Gamers Spent $8.9B In March; ‘Fortnite’ Rules F2P Console

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Global consumers spent $8.9 billion on digital video games in March, an increase of two percent (YoY), according to the latest figures by SuperData Research.

Console digital revenue was the primary driver of growth last month, SuperData reports, driven by Epic Games’ Fortnite. This growth helped offset single-digit declines in the free-to-play (F2P) PC and social game markets. Note: these figures do not include physical game sales.

Holding Down The Fort

Fortnite jumped two spots to the number one console game for March. In fact, it is now the largest F2P console game of all time in both revenues generated and monthly active users (MAU).

Epic Games’ zombie survival/battle royale title generated $223 million across console, PC and mobile in March, an impressive 73 percent increase from February. Brand partnerships with Drake and an unlockable skin that looks like John Wick contributed to the massive growth, said SuperData.

Fortnite is doing well across all platforms, too. It debuted on iOS at number one in terms of revenue and has the highest conversion rate of any free-to-play PC game in March.

Far Cry Fanfare

Ubisoft’s Far Cry 5 sold an estimated 2.5 million digital units across console and PC in March. Digital console sales of Far Cry 5 rose nearly 500 percent compared to the launch of Far Cry Primal two years ago.

“This points to not only the underlying health of the Far Cry series but also to growing digital download rates for AAA console games in 2018,” said SuperData with the findings.

Still Crushing It

In March, Candy Crush experienced its most successful month since 2014. SuperData noted that King’s flagship mobile title has shown double-digit year-over-year growth since mid-2017. Activision purchased King in February 2016.

Speaking of Activision, Call of Duty: Black Ops III is still holding an “impressive” audience despite being two games old. A new mode and map will be released this month to help sustain the active player community.

Tencent’s mobile kart-racing game, QQ Speed, meanwhile, has generated over $100 million in revenue for its third month in a row.

Dungeon Fighter Online held the top spot in March for PC games worldwide and generated the highest revenue of any Free-to-Play PC title. SuperData attributes this success to a limited event that celebrated the game’s third-year anniversary.

At Tribeca, Brands Like Kia And IBM Are Part Of The Experience

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In recent years the Tribeca Film Festival has differentiated itself from other film festivals to focus on inclusion and innovation. In 2018, 46 countries are represented at the festival with many official selections from female directors as well as female-centric ones, and those focused on activism.

On the innovation side, Tribeca has emphasized immersive film, gaming and virtual reality entertainment. But alongside all the films, brands have become a cornerstone of the festival’s messaging and occupy Tribeca’s pavilions and theaters in different capacities: engaging with attendees and audiences through various activations like panels, branded films or awards and interactive experiences.

Jeweler Bulgari kicks off the start of its three-year partnership by working with Tribeca Studios to create two short films premiering at the event, both about Italian women entering professions or interests that are historically dominated by men. The two films are Conducting a Revolution, a documentary about Conductor Speranza Scappucci, and The Litas, which follows three women motorcyclists.

Another new sponsor partner is Kia, which is showcasing its 2018 Kia Stinger as its entry into the luxury category. Attendees can step into the car and star in a 4.7 second video that can be shared on social media. Green screens are placed on the windows, creating the illusion of going 0-60 in 4.7 seconds, while “drivers” recite whatever dialogue they can fit into the time.

“The folks at Tribeca watched our brand grow and do some exciting things over the past few years, and they felt that our [brand] would a be a good fit for their audience,” Kimberley Gardiner, director of marketing communications at Kia Motors America, told AListDaily. “They were looking for an automotive partner, and we were looking to expand our footprint to the East Coast after some success at the Sundance Film Festival.”

Gardiner explained that Kia learned from Sundance that film festival attendees tend to be highly engaged and they appreciate experiences that get them behind the scenes with the creators of content.

“I look at marketing and advertising as a spectrum,” said Gardiner, “so there’s a need for us to create different messages in the marketplace. There’s a variety of different ways we like to invite people into our brand and learn about our products; everything from traditional advertising to social media, digital advertising and events like Tribeca where they can experience our cars are all being leveraged and utilized.

“We’re a small company with a small budget and big aspirations. So, we have to work with partners can get the sense of who we are, what we want to talk about, and what we want people to experience.”

Longstanding sponsors of the Tribeca Film Festival include AT&T, which has been collaborating with Tribeca on its Untold Stories project to feature underserved voices in film, including women and minorities. Nigerian Prince, the winner from 2017, is premiering at the festival, and this year’s winner Lucky Grandma, is expected to launch in 2019.

