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Leaders
March 2019 www.intellinews.com I Page 12
ESforce will concentrate on the development of its remaining assets. These include the Russian eSports club Virtus.pro, a variety of online resources as well as video and event activities.
For Daimler, the acquisition of SK Gaming “manifests [Mercedes-Benz]’s commitment
to professional gaming as the spearhead of a global youth culture.” “The triumphant advance
of eSports, which has developed into a mass phenomenon, is not a fashionable flash in the pan but a form of expression for an entire generation. A generation that is actively involved in shaping the future,” a statement from Daimler says.
Thus, after nearly two years of involvement
in eSports, Mercedes-Benz claims to be “the first vehicle manufacturer to invest in an eSports team.” “We are fascinated by both the enthusiasm of this young and digital generation
Russia drops two places on Bloomberg innovation ranking
bne IntelliNews
Despite the hype surrounding the state digitisation programme, Russia fell to 27th place in the global innovative rankings produced by Bloomberg,
but was still the third best in Emerging Europe, Bloomberg reported on January 22.
Russia is now on a par with Malaysia and Luxem- bourg. Last year, Russia was two positions higher.
The top slot was once again taken by South Korea, the six-time champion of the rating. Germany is in second place after rising two places. The rest of the top ten was, in order, Finland (+4 positions), followed by Switzerland (+1), Israel (+5), Singapore (-3),
for professional gaming and the totally new form of media consumption and communication within the fan community. By getting involved in SK Gaming we want to participate in this dialogue
– as an open-minded and interested partner,” stated Bettina Fetzer, Vice President Marketing Mercedes-Benz Passenger Cars.
Following the acquisition, the Mercedes star will be adorning the front of the SK Gaming shirts.
Founded in 1997, SK Gaming (Schroet Komman- do) touts itself as “the world’s most recognized brands in competitive video gaming.” Founded in 1997, the club has offices in Cologne, Germany, and Los Angeles, California. It claims to have won “more than 60 major championship titles andmns in prize money earnings across a variety of disci- plines” over the past two decades.
Sweden (-5), the US (+3), Japan (-3), and France (-1). China has risen three places, but is still not among the ten most advanced countries, ranking 16th.
From the New Europe region there were some surprises. The highest placed New Europe market was Poland in 22nd place, down one place y/y. Poland which was strongest on Productivity with
a score of 40 that was almost twice as high as its peers at the top of the ranking. It was also strong on research concentration and R&D intensity.
Czechia also did well (25th place), and was strongest in high-tech density. Compared to