BUILT IN — Primal Screen develops branding work for television, film, environmental media and the web. The company specializes in children’s entertainment branding and curriculum-based content, working with clients related to film, broadcast, education and gaming. Primal Screen boasts in-house capabilities in motion graphics, animation, live action, audio, music composition and interactive development.

ESPORTS INSIDER — Misfits Gaming Group has announced a partnership with online fundraising platform Softgiving, with plans to use the platform for online charity events throughout 2020.

The first online streaming event will take place between April 16-19th and benefit the Gift of Life Marrow Registry, which is currently assisting patients during the COVID-19 pandemic. [MORE]

REUTERS — DreamHack Masters Spring 2020 is moving online in response to the coronavirus pandemic.

“Due to the ongoing health and safety concerns in the world, and in the interest of the safety and health of our players and staff, DreamHack Masters has been rescheduled and moved to an online format in order to fulfill our promise of bringing the CS:GO community the world’s best action,” DreamHack announced Friday on its website.

DreamHack Masters Spring has a total prize pool of $300,000 and includes teams in Europe, North America, Asia and Oceania.[MORE]

DALLAS MORNING NEWS — Esports events in the North Texas area continued to hit roadblocks as DreamHack announced in a release Thursday that two of its events, including DreamHack Dallas, were rescheduled to later in the year due to health and safety concerns regarding the coronavirus (COVID-19).

DreamHack Dallas, a festival-type event that included competition in StarCraft II, fighting games and an opportunity to try out new games from Indie Developers, was rescheduled from its original dates of May 22-24 to August 14-16. It will still be at Kay Bailey Hutchinson Convention Center in downtown Dallas. [MORE]

THE GAME HAUS — It was the worst of times, until, all at once, it was the best of times.

After two miserable weeks of play, with a 2-12 map record and no match wins, the Houston Outlaws headed into their first homestand with a lot to prove. The team made big roster changes over the off-season, losing some key names and officially gaining ‘mixed roster’ status. Fans and staff alike came into 2020 expecting major improvements from a team that’s been in the middle of the pack (at best) since its inception.

What they got was the opposite of that. The beginning of the Outlaws’ season was dismal. The first two games weren’t just losses, but disastrous ones. The next two saw improvement, but not enough to get a win on the board. They limped back to H-Town with an 0-4 record, and the internet collectively hoping that maybe the lack of travel and the supportive crowd would help put a little wind back in their sails.

But even the Internet wasn’t ready for what descended on Harris County last weekend

[MORE]

OVERWATCHLEAGUE.COM — Five hours before the first match of the Houston Outlaws homestand, Frank LaSpina, the Overwatch League’s Global Broadcast Director, approached the Revention Music Center for his call time. He was far from the first to arrive. A crowd of fans wearing Outlaws jerseys were already lined up, excited to welcome their team home.

“I’ve been at a homestand each week so far, and each city brings its own unique energy to it,” LaSpina said. “What Houston’s really brought is this pent-up demand for Overwatch esports. We saw that when we were at the Blizzard Arena the past two years—when Houston would play, you’d see their fans always in the front row. Now that we are here, it’s just been electric.”

With the Overwatch League’s first few homestands complete, the impact of local fans celebrating the long-awaited promise of geolocation has been immeasurable. From the Philadelphia Fusion crowd truly living up to the city’s reputation with their ruthless response for away teams to Washington DC’s pure joy and unyielding support for their charismatic home team, each city has radiated a distinct energy. [MORE]

THE GAMER — The Anaheim Convention Center hosted the first Dreamhack on the west coast this past weekend and by all accounts, the event went off without a hitch. Attendance was strong and the atmosphere was lively at this first of (hopefully) many Dreamhack events in Southern California.

Dreamhack began in the late '90s as a gathering of a small group of friends in a Swedish elementary school and has grown into a massive international series of conventions. Dreamhack events are best known for hosting esports tournaments in a wide variety of games, but there's so much more to do and see at Dreamhack than just tournaments. Dreamhack Anaheim had something for everyone this past weekend, and if they didn't have something you like, you're more than welcome to bring your own entertainment and join the BYOC crowd in the massive LAN area.

[MORE]

ABC-13 HOUSTON — HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- After three years, it's a dream come true for fans and players as the Overwatch League finally comes to Houston.

If you think Esports is just people watching others play a video game, you're way off. Last year, Dallas hosted the first-ever Overwatch League homestand.

A sold out event with lights, fireworks, and screaming fans. Pete Mora was one of them. [MORE]

DEADLINE — The 20,000 attendees for DreamHack at the Anaheim Convention Center wrapped up the three-day gaming event tonight with the conclave’s first awards show, aimed squarely at the gaming community and its publishers.

The Dreamies honored games in unique categories whose winners were determined by judging from industry professionals and fans. The awards were hosted by Naomi Kyle and CaptainSparklez.

DreamHack, founded in 1994 as a bring-your-own-computer LAN party, has grown into a global event and is hosted throughout various locations in Europe and North America. DreamHack festivals feature multiple esports competitions, live music, exhibitions, creative competitions, a LAN party, and cosplay. [MORE]

ESPN (Anaheim) — Martin "MrSavage" Foss Andersen, 15, needed to have the game of his life.

It was the final game of the $250,000 Fortnite Open at DreamHack Anaheim, and the Norwegian teenager sat comfortably in second place on the 100-player leaderboard. After two days of qualifiers, it all came down to this: the top players competing in eight games in a row, with the player amassing the most points at the end awarded the championship. While MrSavage led all players in the final in terms of eliminations, his overall total was 10 points behind another of the world's best Fortnite players, Timothy "Bizzle" Miller. [MORE]

WXIA 11-ALIVE (NBC) — ATLANTA — Georgia Film just got a supreme equipment upgrade that’s being toted as a game changer, according to PC&E one of the area’s top-of-the-line equipment rental companies.

The Bolt X, which was created by UK-based Mark Roberts Motion Control (MRMC), is a portable motion control system. It can be set-up and ready to shoot in under an hour and is as equally effective on-location as in a studio environment. [MORE]

REUTERS —In an effort to shift its marketing strategy, the United States Navy is partnering with DreamHack and ESL North America for several LAN events as well as Navy-sponsored Bring Your Own Controller tournaments.

DreamHack made the official announcement on Twitter on Monday, noting the U.S. Navy will be a joint partner in DreamHack Anaheim from Feb. 21-23, and DreamHack Dallas on May 22-24. Additionally, the U.S. Navy will be featured in CS:GO content.

[MORE]