“AT&T Presents: Untold Stories is a celebration of diversity and inclusion in film. It gives an opportunity to the creative minds who need a platform to tell their unique stories,” said AT&T chief brand officer Fiona Carter. “We are honored once again to shine a light on brilliant filmmakers. Faraday Okoro’s winning film from last year, Nigerian Prince, is a testament to the unwavering power of this program.”

IBM is entering its third year as signature sponsor by hosting a Future of Film panel series that pairs filmmakers with technology experts to explore “the intersection of business and technology and new areas where the media and entertainment industry continues to innovate,” said Ray Oram, vice president of communications at IBM North America.

Oram explained that the Tribeca Film Festival connects IBM with audiences it might not normally reach through traditional channels, since the event also does programming around video game development and immersive entertainment such as virtual reality, which are big focuses for the company.

IBM takes a broad view of the attending audience, with the understanding that it’s a multidimensional group of people. Many come to the festival to see films and talk about entertainment, but there are also professionals from a wide range of disciplines, all with “a shared interest and passion for exploring new opportunities to change the way the world works,” which falls squarely into IBM’s market.

In terms of ROI, “[We measure returns] through some classic means, but it’s also about whether there are new partnerships being formed through the people that we meet,” Oram explained. “Each year builds upon itself, in that we sometimes form relationships as business partners. The broader view is not necessarily a classic marketing view. [As] we get more developers to recognize what they can do with our technology and services, there’s going to be longer term growth.”

Tribeca may not be the biggest festival around, but in aligning itself with like-minded brands that are willing to help create experiences for audiences it also furthers its mission of inclusive and innovative storytelling.

“Tribeca serves as a platform for our partners to tell deeper stories and develop exciting and interactive brand experiences,” said Tribeca Enterprises chief operating officer Pete Torres, “not just for the Tribeca community of industry and creators premiering work with us, but the general audiences that are culturally curious and make up a large part of our attendees.”

‘God Of War’ But With Dogs Is PlayStation’s Friday Gift To You

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With “Dog of War,” PlayStation UK took a break from serious God of War video game marketing to lightly poke fun at the process.

On Friday, PlayStation UK posted a Twitter video that was supposedly a look inside the brand’s last meeting before God of War launches. Someone arrives late and frazzled to a meeting in which they are presenting, making awkward jokes about dogs before realizing that he misheard the game’s title and created a campaign around “Dog of War.” This concept may be the stuff of anxiety dreams, but the resulting video tapped into the internet’s love of dogs and proved to be a big hit for PlayStation UK.

The video was already viewed over 55,000 times on Twitter in the first seven hours and over 97,000 times on YouTube. Fans responded positively to the post, saying that they would buy the dog version anyway.

PlayStation UK’s “Dog of War” campaign follows a growing trend on Twitter in which brands make light of the marketing process. This kind of transparency transforms a campaign from “buy this” to “look at this.”

MoonPie often takes a meta approach, for example, joking about the marketing process, from keeping a boss happy to crafting a “viral” campaign.

God of War, while it shares the name of its first title in 2005, is a continuation of the popular gaming franchise that shifts from its Greek mythology roots to Nordic. The game is available exclusively on the PlayStation 4 console and was announced at E3 2016.

The last two years building up to God of War‘s release has culminated in some rather creative marketing activations.

PlayStation sponsored the March 18 episode of Family Guy, which aired ad-free except for God of War trailers before and after the show.

On February 10, PlayStation sponsored the basketball halftime show between the Golden State Warriors and San Antonio Spurs. The activation, dubbed “War on the Floor,” featured a 3D image of God of War gameplay projected onto the hardwood.

Top Virtual Reality Activations By Brands In 2018 So Far

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A wave of virtual reality activations in 2018 highlights a storytelling approach to TV and film marketing that is likely to continue throughout the coming months. Here are some of our favorites thus far.

Silicon Valley VR: Inside The Hacker Hostel

HBO heralded the return of its hit show Silicon Valley with a VR app that invited viewers directly into the main characters’ home, which was faithfully recreated in 3D. Inside the Hacker Hostel includes 750 interactive items and video challenges from the show’s characters Dinesh and Gilfoyle send users on missions ranging from destroying old hard drives to solving a code crisis.

Users can follow a series of tasks or have free reign to do whatever they like in the virtual environment, making this activation a unique way to interact with a show’s lore.

