Pixel P&L: Team Liquid Enters India By Signing a Chess Grandmaster

Welcome to another Pixel P&L edition. This issue takes 4 minutes to read. If you only have one, here are the 4 most important things:

• Riot Games breaks tradition by allowing sports betting sponsorships for League of Legends and Valorant teams, sparking community backlash.

• Team Liquid signs 19-year-old Indian chess prodigy Praggnanandhaa and enters India ahead of the Esports World Cup.

• McLaren Racing partners with Sonic the Hedgehog in a reunion 30+ years in the making.

• Apple introduces new EU App Store fees following a €500M fine, with Epic's Tim Sweeney calling it "malicious compliance." 

Let's get into it.

Team Liquid Enters India Through Chess Grandmaster Acquisition

Dutch esports organization Team Liquid signed Indian chess grandmaster R. Praggnanandhaa, establishing its first presence in India ahead of the Esports World Cup in Riyadh next week. The move comes as online chess prepares for its debut at the tournament.

The 18-year-old joins Magnus Carlsen and Fabiano Caruana on Team Liquid's three-person roster. Trading firm IMC, a Team Liquid sponsor, supported the signing, which occurred one day after Praggnanandhaa's victory at the UzChess Cup.

Multiple Indian players are competing for World Cup finals spots. Arjun Erigaisi has already qualified with Generation Gaming, while Praggnanandhaa joins Nihal Sarin and Aravindh Chithambaram from Indian organization S8UL in needing to advance through qualifying rounds.

The signing follows a broader trend of traditional esports organizations adding chess divisions. Team Liquid's entry into India reflects the country's growing influence in competitive chess, with multiple grandmasters now competing at the highest levels of organized play.

Riot Games Allows Betting Sponsorships for Esports Teams

Riot Games will permit sports betting companies to sponsor top-tier League of Legends and Valorant esports teams across North America, Europe, the Middle East, and Africa, marking a significant policy shift for the video game publisher.

The move, announced by publishing and esports president John Needham, aims to create a "sustainable ecosystem" as the company rethinks its esports strategy amid financial pressures. Teams have requested betting sponsorships for years, Needham said. Sportradar data shows $10.7 billion in bets were placed on Riot's games last year, with 70% occurring through unregulated, unlicensed bookmakers.

Riot will implement what it calls "guardrails," including vetting processes for betting partners and requiring use of official data. The company will invest some program earnings into second-tier teams, though it didn't disclose its revenue share. Broadcasts and team jerseys will remain free of betting advertisements.

The decision drew mostly negative responses from the community, despite Needham's argument that "betting activity already exists around our sports" regardless of company involvement.

⚡Quick Bytes

McLaren Racing Partners with Sonic the Hedgehog in Multi-Year Deal

McLaren Racing announced a multi-year partnership with Sega's Sonic the Hedgehog, formalizing a connection that began when Ayrton Senna unexpectedly won a Sonic trophy at the 1993 European Grand Prix. The collaboration will create "creative integrations" fusing motorsport and gaming to engage younger audiences. Sega calls it "a reunion more than thirty years in the making," as McLaren still holds the original Sonic trophy in its archives from Senna's surprise victory.

Apple Introduces New EU App Store Fees Following DMA Fine

Apple unveiled new European Union business terms including a 2% initial acquisition fee, tiered store services charges of 5%-13%, and a 5% Core Technology Commission after receiving a €500 million ($570 million) fine for violating the Digital Markets Act. Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney criticized the changes as "malicious compliance" that undermines fair competition in digital markets.

⚔️Side Quest

📺 Listen: In PocketGamer’s latest podcast episode, gaming industry CFO Erla Gunnhildardóttir explains why your pitch decks aren't landing: it's not about better numbers, it's about better storytelling. Gunnhildardóttir's insights on connecting financial data to mission and vision apply beyond gaming. Essential for anyone raising capital or trying to get their team bought into the numbers.

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📚 Read: Fascinating insights in this PlayStation Plus deep-dive: Sony's VP spills rare subscriber data showing Premium users outpacing mid-tier signups and PS5 adoption at 81%.

💡Did You Know

When police cars with flashing lights suddenly appeared outside their home, Aidan Jackson's parents had no idea their son's life had just been saved by a stranger 5,000 miles away. The 17-year-old from Widnes was gaming with 20-year-old Dia Lathora from Texas when he began having a seizure. Through her headset, Dia heard "what I could only describe as a seizure" and frantically searched for UK emergency numbers, eventually reaching British police. The first his parents knew something was wrong was when officers ran to their front door, saying there was an "unresponsive male" at their address - Dia's quick thinking had potentially saved Aidan's life.

📜 Quote of the Day

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