Esports & Gaming Partnerships of Q2 2024
Throughout the second quarter of 2024, more and more brands both endemic and non-endemic to the esports and gaming industries joined through sponsorships and partnerships. These deals are some of the biggest announcements of the period, with many world-leading brands joining forces with esports.
Just like the rest of 2024, Q2 of this year was largely consumed by news regarding the 2024 Esports World Cup. The official kickoff date of the gaming festival fell just outside Q2, but the months leading up to this beginning have been swarmed with news of sponsors, teams affiliating with the event, and much more.
The Esports World Cup has a long list of sponsors behind it, and for this piece, we picked some of the biggest brands to announce partnerships with the organization throughout Q2. Adidas signed a partnership with the Esports World Cup Foundation to be the official merchandise sponsor of the 2024 festival. The German sportswear apparel company provides players, and event staff, with exclusive branded clothing.
The EWC also announced both Pepsi and LG as partners, with the latter participating through its UltraGear brand. UltraGear will be the exclusive gaming monitor sponsor of the event, and Pepsi will join the event and be the named partner of the Falcons venue. The EWC promises brands not only brand activations on the floor of the event, but also exposure to a large online livestreaming audience from around the globe.
Sponsors & partnerships of esports tournament organizers, Q2 2024
Excluding the EWC, many other event organizers also enjoyed significant attention from brands. ESL FACEIT Group, the organizers for Overwatch’s esports scene, announced a partnership with luxury car brand Porsche at their Overwatch Champions Series 2024 Major. The German manufacturer showcased a new electric model and presented the MVP award at the end of the event.
ESL FACEIT Group were also tapped by Rolling Stone to publish a new gaming vertical. The group was chosen as a content partner by the entertainment news company to strengthen their new gaming excursion. Rolling Stone’s expansion of their editorial overview to include esports and gaming focuses on the art, technology, and cultural impact of gaming.
Developer MOONTON Games recently announced they have expanded their partnership with Saudi-Arabian tourism outfit Qiddiya. The two have joined forces to grow Mobile Legends: Bang Bang’s esports scene and provide experiences better than ever before during tournaments. As part of the deal, Qiddiya became the global presenting partner of MOONTON’s M6 World Championship, and enjoy both offline and online activations throughout the tournament.
BLAST announced that Revolut would be the named presenting partner of their BLAST Premier: Spring Final 2024. The event reached over 640,000 concurrent viewers at peak, and Revolut enjoyed both in-person and online livestreamed activations throughout the Finals. The partnership was Revolut’s first entry into the esports scene, and they enjoyed a sizeable brand activation through the esports tournament.
In the MOBA world, the LEC secured a partnership with hotel chain Marriott Bonvoy. The hotel chain is the official hotel partner of this year’s 2024 LEC Finals thanks to the deal, and fans of the LEC can secure an exclusive deal through Marriott Bonvoy’s loyalty programme. The German League of Legends Prime League also secured the sponsorship of Korean instant noodle brand Nongshim. The Korean company is a main partner of the league now, and exposes the Korean food company to a wide European audience.
MOONTON Games were active again, this time announcing that ML:BB’s official MENA region circuit would partner with the Saudi Esports Federation. The SEF will sponsor player costs for the circuit, and support the league in finding growth. MENA is a region which many Asian companies view as holding extremely strong potential, and MOONTON are investing in their MENA esports scene’s future.
Tournament organizer PGL agreed to continue their deal with oddin.gg, who is the exclusive Data & Integrity services provider for the organizer. The deal spans across both Dota 2 and Counter-Strike 2, with the two companies enjoying a beneficial relationship across both esports titles.
Sponsors & partnerships of esports organizations and teams, Q2 2024
Another car brand entering the esports scene, British manufacturer Jaguar Land Rover signed a partnership with Chinese esports organization JD Gaming, exposing the manufacturer to a large Chinese audience on social media such as Weibo. Jaguar Land Rover are the newest in a list of many world-leading brands associated with JDG, as the esports organization continues to expand its influence
Esports organization Disguised partnered with food chain Chipotle. The deal saw Disguised, created by livestreamer Jeremy ‘DisguisedToast’ Wang, expand into Tekken 8. This was Disguised’s first entry to a fighting game, and player PhiDX represented the organization. Although, the professional esports player has not enjoyed any tournament success since the deal was announced.
Various South Korean esports professionals partnered with SOOP, a new Korean livestreaming platform which has entered the industry in an attempt to fill the market gap left behind by Twitch. The livestreaming platform partnered with world-famous League of Legends player Lee ‘Faker’ Sang-hyeok, and also with players representing South Korean organization DRX across various esports games.
Along with many other personalities, SOOP signed deals with these players to stream on their platform, and bring viewers to their site. The platform also secured a deal with Riot Games to exclusively broadcast the Valorant Challengers Thailand competition on their platform.
Another South Korean entity, esports organization Gen.G extended their deal with Mobil 1 for the 2025 Rocket League esports season. Gen.G enjoyed strong competitive success in Rocket League throughout 2023 with their Gen.G Mobil 1 Racing and Gen.G Mobil 1 Racing Black teams, and the partnership was extended between the two brands for future mutual benefit.
German esports organization SK Gaming also announced a deal with Sony. Sony will equip SK Gaming’s new headquarters with electronics such as LED TV displays. The newly opened headquarters is a sign of SK Gaming’s commitment to the future, and a partnership with a brand as famous as Sony is a good first step forward. Sony will also support the esports organization in regard to producing video and livestreamed content.
Across the pond in North America, OpTic Gaming signed a deal with Italian football club Juventus F.C. The partnership was announced earlier this quarter, and the announcement was followed up with a brand-new collaborative clothing collection between the two organizations. The two brands explained in a press release they are looking to break the boundaries between offline and online sports.
Bleed Esports of Singapore announced Razer as their peripherals partner for their various esports rosters. Razer has been expanding their presence in esports, especially in Southeast Asia, and this new partnership with Bleed Esports only highlights their commitment to expanding in this region.
Esports organization GIANTX renewed their existing partnership with UK bank HSBC. The two have collaborated to produce projects that teach esports fans financial responsibilities, and HSBC UK has been GIANTX’s official financial services partner since March 2023. On the other side of the world, 100 Thieves partnered with Adidas this year, and have since worked together to produce esports jerseys and other merchandise. Most recently, they announced a larger variety line of items available online and in stores.
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