Ready Player One: Oasis

Just as with the book-turned-film, VR users create a custom avatar before jumping into the action. Currently in beta, Oasis offers access to multiple “planets,” each with their own themes and objectives. Each of the planets was created by a different development studio, giving the four games a unique look and feel.

Warner Bros. and HTC Vive took over Brazos Hall at SXSW last month to promote the Ready Player One film with eight pieces of virtual reality content across separate demo bays. The experiential marketing activation was designed to further push the promise of virtual reality toward mainstream adoption while showing the film’s immersive entertainment qualities.

Nickelodeon SlimeZone

SlimeZone allows up to six players to step inside the world of Nickelodeon franchises, including Spongebob Squarepants. Donning masks from shows like Invader Zim and The Rugrats, participants can interact with one another, as well as the world around them. Activities include art projects, watching cartoons, basketball and other challenges, but Nickelodeon’s trademark green slime is never far from the action. SlimeZone is available at IMAX VR locations in New York, Los Angeles and Toronto, with plans to include Shanghai, Bangkok and Manchester.

The experience comes from Nickelodeon’s Entertainment Lab, an R&D entertainment division launched last year. Nickelodeon also recently invested in Dreamscape Immersive—a startup building VR attractions enhanced with environmental effects, an indication that AR, VR and mixed reality have become priorities for the children’s network.

GLOW Season 2 Announcement Lip Syncs To ‘Flashdance’

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To announce the release date of period-piece wrestling drama GLOW Season 2, Netflix smashed together such 1980s mainstays as big hair, neon effects and, most importantly, the song “Maniac” from 1983’s hit movie Flashdance. Which promptly blew up on social media.

The promotion consists of a 90-second lip-sync extravaganza, complete with the awkward dancing one tends to expect from that era of human history, with accompanying videos on Instagram and a synchronized Tweet storm from members of the show’s star-studded cast.

To measure consumer engagement with the GLOW Season 2 campaign, we calculated the earned media value from Netflix’s posts on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram on April 18, the day the video was released.

“Earned media” is the value of engagements a brand receives across channels as a result of their marketing efforts. To help quantify what the value of those engagements is worth, Ayzenberg Group established the Ayzenberg Earned Media Value Index (AEMVI) and assigned a quantifiable dollar amount for marketing gains a brand receives from a campaign or individual engagement that includes social media networks and similar digital properties.

GLOW‘s Tweet was liked almost 9,000 times in the eight hours after it was posted, as well as garnering 250 comments and 3,300 shares. On Instagram, a snipped version of the announcement netted 3,500 likes and 335 comments over the same time frame. The post saw its greatest reach on Facebook, earning 603,000 views, 7,000 reactions and 2,800 shares. Based on the lastest EMV values, Netflix earned almost $25,000 in user engagement on April 18 alone.

Netflix must be comparing notes with 20th Century Fox: promotional material for Deadpool 2 parodied Flashdance just two weeks ago.

(Editor’s note: AListDaily is the publishing arm of [a]network and a sister site to Ayzenberg. To read the updated AEMVI report reflecting the rapid changes in social, click here.)

Top 10 Game Marketing Trends To Watch This Year

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Video game marketing continues to employ tried and true methods like demos and pre-order bonuses, but here are ten emerging trends that are shaping consumer engagement.

Creators Are King (Or Queen)

Gaming video content—livestreams, how-to videos, trailers, etc.—has become a $4.6 billion market, according to SuperData Research.

“The biggest trend we’re seeing right now is the rising importance of streamers and YouTubers in game marketing and PR plans,” SuperData senior analyst Carter Rogers told AListDaily. “In a recent talk, PUBG‘s community manager revealed they had virtually no marketing budget and relied on gaming video content creators to promote the game.”

Rogers went on to say that creators on sites like YouTube are already more likely to influence the purchasing decisions of US PC and console gamers than traditional game critics, at 38 percent versus 23 percent, respectively.

To promote Sonic Forces Academy, Sega enlisted the help of popular YouTube creators Matthew Patrick (MatPat), Jirard Khalil (The Completionist) and Tom Cassell (Syndicate) to navigate a parkour gym. The campaign included a video, cross-promotion across each creators’ respective channels and the Sonic-inspired obstacle course was made available to the public.

The Voice Of Engagement

When Microsoft introduced the Xbox Kinect, several games including the remastered version of Halo: Combat Evolved allowed gamers to use their voice, gestures and controller in a synchronized effort.

