That's how Johanna Faries, a vice president at gaming company Activision Blizzard and commissioner of Call of Duty League, described the environment at the Call of Duty playoffs and other major esports events on Cheddar's Business of Sports special on Thursday. While the coronavirus pandemic has put a damper on this sort of in-person experience, Faries noted that the industry's growth in 2020 has been a bright spot.
"It's been amazing how much new attention and fandom there has been in light of a very challenging year," she said.
The increased attention has also paid dividends on Wall Street. Activision Blizzard's stock was trading at close to 2020 highs, closing at $83.11 per share at market close on December 10, and showed gradual growth since the start of the coronavirus pandemic. For reference, Activision Blizzard's highest close in 2020 was $86.84 on August 6, at a time when pro sports leagues such as Major League Baseball and the NBA were just beginning to return to action.
Faries also commended the esports community's ability to adapt to a stronger presence on online platforms such as YouTube as a way to connect with fans and other gamers. When discussing the shift in strategy, she said, "Esports has always been a kind of ecosystem, an environment where our players know how to be resilient. They know how to pivot very quickly. They're digitally native."
Looking ahead to 2021, Faries sees the combination of esports' growing energy when it comes to attention and fandom, as well as seeing more engagement on platforms such as YouTube, boding well for the future of the industry.
"To be able to be powerful in both spaces and to continue up and to the right engagement with not only existing fans but new fans is exactly where we want to be," she said. "We feel well-positioned."
President Donald Trump's administration last month awarded a $1.2 billion contract to build and operate what's expected to become the nation’s largest immigration detention complex to a tiny Virginia firm with no experience running correction facilities.
Chipmaker Nvidia is poised to release a quarterly report that could provide a better sense of whether the stock market has been riding an overhyped artificial intelligence bubble or is being propelled by a technological boom that’s still gathering momentum.
Cracker Barrel said late Tuesday it’s returning to its old logo after critics — including President Donald Trump — protested the company’s plan to modernize.
Low-value imports are losing their duty-free status in the U.S. this week as part of President Donald Trump's agenda for making the nation less dependent on foreign goods. A widely used customs exemption for international shipments worth $800 or less is set to end starting on Friday. Trump already ended the “de minimis” rule for inexpensive items sent from China and Hong Kong, but having to pay import taxes on small parcels from everywhere else likely will be a big change for some small businesses and online shoppers. Purchases that previously entered the U.S. without needing to clear customs will be subject to the origin country’s tariff rate, which can range from 10% to 50%.
Southwest Airlines will soon require plus-size travelers to pay for an extra seat in advance if they can't fit within the armrests of one seat. This change is part of several updates the airline is making. The new rule starts on Jan. 27, the same day Southwest begins assigning seats. Currently, plus-size passengers can pay for an extra seat in advance and later get a refund, or request a free extra seat at the airport. Under the new policy, refunds are still possible but not guaranteed. Southwest said in a statement it is updating policies to prepare for assigned seating next year.
Cracker Barrel is sticking with its new logo. For now. But the chain is also apologizing to fans who were angered when the change was announced last week.
Elon Musk on Monday targeted Apple and OpenAI in an antitrust lawsuit alleging that the iPhone maker and the ChatGPT maker are teaming up to thwart competition in artificial intelligence.
