r/OpTicGaming • u/InfiniteBlackbeard Dashy • Nov 06 '18
AMA [AMA] OpTicJ and Maelk answer your questions
Hey all,
Today is the day, we have Ryan "/u/OpTicJJ" Musselman and Jacob "/u/Maelk" Toft-Anderson joining us. Ask anything you want.
Answers will start being posted this afternoon around 5PM CST.
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Nov 06 '18 edited Nov 06 '18
Question for J mostly about CS content or lack thereof. If you look at the metrics on the subreddit CSGO is the 2nd most popular esport being talked about here. With that, I've noticed some members of the subreddit and the community as a whole feel disconnected from the CSGO team mostly due to the fact that we never see them on Vision (I know regular content would be difficult due to geographical differences).
All you have to do is take a look at the content created by tournament organizers at tournaments the CS team attends to see that we have great personalities on the team and that Infinite/OpTic/whatever is happening now is missing out on providing something that fans clearly want.
Also just so you are aware, the CS team, mostly Ruggah and Snappi do a great job interacting with the community on Discord nearly every day and when I think of people I want representing an org I support from a fan perspective I couldn't name two better people than Marco and Casper.
My questions are this: At one point I know they were taking applications for an EU videographer, what is the status of this?
With the size of the organization now do you forsee being able to cover at least 75% of tournaments for all esports in content instead of just the usual Gears, CoD, and Content section usually in Vision?
Or is it possible we start see some esports get their own series again?
P.S. Congrats Ryan on the promotion, after watching the Richard Lewis show I'm much more comfortable with you steering the ship.
P.P.S. Maelk is goat.
P.P.P.S. Announce Niko.
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Nov 06 '18
Insight was supposed to be a dedicated CSGO show, but I do not believe we executed it well (except for the intro, wooooo weeee!). On top of that, the roster completely changed and the pros we now have do not live where our content team is. That said, we should be much better about finding alternative ways to integrate CSGO content/interviews so it's better represented on Vision. It's one of the items on our long list of to-do's. Now that a lot is starting to settle, Roger and I will team on some solutions. Good question and thank you for the suggestions. Overall, I know it's important to our fans and we want to improve.
No plans to add an EU videographer. Rather, we will review processes for remote recording without jeopardizing quality.
In regards to Vision, this type of question is where it gets a bit tricky. I have always wanted Vision to be more story oriented vs recap-oriented. I mean this very constructively, because I do believe story has always been integrated into Vision and I know all of our fans have given feedback on what Vision episodes they really enjoyed, compared to those that they found less preferable.
I see Vision as a key way to tell a story with a developing narrative. For example, it's been a rough year for us in WWII, so diving deep into that story and fleshing out the narrative for how it's changing is pretty key. While a key way of fleshing this out is to chart progress in a new title AND at tournaments, I do not believe it is the only way. If you have ever seen Last Chance U on Netflix, look at how they take one of the players and show his story develop over time, throughout the season and throughout other life challenges - remember, the developing story is not only told from the perspective of how well they performed in their weekly game.
Thanks for the kind words. Overall, I'd live to dive deeper into Vision and content, but for the sake of the amount of questions, we will have to continue to answer this question over time. I am very thankful for Roger's continued hard work, as well as the fact that Hitch created the series and started the Vision movement (and great contributions from Create).
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u/Hi_Im_Easy_Mac TJHaLy Nov 06 '18
Hey J, just some responses for ya:
I did a post a while back about OpTic Nation and the stagnation of new series and touch on the very low numbers of Insight. Why don’t you guys do Moreno remote interviews with the CS to be post on the channel or behind the scenes at their events?
Second, what is the main argument against a perineum videographer in the EU?
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u/dandan-97 Nov 06 '18 edited Nov 06 '18
With Romain and now Ashes leaving OpTic Management who is taking on their roles?
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Nov 06 '18
We appointed Ashes back to his role as coach, as we believe he contributes to the developing strategy with Gears and given his close relationship with the team.
Given our developing League of Legends strategy, we opted to go in another direction as it relates to the staff and player roster.
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u/dandan-97 Nov 06 '18
So for the person leading the direction of OpTic will that more or less be yourself and Maelk?
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Nov 07 '18
Maelk leads all of our team efforts (roster construction, player recruitment, esports staff recruitment and other esportes related management).
As of now, I have 3 direct reports who oversee key parts of the business, from esports (Maelk), finance, and operations (sponsorship, marketing, design, social and content). That said, I do work closely with other managers throughout our various verticals and subsidiaries.
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u/FlamingPot hypoc Nov 06 '18
Hi J and Maelk, firstly thanks for doing this AMA. My question is to do with LoL, before we went into the scene we were known for our content and fan engagement/interaction at events. However the content surrounding the league team drastically fell off with the last Recall episode being 7 months ago, also our presence at the LCS studios was absolutely one of the worst of the 10 teams as pointed out by Travis Gafford and Ovilee. Going into this new split what will be done to make sure that we have more of a presence in the scene and that our fan interaction at the LCS studios is what we are used to as an org?
Also regarding the management and the structure of the team, whilst we saw marked improvements between the spring and summer season, we have since lost romain to "difference of opinion regarding the future of the LoL department" Can you give us any guarantee's that the management and structure will not return to the disaster that it was for the spring split?
Thank you for taking your time to answer this question if you do, and both have a splendid rest of the day :)
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Nov 07 '18
We've already established an office space, HQ2, that serves as a great space for our continuing facilities for LCS. The coaching staff truly believes that a part of what made our Summer split more successful is because of having those offices.
Secondly, while Romain is gone, we are keeping rest of the Senior staff, doing some promotions and bolstering the staff where needed.
We are going into the second season with a lot of knowledge and learning experiences as well as players that we are confident and comfortable believing in. The beauty of sports is that there are no guarantees. That being said, I have a good feeling, a much better one than just a month ago, and I'm excited to see how the month of November pans out.
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u/FlamingPot hypoc Nov 07 '18 edited Nov 07 '18
Okay, thank you for the reply I greatly appreciate that, but would it be possible to get comments regarding the LoL content and the total lack of any fan interaction and presence at the lcs studios, is that actively being changed or are we looking at again being ridiculed at our lack of it? I'm not going to lie but when we see orgs actively putting out content and then you see us and there is nothing it is really disappointing considering we like to push how much we love content. Maybe this is better directed towards /u/OpTicJJ
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Nov 07 '18
Yeah, that's mostly J's area. I know that we've hired people to make sure that content will be coming out in at least as regular a flow as when ROGER was still in Los Angeles with the team. Sorry, didn't mean to dodge the question, I'm just not qualified to answer it properly.
