XPrize Foundation plans awards; Overwatch League and Fanatics sign deal; Falcon 9 launches satellite payload.
Overwatch League Links With Fanatics
Santa Monica–headquartered Activision Blizzard Inc.’s e-sports league the Overwatch League announced Dec. 3 it inked a merchandising deal with Florida-based sports apparel company Fanatics Inc. The deal secures Fanatics its first e-sports client and will give Fanatics the right to produce and sell Overwatch League fan gear. Engadget reports terms of the deal were not disclosed, but Activision Blizzard granted Fanatics domestic and international rights to the Overwatch brand.
Falcon 9 Rocket Takes 64 Satellites to Space
Hawthorne-based Space Exploration Technologies Corp. launched its Falcon 9 rocket today, launching 64 satellites (and an art project from LACMA) into low-Earth orbit. The launch marks SpaceX’s first time sending a booster into space three times, an important step in the firm’s quest to build and operate a recyclable rocket. GeekWire reports the launch for Seattle, Wash.-based aerospace outfit Spaceflight broke SpaceX’s record for most launches
XPrize Prepares For Montreal AI Competition
Playa Vista-based nonprofit XPrize Foundation Inc. will hold a judging round of its $5 million IBM Watson AI XPrize competition at the NeurIPS 2018 conference, taking place Dec. 5 in Montreal, Canada. Ten teams will showcase their applications of “Artificial Intelligence for Good” at the competition, with $35,000 in milestone awards on the line. VentureBeat reports the round is to recognize the top 10 teams’ outstanding work to date. The IBM Watson AI XPrize competition officially ends in 2020, when a $3 million total grand prize will be awarded to a winner.
