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Five Brands Making Major Investments into Esports in 2021

Posted on by KemperLesnik

With the popularity of esports growing across the globe, brands are not sitting idly by on the sidelines. While some mainstays have been around the scene for years, others are using 2021 as a springboard for diving into the industry. The promise of a captive, youthful, and massive audience is even enough to make a 148-year-old blue jean company roll the dice on competitive gaming. However they arrived here, these five brands have already found innovative ways to make a splash within esports over the first few months of the new year.

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Cash App 

Cash App, the money transferring service, has recently announced a partnership with self-described “premium lifestyle brand and gaming organization” 100 Thieves. The two have joined forces to launch the “100 Thieves Cash Card”, which will cost $5, with a dollar from each purchase going to the charity organization Gamers Outreach. The card will also come with ‘exclusive boost incentives’ that have yet to be announced. At the time of this writing, the new cash card is entirely sold out and won’t become available again until later this summer. 

Cash App has worked with 100 Thieves since 2019 and is the title sponsor of the Cash App Compound, a 15,000 square foot esports team facility in downtown Los Angeles. 

Red Bull

A mainstay on the esports branding lineup, the drink that grants wings has continued to make its presence known within gaming. The company currently hosts over a dozen annual events around the world, sponsors a variety of teams and individual athletes, and has a dedicated full-time esports content production team.

Just last week, Red Bull Racing Esports announced a partnership with gaming equipment manufacturer HyperX for “gaming mice, keyboards and the HyperX Cloud Gaming Headsets.” 

Commenting on the partnership, Red Bull Racing Honda’s Chief Marketing Officer, Oliver Hughes, said: “We are incredibly proud of the growth and success of our Esports Team, which is, in turn, enabling us to partner with other market leaders in this space.”

Levi’s 

The longrunning (founded in 1873) American blue jeans company made its first serious foray into the esports space this year by announcing a partnership with NRG Esports, a competitive gaming organization. The deal grants Levi’s a physical presence inside NRG’s headquarters, Hot Pockets Castle, where visitors will be able to personalize their apparel. On the digital side, Levi’s will be incorporated within the upcoming “A Day in the Life of an NRG Influencer” social content series along with the NRG Twitch and YouTube channels. 

Levi’s VP/Marketing Stacy Doren stated that esports “have become such an important part of today’s youth culture, and with NRG being one of the biggest players in that space, they were an ideal partner to help bring Levi’s into the world of gaming.”

Mercedes-Benz 

Unlike Levi’s, the famous German car company has been invested in the esports space for quite some time now. Mercedes-Benz joined forces with ESL in 2017, a partnership still going to this day. The brand also signed an agreement with the Chinese League of Legends organization Royal Never Give Up and fielded a team in the F1 Esports Series.

In 2019, Mercedes’ parent company purchased 67 percent of ESforce’s stake in German esports organization SK Gaming. The deal included high visibility branding opportunities for the luxury car manufacturer. 

This year, The Polish branch of Mercedes-Benz became the title sponsor of esports and gaming venue “ESPOT Powered By Mercedes-Benz” in Warsaw, Poland.

DHL 

In a newly announced multi-year partnership, DHL will continue to serve as the official logistics partner for ESL events. The company is in charge of moving equipment, such as monitors and gaming chairs, and will be coordinating on the ESL Pro Tour, ESL Mobile, and all Dota 2 events.

“With this partnership, we are very successfully addressing a young target group that can hardly be reached through traditional marketing channels,” said Arjan Sissing, Head of Brand Marketing at Deutsche Post DHL Group. “As digital natives, esports fans naturally have a strong affinity for e-commerce, and for us as a logistics operator, e-commerce is a mainstay of our business.” 

DHL first partnered with ESL in 2018 and previously used some creative marketing tactics to blend the brand within Dota 2.

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Esports Explained: Twitch

Posted on by KemperLesnik

In this series by KemperLesnik, we will be exploring and defining popular esports terms and games. This article covers Twitch, a popular live streaming service for gamers.

In the world of esports, content distribution is just as important as the content itself. Without distribution, creators would spend their time making content just to have it seen by no one. That’s where a platform like Twitch comes in to play.

Launched in 2011, Twitch is a live streaming service designed primarily for gamers. Twitch users can watch other people playing video games or live stream their own gameplay to an audience made up of other users. Twitch users can also follow and DM (Direct Message) each other, and each stream has its own unique chatroom where users can connect and discuss what’s happening on the stream.

Many different games are streamed on the Twitch platform. The most-watched games on the platform include Grand Theft Auto, League of Legends, Fortnite, Call of Duty, Minecraft, Counter-Strike, and Dota 2. It has also been used to host interviews and conversations, and to play non-traditional video games such as chess.