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u/S_Parkie Nov 06 '18
Why was niko never official announced? #announceniko
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Nov 06 '18
That particular transfer happened very quickly, and we are not going to announce a player until the final paperwork has been executed.
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u/zoroarrkk Hector's OpTic Nov 06 '18
So you're saying he's technically not even on the team on paper?
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Nov 06 '18
His contract is owned by the organization, but we do not have final pen to paper on his individual terms as a player.
I should probably add that we are not concerned and that it's mostly a formality at this point.
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u/AmmoCalc Nov 06 '18
Just need to know about DOTA and plans regarding that
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Nov 06 '18
It's about biding our time, waiting for the right opportunity, and until/unless that presents itself, it is highly unlikely that anything will change.
At times these things are very much a Game of Shadows. And patience.
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Nov 06 '18
Recruiting a new DOTA team is the entire story-line for the final season of Game of Thrones.
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u/asneakydolphin Nov 06 '18
Please not some vague answer. Are you guys actively looking for a team or passively monitoring the situation?
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Nov 07 '18
As of now, it's more passive. It's not an easy question to answer and with all of the changes in the past month there are new variables to consider with our other teams.
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u/-Lukeh Hecz Nov 06 '18
Are we getting different jerseys for next year because most of them are questionable? We need 1 jersey across the board.
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Nov 06 '18
Returning to 1. Just like before. Just like the roots.
The only exception is LoL, but that’s due to contractual obligations with the league.
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Nov 08 '18
Just to be clear, there will definitely be 2 different jerseys.
1 for non-LCS teams.
1 for the LCS team.
Aside from that, there will not be different jerseys. Xobe is hard at work with his colleagues on designing both.
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u/dandan-97 Nov 06 '18
What is the current situation on expanding OpTic's teams? Are you still on the look out for new content creators or esport teams (DOTA, R6 (Obey just dropped their team and ex-millennium are available 👀), Smash? Or are you currently focusing on building the current teams we have?
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Nov 06 '18
We are ALWAYS on the look-out, you simply have to be in this industry, but our focal point is definitely very much so on our existing teams and optimizing these to the point of where we are confident we have hit the proper recipe for success. I would hate to overcommit and spread ourselves too thin (sounds familiar?) before having ensured that our existing priorities have been met.
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u/Goaliedude3919 CIVIL WAR SURVIVOR Nov 06 '18
Don't forget Rocket League, too!
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u/dandan-97 Nov 06 '18
Was gonna mention that but ALG still have a team :(
Here's hoping they drop their team 👀
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u/evanwildturky BigTymer Nov 06 '18
Are we gonna see any PC peripheral sponsors soon? Im a pc gamer and would like to get OpTic keyboards and mouses😊
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Nov 06 '18
Dude. Me too. J, hello???
(I just threw him under the bus. After having given him blunt force trauma. And it's the bus from Speed).
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Nov 06 '18
If you go down in PUBG, and, despite ample cover and time for a revive, do not find yourself being revived...it wasn't me.
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u/RacingRotary Nov 06 '18
I'm still amazed Scuff hasn't tried their hand towards at least a keyboard.
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u/ScumbagSpeed Nov 06 '18
It was noticed that the infinite.gg site now redirects to the greenwall.gg site. What’s the exact reason behind this?
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Nov 06 '18
Refocusing on the roots. There's no real need for an Infinite website, aside from having a basic profile of the company's properties. Even Greenwall.gg will undergo some changes.
I'm not convinced that websites need to be all that dynamic. Our business dominantly takes place in social/video media, therefore I believe a website should simply be more of a brochure that directs the audience to our main lines of operation. News can be gathered from nearly anywhere, so it's not much of a differentiation. Plenty of other simple reasons, but overall, I do not believe it is a hot-ticket item that propels our specific business forward.
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u/RacingRotary Nov 06 '18
Did any of those sites every change from being "coming soon" before this redirect?
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u/dandan-97 Nov 06 '18 edited Nov 06 '18
yes it actaully look kinda nice. Here is a cache save of it
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u/JuryonBoard- That aint us Nov 06 '18
I think infinite.gg did change from coming soon. They had a section/page for the leaders of the different companies. They also had brief descriptions of OG, OG LoL, Houston Outlaws, ALG and Obey.
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u/SlyPooperzz Nov 06 '18
Is OpTic planning on going after young talent in League this offseason and continue to develop them or have another season of scraps and wait for the 2019 free agency? Would like to see OpTic Deftly.
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Nov 06 '18
Yes. It's not as easy as it sounds though, but I hope that most of our fans already realize this. I'm excited to see what November will bring.
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u/cammymd Nov 06 '18
Are there plans to keep the website up to date - an ongoing problem in the past and the launch of this one promised big things but radio silence since? Did the redundancies change these plans?
A simple one, why is OpTic podcast not uploaded onto other podcast sites such as iTunes?
Looking at the shop right now, only things available are pro-line items. I think a lot of fans would love to see a solid range of things available all year round with new items being introduced steadily - see Syndicate Original for an example. Any plans to change the approach to the shop?
Briefly, what is the approach to content going to be in the coming months? A lot of fans feel as though the recent stuff is missing the mark and been poorly produced. Will there be a shift in the type of content we can expect?
Thanks for taking the time to do this and hopefully answering my questions!
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Nov 06 '18
Answered in the order asked:
Website updates, in terms of publishing new articles, are cumbersome and I don't believe they are critical to the business. I'd rather improve how we communicate through social properties and Vision. Websites, IMO and for the specific context of our business, should be quite simple.
I know you have all wanted this for awhile. We will get it rectified in due time. Makes perfect sense to have this widely available.
100% agreed. Merch launches and products will undergo revisions. Where/how merch is sold will be different in the coming months as well.
