ESI business roundup: BLAST’s Mongolian expansion, Riot Games considers prediction market deals, 1xBet extends PGL partnership

The world of esports business never slows down. Whether it’s tournament organizers expanding their presence into new markets or organizations inking deals with new sponsors to support their ambitions, partnerships are happening all over the world. 

Compared to high-profile tournaments and blockbuster roster moves, business deals often fly under the radar, even though some can change the industry landscape. After a quiet start to September, the second week of the month was packed full of notable announcements and revelations. 

Here, we take a closer look at five of the biggest business moves from across the industry and the ramifications they are likely to have on their respective ecosystems.

Editor’s Note: Welcome to the first-ever ESI business roundup! We’ll be bringing you the latest partnerships, sponsorships, and behind-the-scenes esports industry dealings all in one place every week.

Over the past few years, BLAST has expanded its global presence by hosting its Counter-Strike 2 and Dota 2 tournaments in several locations. On September 8th, 2026, the tournament organizer unveiled a partnership with the Mongolian Esports Association (MESA). 

As part of the collaboration, BLAST will host a Tier 1 Counter-Strike tournament in the city of Ulaanbaatar in May 2027. The event will see 16 world-class teams competing for a share of a huge $1.25 million prize pool. 

Thanks to the success of The MongolZ at BLAST’s Austin Major and victory at the 2025 Esports World Cup, Mongolia’s interest in Counter-Strike has skyrocketed. Alongside new players reaching the big stages, thousands of fans are attending watch parties to support their favorite players. 

For BLAST, the deal is further expansion into the Asian market. Last August, the tournament organiser joined forces with the Singapore Tourism Board in a similar deal, bringing Valve’s first-person shooter and MOBA titles to the country.  

September 10th saw Riot Games make the headlines after a Bloomberg report revealed the makers of VALORANT and League of Legends are considering sponsorships with prediction market operators Polymarket and Kalshi. 

Joe Hixson, Communications Lead at Riot Games, told Bloomberg that it is “evaluating with a focus on safeguarding competitive integrity, potential value for teams, impact on the fan experience, and alignment with broader ecosystem goals.” Notably, neither Kalshi nor Polymarket has commented on whether discussions have taken place. 

Entering a deal with a prediction market could be the next logical step for Riot Games’ sponsorship expansion. In June 2025, Riot Games revealed it will allow betting sponsorships in its esports scenes for the first time, enabling teams to collaborate with bookmakers and build sustainability.

Both Kalshi and Polymarket already offer a range of markets across several esports events. The latter is already the official prediction partner of BLAST, demonstrating the potential for prediction markets to integrate further into the world of esports. 

Riot Games already has several safeguarding checks in place for existing betting sponsorships. If a deal with a prediction market does materialize, it will be interesting to see how they’re integrated across League of Legends and VALORANT. 

After first collaborating in early 2025, tournament organizer PGL announced an extension of its existing deal with bookmaker 1xBet. Running until the end of 2029, 1xBet will remain the exclusive bookmaker of PGL’s Dota 2 and Counter-Strike tournaments.

The 1xBet logo will appear across PGL broadcasts and social media channels, in addition to the bookmaker organizing a variety of fan activations while a tournament is taking place. 

“Building a sustainable tournament ecosystem is important to us,” said a representative for PGL. “Together with 1xBet, we’ll be able to develop new formats, reach wider audiences, and work on projects designed not just for one season, but for years to come.” 

Esports betting is becoming an increasingly important part of the esports industry, with various companies sponsoring tournaments and collaborating with the world’s biggest organizations. With another four years of 1xBet and PGL’s deal and joint initiatives planned, we’re excited to see what’s in store. 

Esports data has become an increasingly important tool for organizations to analyze various elements of their operations. September 9th saw Saudi Arabian organization Twisted Minds secure a deal with esports data platform Shikenso for greater insight into sponsorship performance. 

Shikenso’s analytics tools will track sponsorship exposure and engagement across all of Twisted Minds’ esports rosters and social media channels. Video analysis tools will also look at brand visibility across streams and online content to determine which are making an impact and where there’s an opportunity for growth.

Twisted Minds isn’t the only organization to collaborate with Shikenso. The platform has also partnered with the likes of GamerLegion, ESL FACEIT Group, and Team Falcons in recent months and years. 

Having the ability to see which sponsorships are striking a chord with fans and where there are areas for improvement makes all the difference when operating an organization. With Shikenso on board, Twisted Minds knows exactly what’s working and if there’s scope for more additions to its growing portfolio. 

Riot Games makes the headlines for a second time this week. This time around, it has joined forces with online cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase and prominent VALORANT content creators for the One Shot Tournament. 

Open to amateur players, esports pros, and content creators, the one-versus-one tournament offers the largest prize pool ever seen in a Riot-backed community event. The winner will walk away with one Bitcoin worth approximately $57,536. 

Coinbase has collaborated with Riot Games across global VALORANT and League of Legends events as the exclusive cryptocurrency exchange and blockchain technology partner of international tournaments. 

Former VCT champion turned content creator Tyson “TenZ” Ngo is among the content creators taking part. TenZ will also be hosting the action across his channels. With such a large prize up for grabs, the One Shot Tournament is set to bring together all corners of the VALORANT community for a tournament like no other.