!

Dan reminisces about the way he used to consume football, and the vast differences this compares to what happens now. Shoot magazine and scrapbooking anyone? Whilst Ben muses over why he can watch COD on Twitch for hours whilst he skips through the 'boring' bits when watching rugby and football. 

If you enjoy this then do let your friends know and make sure you subscribe on your platform of choice. 

In this episode Trev and Ben spoke to the Chief Marketing Officer, Dan Parise, and Chief Revenue Officer, Paul Brewer from Rival. 

Rival is a platform that helps organisations leverage the popularity of gaming and esports. Connecting the massive global appeal of the sector with sports teams, leagues, brands and media properties. 

A fascinating chat that is one not to be missed. 

Find out more about Rival by visiting https://www.gorival.com

And make sure you follow us on your platform of choice, and give us a follow on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/company/tbd-beyond-the-basement

For interview no.5 on TBD we brought in one of the most well known people on the business side of esports, thanks to his stream of industry content on LinkedIn and also his podcast. Chris Smith has been involved in almost every aspect of the business, having started out being a semi-pro player, organised events and been a commentator, before setting up BIG Esports in 2017.

Chris has great insights and views on all aspects of the esports scene from; teams seeing themselves as marketing agencies, content creators becoming more involved in starting teams and the future of the recent influx in sports stars getting involved. He's helped many brands in Australia navigate this relatively new space and he was happy to share some of those stories too.

Lots to get through and one we're sure you'll enjoy. You can follow Chris on LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/smithymayo) and check out his podcast at https://www.bigesports.gg/podcast

Thanks as always for tuning in and we'll see you again soon.

Dan, Trev and Ben.  

In this, our first interview on the TBD podcast, we go big straight away with an amazing guest. He's a Premier League winner, entrepreneur and gamer who in 2018 founded the NoFuchsGiven Esports Academy team.... it's Christian Fuchs.

It was fascinated to find out how the move into esports came about, his own exploits in playing FIFA (for charity), what his hopes and aspirations are for NFG in the next few years and what his advise would be to others planning to follow in his esports footsteps.. He's a really open and honest person who was fantastic to speak to.

Thanks to Trev for arranging the chat, and to you for listening.

See you in two weeks!

T, B & D.

In this, our first 'chat' episode of TBD. Trev, Ben and Dan discuss the increased number of team owners from the sports world into esports, and how this is going to affect the industry. Will they stick to FIFA? is it a trend that will fizzle out? and how have sports teams adapted to the attention demanded by gaming and younger audiences over the last few years?

Towards the end you can hear and snippet from our first TBD Interview, a prize* for the first person who can guess who it is!

*there is no prize :)

If you enjoy this podcast do give us a follow and make sure you don't miss the next episode, ready on 4th January 2021!

Welcome to a brand new show from Trev Keane, Ben Finnegan and Dan McLaren. One where we take a look at the latest news and views from the business behind esports and gaming. For this intro episode we attempt to give some background on who we are and why we're doing this!