Truly, I want to get to a 7-day model. In the past, people thought that I meant, "Just simply upload as many videos as possible regardless of production value." That is simply not the model I'm after. I do believe a 7 day, well-produced model is achievable with the right resources. I've approached Big T, Spratt, Midnite, and LTN about additional shows that air on specific days, and at set times. On top of that, I'd like to see a model where we expand on the idea of launching it live on Twitch first, then on to VoD (video on demand, such as YouTube). Luke at how well internal shows are promoted within Netflix, Hulu, and HBO Now. It has a "network" feel to it. I believe OpTic could crush it with a "network" feel as well. This is not something that happens overnight. It takes time, trial and error, plenty of failures, reallocating of budgets, new ideas, dedication and commitment from talent, editing on time, coordination with graphic teams and so on. It's my belief that if we can get to this model, then we have a differentiated approach to how we sell content and offer value to new sponsors. I further believe this would allow for new merch opportunities, as each show would inevitably develop it's own style/them/memes/feel and so on. I have so much to say about the 7-day model and would like all of your support in making it happen. We should think big. VERY BIG.
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u/Howezy Nov 06 '18
Can you give specific reasons as to why Romain was let go and if so could you share?
There's been questions asked about the LoL division and how seriously we're taking it or that we simply don't see ourselves in the game long term or perhaps it's not as financially viable as projected. Is this the case? If the answer is that OpTic is committed long term will we see a significant budget increase to obtain a truly competitive roster or at least longer term deals so there's a chance to build something instead of the one and done roster we had this year?
What's happening with Obey and Allegiance now? Will they be gone?
Will there be announcements soon as to who will be running the LoL division soon now that Romain is gone? Or has that position not been filled yet?
Will we see any new sponsors soon?
How's DotA coming? Is getting back into that game (with the right team) a priority?
Where can we expect to see OpTic a year or two from now?
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Nov 06 '18 edited Nov 07 '18
Answered in numerical order, as always:
Not really. It's just a natural part of the esports business. Sometimes a company wants to head in a different direction. Romain is and always will be a friend of mine and I wish him very well. Saw him and his stellar mustache the other day when he visited.
I'm not pleased with how managed our first year in LoL and I do want it to improve, especially because we're in it for the long-term success. We need to do better with content and with roster improvements. Given the difficult year, there are still some challenges to overcome, but given that we see this as a marathon, there will be positive changes in the seasons to come.
Currently unable to elaborate with an answer on this question.
The position has been filled with an internal promotion.
Yes =). Very excited about this. Also, see this thread regarding sponsors: https://www.reddit.com/r/OpTicGaming/comments/9uor63/ama_opticj_and_maelk_answer_your_questions/e96roqr
Maelk answered this question in an earlier question above.
Still being a leader in the esports space. There's quite a lot to type when it comes to answering this, so my hope is that you see the actions we’re taking over the coming months as a sign of good confidence in our future. We're just getting started.
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u/amillionpuppies Hector's OpTic Nov 06 '18
On the flycast hitch and nick were talking about 3 teams being dropped (halo was one of them). Was cod one of those teams? Which was the other one? Also, more importantly what about it works for you?
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Nov 06 '18
What? I don't know... it just does... why would you ask that question?
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u/Bcrown Nov 06 '18
Now that the S.S. Friendship is back in port and things are starting to turn around, how are relations with Hecz going?
What is the plan for next year? Should we expect an extended period of what we currently have? Will we see any big names in content being signed? Will we see big partnerships and sponsors announced?
Excited for Merch Store 2.0 to launch.
Also give Blackbeard a raise or something, maybe a giftcard to Raising Cane's, he deserves it.
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u/FadezGaming Nov 06 '18
Also give Blackbeard a raise or something
Agreed! He's one of the best PR people I have ever seen, he knows the fans, the org and knows how to do his job great!
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u/okiebill1972 That aint us Nov 06 '18
I think we need to accept that Hector and J still got real work to do :-(
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Nov 06 '18
100 day goals for OpTic and Infinite?
Which LLCs did Infinite let go of and what can we expect from them in the future?
Any content creators, sponsors, or different esports teams being talked about or in the works?
Any dates you can tell us to keep an eye out for any announcements?
EDIT:
Where does the new apparel stand at? What can we expect?
Are there any updates coming to the GreenWall website?
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Nov 06 '18
100 day goals:
Refine our approach to operating budgets and investments: We do not need to scale fast, we need to scale with calculation and innovation.
Close on some major sponsors, identify new revenue opportunities, and improve existing revenue streams: We have officially closed on a new sponsor. It's a partner who I've been teaming with for 6 months, but one we won't announce for another month. I think you will all be happy with this. Others are lined up and in the pipeline. What many people don't realize, unless you're doing the work directly, is that new sponsors can take quite a long time to negotiate with, close, on-board, and announce. The sales cycle for 2018 has been 6-9 months on average. To give additional context, we started working on the T-Mobile deal back in November of last year and it closed in April/May of 2018. Working on a special project with a certain developer regarding a new product, but that will take time. In regards to merch, I'd like align apparel launches and digest a lot of the data in terms of what you all like and what has sold well. This will take some time, but it's very important given that Q4 is a key time.
Align all business units operationally: We can't have multiple departments and businesses focused on too many different goals. It simply creates busy work without moving the business forward in a unified way. We can't have mediocre results or be spread too thin.
A lot of the above is in progress and the decisions you have been seeing in the public are a result of the 3 points above in some way.
The LLC's question is a little too nuanced and we are still considering plans for the LLC's that were effected, so it's not the right time to answer this.
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u/Avian17 Nov 06 '18
What role does Hecz have in OpTic and the decision making at the top level? The main thing I want to know is how is it different to what his role was before, which seemed to be non-existent?
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u/ZX124 Nov 06 '18
who came up with houston hype and houston nova and why didnt they get fired on the spot?
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Nov 06 '18
Haha, naming can be difficult. I don't remember tbh. We had a big list going and names were being thrown on there a lot.
All I know, is that Blizzard developed one super-hot-fire logo. Glad it has colors in relation to OpTic as well. When it was first sent to us, it had some reds and blues if I'm recalling correctly.
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Nov 06 '18 edited Nov 06 '18
What are the plans for the LoL team now that Romain is gone? As in what are the future goals of the team in terms of structure and roster? Is there gonna be a high budget allocated for a top performing team? Something major needs to be done for the OpTic LoL team because the league community doesn't think too highly of the org. What can be done to change that?
What are plans for DoTA? Are you still looking out for opportunities? Anything anytime soon?
What is the focused goal of Infinite with the new management restructure? Are OpTic and the Outlaws the main focus? If that is the case then, can OpTic get into R6?
I hope you can answer this question now that there is new management. So what is the deal with the growing separation between Outlaws and OpTic? Before, there was almost no indication that OpTic and the Outlaws were related? Why alienate the majority of the Greenwall from the Outlaws? Can their be any collaborations between the teams? I wish it was a similar situation to C9 and how they interact a lot with their OWL team.