That concept has now evolved with the prevalence of zero UI in the home. Beginning with Destiny 2, Activision introduced voice integration with Amazon Alexa. Gamers can use Alexa to open menus in the game, change load outs, get information and more.

Activision is continuing that trend with Call of Duty: WWII. A newly introduced Alexa skill was designed to help gamers improve their first-person shooter skills.

Experience Equals Emotion

Other publishers are offering hands-on time inside a video game world through experiential marketing. Bethesda has been a major player on this front, offering scavenger hunts and a Dishonored-themed dinner party.

The publisher introduced its Bethesdaland attraction at E3 last year, turning franchises like Doom and Fallout into rides and interactive activations ready to share on social media.

To promote Rise of the Tomb Raider, Square Enix hosted a survival course that included building survival shelters and making a survival bow.

Fun With Film

Destiny 2 trailer, directed by Kong Skull Island‘s Jordan Vogt-Roberts look more like a film promo than one for a game.

Earlybird ESports

Several brands like Bandai Namco aren’t waiting until a game is published to promote its competitive potential. Tekken 7 was featured in the publisher’s King of Iron Fist Tournament several months before the game was released.

Gran Turismo Sport hosted an esports tournament a full year before its retail release, selling out the Copper Box Arena in London.

While not all tournaments make the mainstream headlines, Newzoo sees the benefits of early esports adoption.

“Some publishers host a big esports event quite soon after releasing a game,” Newzoo head of esports Jurre Pannkeet told AListDaily. “These events almost never generate a lot of viewership and buzz, but mostly get picked up by the media and community platforms. Despite the low impact, in a way it still works as a marketing tool to generate awareness.”

Short Films, Big Impact

Short films have become a growing trend in video game promotion, serving as a prequel or offering backstory for key characters that players will encounter later. Sega released three live-action video shorts ahead of Yakuza 6: Song of Life that provided insights into a character named Kiryu.

Games Get Chatty

To promote Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare, Activision created an interactive chatbot on Facebook Messenger that offered tours of outer space.

Famous And Familiar Faces

Whether they are voicing a main character or starring in a Super Bowl commercial, video game publishers have gained a reputation for unique celebrity team-ups. On Tuesday, action star Danny Trejo lent his voice, name and likeness to a campaign for mobile shooter Guns of Boom.

Showing Off With Sports

To promote God of War,  PlayStation took over the halftime of a basketball game between the Golden State Warriors and the Spurs, where a 3D gameplay presentation was projected on to the hardwood.

Keep Them Coming Back

By consistently adding new content, games like Grand Theft Auto V and Call of Duty: Black Ops II continue to stay relevant long after their initial release dates. Treating a game as a service rather than an initial investment helps publishers market the game to new and existing players while enjoying a continuous revenue stream.

PassionFlix’s Tosca Musk Aims to Find Niche OTT Success Without Ads

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Research from Parks Associates found that more than one-third of US broadband households subscribe to multiple OTT video services, with 15 percent subscribing to three or more. In a 2017 report, the analytics firm predicted that as competition ramps up, streaming services will begin to focus on niche segments in order to capture any remaining untapped portions of the market. As far as niche OTTs go, there are success stories like WWE Network, Fandor and Crunchyroll, who were able to balance ads and subscribers. But, there are also niche streaming services that failed to get over the hump—like Seeso and Vessel. The difficulty for any niche streaming service is trying to gain a large enough audience while also finding a monetization model that keeps them in business.

PassionFlix has positioned itself to benefit from one of the current voids in the market: a lack of OTT services catering directly to women. For co-founder Tosca Musk, choosing the balance of subscription and ad-supporting was easy; she hates advertising interrupting content.

“I find it annoying and I lose sight of the story,” Musk (yes from the Musk family) told AListDaily about the decision. “If I’m paying for something, I really don’t want ads, I don’t care how much I’m paying.”

PassionFlix raised $4.75 million in seed money, which it is using to produce original content based on popular romance novels like Matchmaker’s Playbook. Musk, a filmmaker by trade, says she is prepping for a fifth movie developed exclusively for PassionFlix.

“We are not broad, we are very specific. I know who my audience is and I know what they like for the most part because it’s a very niche audience,” said Musk. “The niche OTTs that are popping up need to know their audience.”

Crunchyroll, which was founded in 2006, represents one of the success stories for niche OTT services. They primarily offer anime but also Asian dramas, music and mangas. In February 2017, Crunchyroll surpassed one million subscribers, and 20 million registered users. The service offers ad-supported streaming, but also a premium $6.95/month ad-free subscription.