In 2014, Amazon acquired the streaming service for $970 million. At the time, it was the biggest acquisition in Amazon’s history. As part of the agreement, Amazon created a service called Twitch Prime, which was eventually rebranded to Prime Gaming. Prime Gaming is included with all Amazon Prime subscriptions and provides users with free games, free Twitch channel subscriptions, and exclusive in-game loot.

Similar to YouTube, Twitch makes money from advertisements that are integrated into live streams; it also makes money from paid subscriptions to popular channels. Twitch streamers have the potential to earn money through these subscriptions and through brand partnerships. Currently, the most popular streamer on Twitch is Ludwig Ahgren, who has more than 225,000 active subscribers. Another popular streamer, Tyler “Ninja” Blevins, allegedly made more than $75,000 per month on Twitch when his channel was at its peak.

Twitch can be watched on the official website and through the Twitch app on most mobile devices. Users also have the ability to stream Twitch on any major gaming platform. To stream on Twitch, creators can get started with nothing more than a webcam and a microphone.

As of this year, Twitch has more than 9.7 million unique creators on the platform. During peak hours, Twitch accounts for nearly 2% of all internet traffic and more than 40% of all video streaming. In March alone, users watched more than 2.1 billion hours of content on Twitch. The platform has more than 140 monthly active users (MAUs) and continues to grow at a strong pace.

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Five Schools Leading the Way for Collegiate Esports

Posted on by KemperLesnik

With each passing year, esports becomes a larger part of the college sports landscape. In 2018, there were only 70 full-time collegiate esports programs in the country. By 2020, that number had ballooned to 170, with more schools joining in every month.

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Similarly, in the 2015-16 academic year, esports scholarships totaled $2.5 million nationally. By 2019, national scholarship dollars were up to $15 million, a 600% increase. As schools across the country focus on expanding their programs and enticing top recruits, a battle is playing out for who can offer, and deliver, the most to potential players. 

Here are five schools that are leading the way for collegiate esports when it comes to competition, facilities, and educational opportunities for student-athletes.

 

  • Maryville University- For fans of college esports, it should come as no surprise that Maryville University in Saint Louis is at the top of this list. After starting their program in 2015, Maryville made a name for themselves after going 40-0 and winning the 2016 League of Legends Championship. They won the same championship again in 2017 and 2020. The school has a state-of-the-art practice facility for their team that includes high-speed computers, high-end gaming headsets, and gaming chairs, creating an environment where the team can practice without any distractions. The school offers gaming scholarships up to $2,000 per year and hopes to continue to improve its offerings moving forward.

 

  • The University of California at Irvine- UC Irvine was the first public school to create a varsity esports team. Their campus features one of the most extravagant esports facilities in the country, housing over 70 high-speed computers and a large arena to host games and tournaments. Also included in the facility is a “Console and Community Corner” that features several gaming consoles where players can compete with or against each other, making the facility appealing to more than just PC gamers. The school focuses primarily on League of Legends and Overwatch, offering scholarships of up to $5,610 per year for varsity players in each game.

 

  • Miami University (Ohio)- Miami University in Oxford, Ohio is known for becoming the nation’s first Division 1 varsity esports program after creating their varsity program in 2015. In 2016, the school started offering varsity esports scholarships for student-athletes, competing primarily in Overwatch, Rocket League, and Hearthstone. The school developed an arena for the esports program on the first floor of the campus library, which features 16 gaming stations that each include a gaming computer that possesses a high-end graphics card and monitor. The university also offers summer esports camps where students can visit campus to compete in tournaments and train like varsity esports athletes.

 

  • Boise State University- Boise State created its esports program in 2017. Originally focusing on Rocket League, Overwatch, and League of Legends, the program has since expanded to include Heroes of the Storm and Hearthstone. The tryout process for the BSU varsity team is extensive, taking up a full week at the start of the school year. Players on the team are required to maintain a minimum GPA of 3.0, well above the standard requirement for student-athletes. The Broncos’ home arena includes several impressive amenities such as a broadcasting section, a graphics and technical mixing area, and a two-tiered stage with a large spectating area.

 

  • University of Utah- The University of Utah is new to the competitive gaming scene, starting its program in 2017. However, the school has some of the most expansive gaming offerings outside of the competitive scene, including a game development program that has been offered since 2007 and an undergraduate degree in gaming that was started in 2017. The university has a gaming facility that is stocked with 20 gaming computers and top-notch keyboards, headsets, and gaming mice. Utah brands itself as “Gamer U,” with more than 200 students trying out for 30 spots on the school’s varsity Overwatch, League of Legends, and Hearthstone teams.

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