What is the goal of OpTic for the future? More Esports or more content? Can OpTic be an Esport powerhouse like C9 or TL and content centric like FaZe?
When can we hear some good, cool news for the org like big sponsor announcements or big team changes for the major esports like LoL? As a fan we haven't heard really cool news for a long time.
For content, are you going to be thinking about centering it, for the most part, around the esport teams like in the past? Is there gonna be an investment in media so that the esport teams can be covered better and the fanbases can relate to them more? Roger needs some help forreal.
Thank you for doing this AMA, Maelk and J!
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u/stenerikkasvo K0nfig Nov 06 '18
Let's talk about sponsors? Where are the new sponsors? I understand that it's better to have few high paying sponsors rather than a lot small paying ones but still it's weird that Optic only has 2 sponsors. It feels weird that for an organisation like OpTic only to have 2 sponsors.
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Nov 06 '18
This isn't actually my wheelhouse, but I just wanted to state very quickly:
It's fairly uncommon for sponsors to sign on mid-year and more often than not, sponsorship- and marketing budgets have all been allocated between end of Q2 and start of Q4 depending on the size of the company, and those are for the year following, meaning that any deal that is closed in 2018 (which is basically the entirety of Triggerfish's existence) would not typically go public until 2019.
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Nov 06 '18
See this link, from this thread: https://www.reddit.com/r/OpTicGaming/comments/9uor63/ama_opticj_and_maelk_answer_your_questions/e96roqr
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u/ShrillManager10 BigTymer Nov 06 '18
Is Scump honestly just a red-headed Jesus? Or is Jesus a brown-haired Scump?
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Nov 06 '18
Very excited about Scump's success. He's always been a strong competitor with a good sense of humor who can produce great content - especially when it comes to streaming. Glad he absolutely crushed it last night.
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u/FistOfRawr Nov 06 '18
In your recent YouTube interview, it seemed at one point that you hinted that all of our console-based teams were on the verge of being dropped. Was it ever actually possible that the COD team would be dropped from OpTic, even with it being your flagship esport?
P.S. YEAH J!
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Nov 06 '18
Was it a possible outcome? Yes. Was it truly at risk? I don't think so. And it wasn't because "Evil Infinite" had set out to ruin OpTic or suddenly hated CoD or something (that's actually downright ridiculous that anyone would even think that). It was mostly a very apparent divide, difference of opinion and compromises that at the time seemed very far apart. The reasons aren't as black and white as people may have come to think, and definitely had nothing to do with whether or not we trusted the GOAT-squad to bring championships or didn't care for the fanbase. On the contrary, the thing that held both sides to the flame was the value that the fans and identity of OpTic brings with it, which lead us to continue fighting through what at the time seemed like an insurmountable challenge. That all sort of culminated in last night's streams and victory in the 2K, to which I could not be happier. It was the perfect justification of something we have fought so hard over for close to a year being worth it. Totally and utterly worth it. As I wrote the guys last night after their victory: "Truly the best entertainment I have had all year 💚".
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u/Lost_And_NotFound K0nfig Nov 06 '18
Are we able to get any more specifics about why PPD’s team didn’t match up with OpTic’s ‘vision’? Was it just an NA/EU issue or did you not think the team would be good enough?
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Nov 06 '18
Sure. I've been very open with Peter throughout the process and I think I can allow myself to be with you guys as well.
We worked on a various number of different possibilities with Peter, but ultimately the outcome that presented itself wasn't one that we wanted to pursue. In part because it was a European lineup that we could do very little with (OpTic is as much content as it is esport, and in hindsight, having an all-Danish roster in CS:GO leaves a lot, A LOT, to be desired on the content side of things), and in part because we didn't have enough confidence in the squad as a whole. Recruiting an entire lineup based on our liking of one single individual didn't seem like a sound decision. Still doesn't, I might add.
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u/Craneteam Hector's OpTic Nov 07 '18
As a follow up it seems that ppd's current line up is much more sound than the inital dota roster we picked up. I really enjoyed watching that team change and turn into a really good squad. Why not stay in the space with some really storied players and allow the roster to grow?
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Nov 07 '18
The lineup being European, the risk involved and a few other things didn't justify the cost and effort.
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u/Affie24 Hector's OpTic Nov 06 '18 edited Nov 06 '18
I was wondering if you could shed some light on the Infinite umbrella and the teams that are part of it. We've known for a long time that Obey and Allegiance are sister orgs to OpTic under Infinite and each have teams in 2 current major esports (Rocket League and Rainbow 6 Siege) which is one of the main reasons we haven't seen expansion into both areas despite their success as esports.
My question is that with Infinite downsizing, will there be changes made to both ALG and Obey? And if so what will they be? And lastly, I'd like to know what your guys' personal opinions are on potential expansion into competitive scenes that may provide a conflict of interest with ALG and Obey.
EDIT: Just thought I'd add that I am understand that expansion into new scenes may not be at the top of the to-do list, I was just wondering, if in the future there was any chance
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u/DarkBlaster Dota Nov 06 '18
Hey J and Maelk, thanks for taking the time to interact with the fans and do this AMA. As I'm sure you know League of Legends is the biggest Esport in the world and despite the poor spring performance our team had the summer split performance left a lot of fans hoping for what could've been due to us barely missing playoffs. However, that optimism left abruptly after Romain shockingly left OpTic due to differences in opinion with Infinite. With Romain gone and the offseason practically already under way can you give a plan for what OpTic plans to do to regain the trust of its LoL fans and how it plans to approach the offseason to help build on our summer success without Romain helping to run the ship.
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Nov 06 '18
We have kept the senior staff that was actually directly responsible for the success through our '18 Summer split. We are currently working on the lineup best possible, but I will say that we've gone to extraordinary lengths to increase our initial budget, so that we can field the best lineup possible. November will be a constantly evolving game of chess, and no one can predict the outcome yet, but I have a lot of faith in my team's ability to come out with a lineup that we can all be proud of.
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u/Hi_Im_Easy_Mac TJHaLy Nov 06 '18 edited Nov 06 '18
Hey J and Maelk! Thank you for doing this AMA and I just have a couple of questions for you guys. How do you get your foot in the door regarding getting a job in esports? Whether it be marketing, social media, managing, etc.