For Crunchyroll, the most important thing in finding a balance between subscriber base and ad-support was inclusion. Henry Embleton, head of ad products and revenue at Ellation (which owns Crunchyroll) told AListDaily, “We never want to turn anyone away, so if a fan is not willing to pay for a subscription we have an ad-supported option.”  He continued, “fans can either support the content creators with their money in the form of a subscription or with their time and attention in the form of ads. Our objective is to create an experience that our fans fall in love with. We want fans to see more value than the subscription price and convert to being a subscriber from ad-supported.”

While PassionFlix has avoided ad interruptions so far Musk said they are open to brand partnerships such as product placement within a film.

“Advertising is necessary,” she said. “It offsets the costs dramatically on a film and it allows you to do so much more on a movie. There’s a definite need to have those conversations [with brands] but we all need to work together to create great content and get brands that work for that specific audience out there.”

Musk stressed the importance of seamless integration of a brand within the context of a film.  “[T]here’s a brand that works well for these characters,” Musk said, hypothetically, “and it makes sense to have these brands in their home. That, to me, is a great way to integrate a brand into a movie without it affecting the storytelling.”

Chiefly, niche OTTs and streaming services finding a base audience and profiting–regardless of the avenue through subscription or ad-support–will be good for all media consumers. It will diversify the options and allow the consumer the power to choose.

Meanwhile, Netflix has become the figurehead for OTT and continues to surge, allegedly costing TV networks between $3 billion and $6 billion per year by luring viewers away from ad-supported programming, according to estimates by nScreenMedia.

“A company like Netflix doesn’t need to fill that niche because they are everything to everyone,” she said. “We need a Netflix out there that’s going to give us a little bit of everything. We’re always going to need the bigger ones.” Musk confirms.

Musk knows that the world will always need a Netflix to offer a bit of everything, but in the meantime, she and her business partners hope that PassionFlix will become a source of “me time” for women everywhere.

Upfronts 2018: 3 Trends Impacting This Year’s TV Ad-Buying Season

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TV Upfront season is officially underway, and trends are already starting to emerge that will shape TV programming and marketing over the coming year.

Citing the acceleration of cord-cutting and OTT viewing, eMarketer predicts that US TV ad spending will drop slightly this year, from $70.22 billion in 2017 to $69.87 billion in 2018.

Engagement Beyond TV Sets

ESPN recently unveiled details about its upcoming ESPN+, which will be integrated into a redesigned mobile app this spring. The sports network is placing an emphasis on both traditional and digital content this year, hosting an Upfront presentation May 15 and then off to NewFronts for the first time.

Cartoon Network has long adopted multiple touchpoints for consumer engagement from online viewing to video games—something the network continues to tout during the 2018 TV ad-buying season.

The network is adding more than 30 new games and apps to its mobile and web offerings, which includes podcasts and AR/VR experiences.

“Cartoon Network continues to see growth in time spent on video and gaming platforms as kids are enjoying our content across a vast array of environments,” said Donna Speciale, president of Turner Ad Sales during Cartoon Network’s Upfront presentation. “The best way for brands to reach and engage our fans is through a total audience approach that captures all of these relevant spaces.”

Empowering Women

Fueled by #TimesUp and #MeToo feminist movements, several networks are placing a special emphasis on how they empower women through TV programming this year.

A+ E hosted a 50-minute show called “A+E: Women Up Front.” Led entirely by female presenters, the Upfront event featured emotional testimonies from show talent such as Olivia Munn, Queen Latifah and Toni Braxton about why they are proud to be associated with A+E.

Nickelodeon touted its dedication to empowering young girls during Women’s History Month—the month of its Upfront presentation—as well as women within its corporate culture.

“We have a long-standing history of creating strong female characters in leading roles and at Nickelodeon, our workforce is 60 percent women,” said Nickelodeon group president Cyma Zarghami. “Not only is that fairly unique today, but I believe it is a very valuable asset.”

Beginning March 1, Nickelodeon launched a new campaign called “That’s Me,” designed to celebrate diversity. The first round of spots highlighted history-making women, alongside some of the network’s female characters.

Data For Dollars

Viacom is offering more than TV programming this year—it wants to offer marketing services as well. The company, known for cable networks like Nickelodeon, Comedy Central and BET, has been busy acquiring agencies to fuel its marketing efforts.

