Fnatic to expand presence in Asia following partnership with B.O.O.T

Late last week esports juggernaut Fnatic announced a strategic partnership with Chinese esports agency B.O.O.T as they aim to expand their presence in Asia.

The partnership means that B.O.O.T will manage the distribution of Fnatic content on social media, whilst also helping the organisation create unique content geared towards a Chinese audience. The press release also reveals that B.O.O.T will be assisting Fnatic with business development and video content marketing which should further improve the brand within China.

According to the statement, the two organisations are also in discussions about academy programming, gaming centre activities, gaming accessories, licensing gear and other business opportunities to “deepen the partnership in the years to come”.

Patrik Sattermon, Fnatic’s Chief Gaming Officer commented in the press release: “We are very excited to launch this strategic partnership with B.O.O.T, and we look forward to pushing the global boundaries of esports together. Fnatic and B.O.O.T share the same vision of making esports more global, and this partnership will allow us to bridge the gap and close the distance between Western and Eastern esports.”

Currently Fnatic house rosters in Overwatch, CS:GO, Heroes of the Storm and Dota 2. Their rosters are predominately European although their Dota 2 roster is based in Malaysia.

The Chinese esports market is already fairly established yet will continue to grow. The ways in which content is consumed is wholly different, with Chinese streamers absent from Twitch and the likes of Twitter.

Esports Insider says: This can only be a good move from Fnatic. The Chinese market represents a huge opportunity yet as aforementioned, but it’s fairly difficult to crack from a Western perspective. B.O.O.T disseminating Fnatic content will help massively.