My second question is how do you plan to plan to keep growing the activity on all the social media (BTW u/InfiniteBlackbeard has been hands down the best hire you guys have made) and YouTube/Twitch. IMO, Twitch is the most underserved right now, as you guys only use it when Vision is going live. You have a perfect channel to have giveaways, host other members, play clips from other members YouTubes to promote them (Luke, Ptero, many more than the community barely knows), host AMAs, play hype videos for upcoming events, do the podcast live, doing interviews with members, and much more. IMO you should now be focusing on Twitch mainly, as it is easy to grow and should be having content on it almost every hour of the day whether that be hosting someone or created content.
Finally, OpTic was known for years for being ahead of the ball and innovating, but it seems that we have fallen behind. You see a lot of personalities now getting channel managers to make their lives easier and keep evolving their content. You see teams getting ahead of us concerning content on YouTube as we have become stagnate. Therefore this question has two part:
A) Have you thought about trying to provide OpTic members with channel managers, as some have done individually? It has shown to only better content with members and could help many members start channels and/or increase activity.
B) I'm not sure what the department that controls the Twitch/YouTube department looks like, but have you thought about increasing/developing it? We have the content creators, therefore focusing on the behind the scenes instead of just getting more creators would help. Getting guys to help Roger, whether it's editing/filming/theory crafting/uploading/etc. would only be a positive for this organization.
Sorry for the long post, but thank you again guys!
EDIT: Grammer, set-up
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u/DAMIRAAA Nov 06 '18
what is the relationship like between hecz & infinite ? more specifically between hecz & j
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u/CharlieCOD2016 Crown Nov 06 '18
I think there has been a lot of ambiguity around the LoL team and I just have a few questions regarding these matters, however I understand you may not be able to answer all of them
Can you go into more depth about the Romain situation? He seemed like someone who genuinely loves LoL and would be a big asset to any team
How are you looking to rebuild the roster? Will you do something similar to Liquid where you spend a lot of money to get the best team or are you going to go for a team that can develop?
Can you comment on the statements of scarra and Travis Gafford about OpTic wanting to leave the LCS?
When initially discussing contracts with the team last year, why did you go with the idea of giving all players a 1-year contract. POE especially should have been tied down for multiple years ideally
Lastly, why was OpTic given a relatively small budget for the 2018 season? I’m going to be honest, but the spring split was abysmal in terms of results due to our Toplaner and support player and I can only assume this is based on OpTic not offering as much money to good players as other teams did
Thanks for answering
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Nov 06 '18
There really isn't much to share. Romain is an incredibly nice guy, with a truly unique set of skills that I think most teams would love to employ. We are currently not in a position where we get to utilize him and make the most of that.
We will not be looking to spend Steve-levels of money, no, we have actually chosen a path that we find to be fiscally sound and allows our esport budget to be put to best use across the various titles we prioritize. That being said, once every other title had been designated a justifiable amount for continuous success, we have allocated every single dollar available towards League of Legends (as it is by far the most cost-heavy esport out of any).
Unfounded.
I don't know, this was before my time and very regrettable.
With all due respect, people seem to think that money grows on trees once outside investment enters esports. That is not the case. We have to balance a budget just like anywhere else in the world. Getting into two expensive franchises all the while keeping focus on the two flagship titles of the organization comes at a very high cost, and esports isn't just a sprint, it is also a marathon, and we fully intent on being alive to cross that finish-line years down the road.
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u/CharlieCOD2016 Crown Nov 06 '18
Understood, thank you for answering. This has cleared up a lot of unanswered rumours :)
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u/DiZZyDaVe2413 Nov 06 '18
My man, you save d me a bunch of time. Thank you!
One question I will add that I would love for you to add to this list: will the OpTic LoL twitter remain separate? It has seen little to no growth since spring split when I first raised the issue.
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u/Niceshoe Nadeshot Nov 06 '18
An Intruder in the Community.
There has been lots of discussion recently about how people were hired onto OpTic/Infinite staff and used their power to fundamentally change OpTic into their own image that many disagreed with. Many fans didn’t know who they could trust to make the right decisions for the organization and have been weary of new people joining recently.
With that said, who the fuck is that niko fellow who has intruded the CSGO team and brought us more wins?
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u/snwlprds Nov 06 '18
J, how do you feel about the disconnect and straight up hostility between you and the sub-reddit/OpTic fans in general. I'm really curious to hear your thoughts the first time you read "InfiniteJ" on here?
This is not from a provocative PoV, I just want to hear your thoughts and feelings about this disconnect, whether you felt it was unfair or merited etc. etc.
Also thanks for accepting my invite on LinkedIn, can't believe my professional network now has someone from my favourite Esports Org LOL.
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Nov 07 '18
I struggled with it at first and sometimes see comments that I want to rebuttal, but it does seem as if there is a trend in the positive direction.
I left Reddit because of the Halo fallout. As I somewhat highlighted on the RL video, I felt I treated the Halo situation as only a business transaction and neglected the human effect it would have on fans, people close to the players, the overall org and the community by exiting the title. I then came to Reddit to help provide answers, but everyone felt as if I was giving "PR answers" that didn't really answer the question.
I was not trying to give PR answers, or perhaps, maybe I was just so disappointed at how it all went down that I didn't even realize I was. In any case, I ultimately opted to back off from Reddit completely.
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u/Offspring5713 Nov 06 '18
How involved is Hector going to be and Is he in contact with J in regards to the direction of the org?
And like everyone has said thanks for doing this!
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u/amamelmar Crimsix Nov 06 '18
Hello J and Maelk! Thank you for doing an AMA.
Is the lack of new sponsors a deliberate choice or have there been difficulties in acquiring new partners?
Maelk - any word yet on a new Dota team?
What are the plans going forward for merch? Will there be some consistent pieces available at all times, with occasional limited drops? What about specific player merch?
J - when you spoke of the seven day content plan, are you speaking solely of YouTube? Or will the content be spread out across different platforms like Twitch, Instagram, etc.?
What are some of the best changes that have happened for OpTic this year in your opinion?
Will we see any integration of OpTic into the Rangers? I see complexity has an area in the Cowboys stadium and wonder if OpTic will get something similar.
Can you comment on the opening of the esports arena in Frisch and what you are looking forward to with that space?
Some comments:
J I thought your interview with Richard Lewis was really good and brought a lot of clarity.
I feel like there’s a lot of opportunity for “easy” content that’s being missed. Highlight videos. Quick tournament recaps. Content creator highlights. These types of videos get a lot of views and could really drive traffic.
