Esports have seen explosive growth over the last few years. From a rather exotic and obscure hobby, they have transformed into a global industry valued at hundreds of millions of dollars and expected to get into the billions before this decade is over. It is tied in with the broader video game industry, providing developers and other stakeholders with unique opportunities for marketing. Those opportunities have not been fully utilised so far, as existing marketing technologies and techniques have not been up to the unique task of engaging with the massive online audiences that esports have drawn.
EIP stands for Esports Interactive Platform. It is the solution offered by the Talinn-based EIPlaform OU Company. The company proposes to bring pro gamers, streamers, audiences and video game companies together in one place and enable many different types of interactions between them through the latest in blockchain technology. Together with community mechanisms and a proprietary AI, this is expected to give rise to a powerful esports-based marketing ecosystem.
What will EIPlatform's economy look like?
The platform will be accessible through a website, a mobile app and APIs embedded in streams and other social media environments. To join the platform, users will need to create an account which will be linked with a wallet that will be used for interactions on the platform. Those interactions will be fueled by EMI tokens, which companies will be able to provide as part of various automated loyalty programs and other incentive mechanisms, carried out using some of the site's standard smart contract templates. For example, they will be able to offer EMI in exchange for providing feedback or registering on their sites. EIPlatform itself will give out EMI as part of a referral program.
Participants will find many possible uses for EMI on the platform. For instance, they will be able to make digital and physical purchases with the platform's partners (doubtless including the companies advertising on the platform). Additionally, EIPlatform will support subscriptions, donations (for instance, to streamers connected to the platform), crowdfunding, trading products with other users and betting with igaming companies. It will also create an easy way for companies or users to set up their own communities and events, from tournaments to charities. Companies will be able to offer platform-exclusive products and services. For fees, EIPlatform will also give them access to a vast amount of data and AI analytical and optimisation tools that would enable and assist targeted advertisements and promotions on the platform. Users will have the assurance that their personal data will be kept safe with a private key tied to their accounts and that they will be able to opt out of any promotional offers.
Why go to EIPlatform?
EIPlatform was developed by a team whose founding members have had involvement with both sides of the esports market (it includes the owners of the Team Empire CIS esports team) and are therefore closely familiar with its needs. The team also includes long-time cryptoindustry participants. Its Estonian base was chosen for its developed ecosystem of high-tech startups and beneficial regulations. The team plans to use cutting edge blockchain innovations, including the Whisper communication protocol, IPFS storage and the LIBP2P networking stack. While it will use the Ethereum blockchain at first, the company has plans to upgrade to a better-performing blockchain of its own later on.
Assuming all of its pieces come together, the platform will have much to offer to all of its potential stakeholders. Token rewards and spending opportunities tied to different parts of the gaming ecosystem should encourage a greater degree of audience investment and participation, and community mechanisms should support this further. Since the platform requires a high level of activity on its users' part to get the most out of it, it is hoped that this will discourage bots, allowing companies to rely on it to expand their real userbase. An active and incentivised esports community and sophisticated AI tools should give companies many considerably more efficient ways of reaching their target audiences, with their imagination as the only limit.
Token sale details
A plan for an expanding esports ecosystem
EIPlatform will find many rivals as it enters the race to harness the esports boom. Unlike some of those rivals, it is at a relatively early stage of its development. As a result, it is difficult to judge its real value and competitive potential at this point. While the basic idea of its promotion-oriented platform is clear enough, the team has yet to announce any partners. Its sharp business focus and integration of cutting edge technology may give it a certain edge, but in the end its success or failure will depend on who uses it. Attracting sufficiently prominent gaming brands and streamers could make all the difference, but will they prefer it to the alternatives?
If it does manage to get its ecosystem off the ground, though, EIPlatform would enjoy nearly infinite potential for growth. Between community activity, technological improvements and the continued development of the industry, a successful esports platform should be able to withstand even very significant competition in the market. The possibilities this opens make the current stage of the esports industry's development much more critical and exciting.
Links:
Website: https://eiplatform.io/
WhitePaper: https://eiplatform.io/doc/WhitePaper-Eng.pdf?v4
Telegram: https://t.me/EIP_ecosystem
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EIP-980267652124760/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/EIP_ECOSYSTEM
Medium: https://medium.com/@eiplatformico
ANN: https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=3288725.0
Author: https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?action=profile;u=980049
Disclaimer
This review by Bonanza Kreep is all opinion and analysis, not investment advice.