In January, Viacom purchased WhoSay, an influencer-marketing agency, and event agency VidCon in February.

“This is a complete marketing solutions approach, rather than just an ad sales approach,” Sean Moran, head of marketing and partner solutions for Viacom, told Variety.

Last year, AMC Networks launched its own Agility data-driven advertising division that offers audience segmenting, targeting and TV planning. Ahead of its Upfront presentation, AMC formed its own data sales group to oversee its offerings to clients.

“The strong response to Aurora Video Targeting Solutions in the marketplace over the last year, and the expanded availability of this fully transparent planning tool in the 2018 Upfront, convinced us that the time was right for a dedicated data sales team,” said Scott Collins, president of advertising sales for AMC Networks, in a statement.

Danny Trejo Partners With ‘Guns of Boom’ For Mobile Gaming Event

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Mobile developer Game Insight has enlisted action star Danny Trejo to promote a new mode in shooter game Guns of Boom.

Guns of Boom‘s new free-for-all mode kicks off with “Trejo Tournament,” starring Danny Trejo’s likeness and voice. This is the first time that Game Insight has partnered with a celebrity at this scale.

Trejo Tournament runs April 17 to June 15, after which free-for-all mode will continue. While the actor is not officially participating in his namesake tournament, Game Insight told AListDaily that they’re “sure” he’ll participate on a personal level.

“[Trejo is] an existing member of the Guns of Boom community, making this the best possible opportunity we could have hoped for,” said Game Insight CEO Anatoly Ropotov in a statement.

Trejo, known for his work in a long line of films—including the Machete franchise—appears in a number of promotional videos for the event, alongside a campaign that will include social channels for both Trejo and Guns of Boom. Shorter promotional videos will also run on a variety of internet-based ad platforms.

Guns of Boom released a teaser image on Twitter Monday, revealing that someone with the initials “D.T.” would be claiming “his event” and inviting fans to guess his identity. Several fans guessed correctly—and early—after Portuguese fans spotted an official announcement released ahead of the US.

Trejo has a long history of appearing in video games, beginning with Def Jam: Fight for NY in 2004. Since then, he has lent his likeness and/or voice to several video game characters, from Call of Duty: Black Ops to Taco Run!—an app designed to promote Trejo’s Tacos restaurants.

Celebrity spokespeople have become common for marketing mobile games. Some more notable examples include Arnold Schwarzenegger for Mobile Strike and Jason Statham for Sniper X.

Other celebrities simply create their own apps and games as an extension of their personal brand. Chef Gordan Ramsey, Kim Kardashian, Katy Perry, Brittany Spears and DJ Khaled are among recent stars to incorporate mobile games into their marketing strategies.

Nielsen’s Activision Blizzard Partnership Revamps Esports Metrics

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In the next 12 months, brand marketers will be able to track the same data on Activision Blizzard esports viewer engagement as they can for traditional sports events, thanks to a partnership between the game publishing giant and Nielsen announced on Monday.

“As esports continues to mature and reach its potential as a stand-alone business, we’re determined to lead the way and develop best practices for brands and advertisers,” said Pete Vlastelica, CEO of Activision Blizzard Esports Leagues.

Nielsen will begin tracking brand exposure, performance benchmarks and viewer sentiment on several Activision Blizzard esports events this year, using its existing research methodology. The partnership will begin with Overwatch’s three esports tournaments, Overwatch League, World Cup and Contenders and Call of Duty World League, with unspecified plans to expand to other titles in 2019.

“Esports is booming and there’s huge market potential,” said Nicole Pike, managing director and head of Nielsen Esports. “We’re thrilled to be working closely with Activision Blizzard, who has taken initiative in leading the market forward.”

These measurements will support the brand’s attempts to use traditional sports strategies for its esports efforts, including opening an arena devoted entirely to competitive gaming back in October of last year.

“We’re thinking a lot about how to incorporate sponsorships and brands within the broadcasts in different ways,” Adam Rosen, senior business operations manager at Blizzard Esports told AListDaily. “Brand integrations on our esports shows will mostly consist of content integrations like you see on traditional sports shows.”

With Nielsen data backing up its ratings and viewership figures, Activision Blizzard will find it less of an uphill battle to rope in sponsors, and it’s doubtful that brands will complain about having more data available.

The partnership will Nielsen marks one of Activision Blizzard’s less zany marketing efforts, which have previously included special-edition Amazon Echos and cross-over content between its games.