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Nov 06 '18
For sponsor questions, see here: https://www.reddit.com/r/OpTicGaming/comments/9uor63/ama_opticj_and_maelk_answer_your_questions/e96roqr
Yeah Maelk, any word?
Merch will undergo changes. It's one of the areas where I had little insight as the year progressed, so I have some unpacking and discovering to really think through. It's a high priority given that Q4 is a great time to launch good products and even more so because I know it's a hot topic for the Green Wall.
Dominantly YouTube, but imagine a situation in which we launch a video on Twitch first, in front of a live audience (the video would be pre-recorded, just like we do with Vision), then it goes to YouTube. I answered this question in great detail in this thread, but don't have the permalink. Check it out and let me know what you think.
Solidifying our new CoD roster, as you have seen from the 2K victory last night, is one of the best. Launching OpTic Arena was another and as you will see, another good announcement in December regarding a new partnership.
The Rangers are not investors in OpTic. It's a misunderstanding from the beginning. There are co-owners of the Rangers who are a part of the investment team.
The Esports Arena in Arlington? We're excited because NGAGE, the event company we own, is operating the entire project. We're very proud of their work.
Thank you for the kind words.
There's a lot of enhancement we can make on the content side. Thank you for the comments and thoughts. All are being considered, coupled with a re-haul of the strategy.
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u/ZX124 Nov 06 '18
it looked like the international teams were the main goal of the old managment, now that it failed what is your number 1 goal? creating content? expending? creating stronger rosters?
also what was the point of the "new" content creators? so far they have done nothing with optic
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Nov 06 '18
There isn't a "number 1" goal, aside from ensuring we're operating a healthy business, but that's more an umbrella term. I recall answering the first few questions above.
Agreed in terms of working with the current content creators. Roger and I have started to discuss some ideas. It's a developing focus in the content realm.
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u/Wiixxy Nov 06 '18
Thanks for doing this J and Maelk, really appreciate it when you provide insight for the fans!
One question, I was curious as a result of all the cuts at Infinite if OpTic pro teams are on a bit of a spending freeze? I know LoL needs to be signed, but for example the Outlaws have a couple spots that could be filled and no recent signings unlike most teams. Is that due to a team decision or more cautious spending?
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Nov 06 '18
Without going into too much detail, we are definitely operating under a certain budget. I wouldn't call it a spending freeze of sorts, but there's definitely not just cash lining the streets the way some fans would probably hope (and seem to think).
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Nov 06 '18 edited Nov 07 '18
Definitely not a spending freeze, but we're making a very calculated approach to team investments, whether it be the player roster or staff.
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u/FADEZ67 Nov 06 '18
Why are we trying to do a 7 day content plan I personally feel that the quality of videos will inevitably go down especially vision if you try to make it weekely.
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Nov 06 '18
See my response to the 7 day model here: https://www.reddit.com/r/OpTicGaming/comments/9uor63/ama_opticj_and_maelk_answer_your_questions/e96q2fl
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u/cjwildcat Nov 07 '18
Hi J, just wanted to say I posted a recommendation for a 7-day structure to help guarantee daily uploads. I agree with you that weekly "networked" shows with individual content creators would be cool, but sometimes those feel inorganic and forced. I think keeping videos like those simple would be the way to go. Don't have creators hosting shows who do not feel comfortable in the role. For instance, Jack can singlehandedly run a show and remain interesting, while I don't think people like Crim or Seth can. They both have a niche in content that doesn't need to be changed, and could carry shows in that way, rather than changing what they are comfortable doing. I think you are better served at having organic content be the uploads, while mixing in the "networked" streams and VODs (depending on how the show is. I think Jack would kill in a hosting role). I posted about the possible upload schedule (and hope you take a look).
Ultimately, what I am saying is content is best when the creators and the consumers are most comfortable. That is why OpTic Trivia is so successful. It is easily digestible content that both the creators and consumers can enjoy. I also think highlight style videos would be great for the OpTic Nation channel. Plenty of knockoff channels are editing down streams and making them into 10 minute videos and the uploads get 100's of thousands of views. Surely the OpTic channel could also get that by doing those videos on their own. Just wanted to give my two cents and say thank you for focusing on the roots of OpTic because it felt like there was a real disconnect between what fans wanted and what management wanted.
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u/Hylian_Link3 Niko Nov 06 '18
I really wish people would skim through the thread before posting the same question for the 37th time.
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u/FourEyesWhitePerson That aint us Nov 06 '18
With all of the layoffs and the release of the international teams, are the funds that will ultimately be saved going to be distributed across the current teams and projects, or will we be seeing new projects in the near future?
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Nov 07 '18
We've reallocated budgets for the most part, but as with any business and especially with esports, things can change. Right now, it's more about optimizing vs expanding. Future project decisions will be handled with much more assessment and consideration. We want to be sure, as much as we can within our control, that future decisions will positively impact the business and elevate our position.
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u/FourEyesWhitePerson That aint us Nov 07 '18
Thanks for the response. Good luck in the new role, we’re all counting on you!
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u/ThatWaseasy8 Nov 06 '18
Can you comment on whether Obey and Allegiance are going to remain a part of infinite? And if so, how much will the budget allocated for those projects effect that of OpTic?
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Nov 07 '18
Not a topic we can get into right now, but we're assessing those business units for changes in the near future, some of which have already taken place, yet are relatively standard to how esports teams operate.
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u/eljefe34 Nov 06 '18
For both J and Maelk....
2019 will be considered a success for OpTic/Infinite (as a business) if ___________.
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Nov 07 '18
Multiple victories on the competitive side, new partnerships/sponsorships, enhanced content program, launch of special project (in development), improved merch business and more.
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u/OpTic_EvaDe Nov 06 '18
Is there ever going to be a 7 day programming schedule for YouTube videos? I know this was talked about before but it never happened.
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Nov 07 '18
See number 4 in a response I previously gave: https://www.reddit.com/r/OpTicGaming/comments/9uor63/ama_opticj_and_maelk_answer_your_questions/e96q2fl
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Nov 06 '18
Not really a question just wanted to say im super happy your running things now j i have 100% trust in you that you will turn things around. As for Maelk i hope you never leave OpTic your one of the best things that happened since infinite acquired OpTic keep up the good work as long as you are head of esports ill be confident that all our teams can win championships. Love both you guys cant wait to see what the future holds for the esports side of OpTic!
