Kingsley Edwards is the CEO and Founder of Leet.gg, which provides consumers an end-to-end tournament management solution, and he’s also a co-founder of Rogue.gg the team which DJ and Producer Steve Aoki invested in not too long ago.
We had a chat to talk esports entering casinos, Facebook rumours and more.
ESI: Hi Kingsley, can you introduce Esports Insider readers to what it is you do at Leet and your background in esports?
Kingsley: I am the founder & CEO of Leet. We provide technology and know-how to integrate esports and video games with casino groups in order for them to attract a younger demographic.
I mostly work on business and product development. Gaming has been a part of my life since I was a child starting with the original Nintendo. I started getting heavily involved in the PC scene with Counter-Strike 1.0 and StarCraft while in high school. I started Leet in 2013 with just an idea for me to play against others for money in the then new CSGO. Since then, we’ve been focusing more on B2B integrations.
Currently, I am also co-owner of the #1 Overwatch team in the world (rogue.gg) along with Steve Aoki and a few other partners.
ESI: How did Steve enter the fray?
Kingsley: Steve has been a passionate gamer all his life. He was looking to get more involved in the esports scene and lucky for us we were talking to the right people at the right time. Now he’s taking more of an active role in the industry by attending events and promoting the team.
ESI: With Amazon seemingly set to enter the mobile esports space in a big way, what is your take on the potential for mobile esports at large? What makes for a great competitive mobile game and how can brands get involved?
Kingsley: In my opinion, mobile esports still has some way to go. It seems like Vainglory is off to a great start though. I don’t follow the space too closely yet. There’s enough in the competitive PC world that I need to keep up with!
ESI: You recently sponsored the Esports and Casino Resorts conference in Vegas. What’s your opinion on how casinos can bring esports into their ecosystems and appeal to gamers without alienating some of their current comfortable clientele?
Kingsley: Casinos can attract gamers as players and spectators. There’s more crossover than you think when it comes to traditional casino clientele and gamers. We currently host weekly tournaments at the Downtown Grand and Silver Sevens in Las Vegas. We have also done events at the D and the Westgate. We feel that our tournament platform is a good way to bridge the gap. Our other technologies include skill-based p2p wagering and chance-based applications.
ESI: We’ve heard rumours recently about Facebook making moves into the streaming space. Do you think Twitch has been around long enough to establish brand loyalty, and moreover what can it do to prepare for this invasion of its space by such a big player?
Kingsley: Twitch still owns the streaming space but I look forward for Facebook and others to gain marketshare. A lot of gamers will stick with Twitch and YouTube since it’s been their only comforting outlet for so long.
ESI: For a newcomer to the scene that wishes to host an esports tournament. Talk us through the differences, in your opinion of hosting one online or a LAN, in your opinion which is tougher and what are the pros and cons involved?
Kingsley: LAN events are more work but I feel like once you have it down they may be easier because you control everything that goes on in the space. Tournaments can be very frustrating to deal with but also very rewarding when run smoothly. Luckily I have a team now that has “been there done that” and we are comfortable rolling with the punches when we have to.