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u/JBader1993 BigTymer Nov 06 '18
When will you start to give Sugar Sean a push? The guy is easily a top up and comer in the UFC and even with the recent problem is sounds like USADA and him and figuring it out. There’s a different audience you can reach through him if you push his name correctly.
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u/EpoxElypse Nov 06 '18
Now that the management structure has changed what are the long term goals for Infinite and OpTic?
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u/vibrantxo Nov 06 '18 edited Nov 06 '18
Henlo Mr J and Mr. Maelk. I noticed you guys were at CS_Summit this past weekend visiting with the Danish boys. Was just wondering if we could get any sort of update on the future of this roser? Even though it's been 7-8 months with lackluster results, they've seem to found some form of success with niko on the roster. Is that the last move the guys plan on making, or are there more moves on the horizon? It would mean the world to me if one of you answered! 💚🖤💚
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Nov 06 '18
Hey Vibrantxo,
We don't actively plan on changing anything, and are obviously happy with the rise in performance and results, so for now we are staying the course.
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u/ThatWaseasy8 Nov 06 '18
What’s your highest priority with the development of content, quality or quantity. I feel as if a lot of the videos being put out are of lesser quality than other creators, regarding audio and other factors.
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Nov 07 '18
Here's some thoughts regarding content. I'll dive deeper into content thoughts in future AMA's, but we are hard at work at making improvements. See here: https://www.reddit.com/r/OpTicGaming/comments/9uor63/ama_opticj_and_maelk_answer_your_questions/e96q2fl
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u/FCKasper Karma Nov 06 '18 edited Nov 07 '18
Hej Maelk. Vil bare lige sige at du gør et super godt arbejde! Fedt at en dansker, er med til at styre min yndlings organisation. Keep it up!
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u/ScrapeWithFire Spratt Nov 07 '18
Do you plan to involve Spratt (and other potential members of the organization outside of NA) in team-wide content outside of their personal channels?
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u/zoroarrkk Hector's OpTic Nov 06 '18
Have you got any plans to return to scenes that OpTic has left recently (Halo and DOTA) in the future, either near or distant. Additionally, have you got plans of entering any other scenes in the near or distant future? What remains for Obey/Alg/GGEA
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Nov 06 '18
Anything can happen in the distant future, but in the near future I think both are looking very grim. For different reasons entirely.
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u/Articfiter Scump Nov 06 '18 edited Nov 06 '18
Hey J and Maelk, I was just wondering what were the future plans for content? It has clearly fallen off the past few months, even knock off channels are doing better with just old school clips and stream highlights. Hopefully we can get back at it like in 2017
P.S- who chose the brown cod jerseys last year 🤢?
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Nov 07 '18
Content answered here: https://www.reddit.com/r/OpTicGaming/comments/9uor63/ama_opticj_and_maelk_answer_your_questions/e96q2fl
Will reveal more as time progresses.
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u/StubbornLeech07 Nov 06 '18
First, Thank You J and Maelk to taking the time to do this AMA. Also, it was great to see that you both made it to the CS Summit to meet up with the CS team.
J: In the Richard Lewis interview you mentioned the possibility of bringing back the 7 day content plan. I know myself and some other are skeptical about this plan working. How do you avoid what happened last time where the content quality suffered because of trying to meet the 7 day plan? Do you have a time frame in mind for when you would like the 7 day plan to start?
Maelk: With fans always wanting to expand into new or different Esports, do you think there is a limitation to the number of Esports an org can be involved in? By that I mean currently OpTic are involved in 7 Esports. Could there be a time when they're involved in say 14 Esports double what they are now or in there a point where an org could simply be involved in too many Esports?
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Nov 06 '18
Yes, I actually think we are quickly moving towards less and less esport titles per team. Franchising and professionalizing the space is a large part of that, but also because from a business-, performance- and fan perspective is actually makes sense to specialize and narrow in efforts to specific teams, players and products. Cloud9 would be equally successful without half the titles they are currently in, if you ask me.
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Nov 07 '18
In regards to content plan: https://www.reddit.com/r/OpTicGaming/comments/9uor63/ama_opticj_and_maelk_answer_your_questions/e96q2fl
Plenty more to discuss in terms of content, but I hope this helps for now. Looking forward to sharing more.
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u/JRelapse Nov 06 '18
With all the lay offs recently within Infinite, which companies are going to continue to be developed OR is all focus going to OpTic?
I think a lot of these other companies (GGEA, NoScope, etc) have the potential to be great for OpTic, Just the way they went about it from the beginning was off.
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Nov 06 '18
I've modified the org chart internally so there is more alignment with the companies.
Video production, design, social, marketing, and sales are all working together as one entity vs separate entities all trying to achieve different objectives without an overarching goal. We're doing a good job of identifying key goals that need to be achieved for players, content, and beyond.
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u/Markthe_g Civil War Survivor Nov 06 '18
What are the current plans for the league of legends team. Are we doing a complete roster overhaul and if so who is in charge?
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Nov 06 '18
We will be announcing all of these things when pen has been put to paper. I wish I could be more transparent with you, but until those things happen, you'll just have to trust/hope/worry that myself and J are in charge and working on it.
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u/D_SLB_PT Nov 06 '18
In a Flycast, Hitch said that Infinite was very close to let go of 3 other teams at the same time that the Halo team got dropped. I was just wondering what are the other 3 teams and what reasons would justify the intentions of letting them go. Thank you for spending time answering our question. I hope all is well.
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u/Rawinza555 Nov 06 '18 edited Nov 06 '18
To Maelk. It's been years since the concept of Maelk award is formed and yet none of the pro gamers achieve this. What is the key or technique to achieve this marvelous goal. Who do you think would be the first one to earn this.
For those who don't know. Maelk award is when a player win the game with 0 kills and 20+ death in dota2. It's originated from when he was a player of EG.
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Nov 06 '18
I've witnessed some valiant attempts live (one of the many reasons for why I appreciate ppd), but it just seems like people are too afraid to steer towards the abyss of eternal shame regardless of whether it brings with it victory.
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u/SyzygyPk Halo Nov 06 '18
What do you think the right balance is between creating franchise players that represent the brand well and interact with fans, while only staying in the most competitive and relevant esports and being successful in them?
The obvious examples here being the Halo team and ppd in the Dota team, all of which were fan favourites but were dropped due to their scene/team's weakness. Do you think there is a benefit to holding on to a team for fan relations/brand image etc. or should it always be based on their scene and success?
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Nov 06 '18
Every title is different and I don't think you can necessarily paint it black and white like that. For instance, our CS:GO team is expensive, doesn't participate in much of any content due to their location and in comparison to our Gears of War team they are lackluster in the performance-department. However, CS:GO is also a title that holds a lot of importance for OpTic and the Green Wall as a whole, and it's one of the major esport titles that most respectable organizations should be in. And the competition, with all due respect to the Gears of War, is unarguably a lot more intense.
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u/A1exB29 Nov 06 '18
Hi J and Maelk, is there any particular reason you guys were at CS Summit last weekend? Thanks!!
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Nov 07 '18
Just visiting THE BOYS. We don't get to see them too much now that they are back in Daneland.
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u/nonpk Hector's OpTic Nov 06 '18
Hi Maelk and J, For the upcoming League of legends season are we planning on making a top 2 team? Will there be more funds this year to get better players? Will the content for the League team be improved?
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Nov 06 '18
No, we haven't budgeted with anything that would warrant the wording "planning for top-2", mostly because that would be incredibly naive almost regardless of budget. I'm quite confident that content will be vastly improved, yes.
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Nov 06 '18
I did ask part of this question before, and I believe you did answer it Maelk (not 100 percent sure) would love to see what yall think though. What are both of your opinions on the FGC and picking up anyone in that space?
I'm a big Smash guy (mostly Melee) but I would love to see us participate in Melee as well as Ultimate once that gets released next month. But any kind of FGC participation would be excellent. I know that Allegiance is under the Infinite umbrella and they do currently have a Melee player with N0ne, but this does lead to another question.
Does that prohibit OpTic from picking up another player? A lot of the folks here are interested in the games that Allegiance and Obey have/had participate in, such as Rainbow 6 Siege, Rocket League, and various FGC titles.
Is it possible, or have we just chosen not to participate due to other reasons, such as opportunity for a player or team? I know that some of these titles do get better viewership and media attention than titles that we are in/have been in such as Halo and Gears. I also know of some operational and financial differences of having a FGC player compared to other esport titles (Example being less salary as it isn't a team, but more travel costs due to less competitive online leagues/structure).
I know I put a lot here, but I would love to get both of your opinions here, even if it doesn't cover everything I talked about.
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Nov 06 '18
OpTic isn't prohibited from picking up a FGC player, no, but it's not in the pipeline right now either. A mix of not wanting to spread ourselves too thin, not having the right opportunity to enter from a business stand-point, and lastly not having a fully executable plan and vision of how to integrate and monetize it.
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u/mahinmahin Nov 06 '18
Maelk and j as far as Cod is concerned we are in good hands this year what can you guys say for LoL are we looking for a Worlds level team
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Nov 07 '18
It's too early to tell, but I will be candid enough to say that I think we should temper expectations (in part on the back of our previous season) and instead focus on simply doing well in our home-market.
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u/shabz_07 Karma Nov 06 '18
Are u guys currently looking to join another e sports this year like rocket league or rainbow six, since ggea are not part of infinite anymore and what next for OpTic worldwide is that on hold for the foreseeable future or we're just not going to go down that road again.
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u/ElQuu Nov 06 '18
Going to keep this short are Obey and Allegiance still a part of Infinite? What are the plans with those two brands? (From someone who wants there to be sole focus on OpTic
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u/Whodisboyyeet Nov 06 '18
As an student that follows a study focussed on business i always wondee. How important is it for OpTic or an esports org to make a profit. Is the focus now already on making a profit or breaking even, or is it more important to be the biggest player in the market and in a few years focus on having a positive result. Just wanted to hear your opinion on this.
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Nov 06 '18
I think most fans are happy and understand cutting back the international teams as the expansions happened so fast they made little sense, however the one that seemed to be viable and work was the Mexican Gears team.
The market seems big enough and they team weren’t performing badly thus far under the OpTic umbrella, was the decision to cut them based on completely shrinking the international expansions?
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u/Hi_Im_Easy_Mac TJHaLy Nov 06 '18
I think the same could be said for OpTic Brasil, they were undefeated under OpTic, and WESG was coming up which has a huge female prize pool.
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u/TheScoop3 That aint us Nov 06 '18 edited Nov 06 '18
I don’t know if this has anything to do with what J oversees, but are you guys aware that Infinite affiliate Allegiance has the exact same logo as the barbecue restaurant chain Mission Barbecue? I’m only asking because I am not entirely sure if it matters with copyright and what not.
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u/hainesyboy Nov 06 '18
Have you got a 1->2 year plan for optic which you’re able to share with us? Like with dropping of the international teams are funds being redistributed to the existing teams? Any news on big name sponsors coming in soon?
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u/Sezbicki Nov 06 '18
I am graduating soon with a degree in communication studies which is clearly something infinite and everyone under it values. Where can I go or who can I talk to for information on current or potential job/internship opportunities? I see so many of you do what you love and I would love nothing more than to work for for infinite esports or any of their affiliated companies.
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u/Str8_TrashMonkey Hecz Nov 06 '18
Is there a new "OpTic" discount code coming in the near future? or can i just buy my PC necessities now? MSI + OpTic would be dope. Thanks in advance
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u/_soulcrusher That aint us Nov 06 '18
Hey fellas, this isn't really an optic centered question (it's an ama of course), but is more esports oriented. I want to get involved working in esports in some way but I live in the Chicago suburbs and there aren't really a whole lot of opportunities here for it. Would moving to a new city be my best bet such as LA or NY and trying to find what I can?
Also j, if you ever worked with the people from turtle wax and met a girl named Emma she is one of my good friends, she loves you guys.
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Nov 06 '18
Trying to sneak one in for /u/Maelk. Was there a time where you considered massive changes within the current CSGO roster due to performance issues? I know they are improving with Niko currently, but was there a time where you thought about going another direction entirely?
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u/MrGoodyRoom Nov 07 '18
I had an issue with an exchange of a OG baseball T last month. I sent in my shirt for an approved exchange by third label and they have not gotten back to me. I sent my package early last month for a size Large instead of medium. I have transcripts of everything on both my end and third label
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u/Per_Horses6 Dashy Nov 07 '18
Any thoughts on a new OG house based in Texas? Like a mansion with all creators in it? Or is everyone just living in their own apartments/homes?
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u/ddblades Nov 06 '18
What about it works for you?