Russian esports organisation Virtus.pro has announced its latest partner in the form of Russian mobile operator MegaFon.
While it’s not explicitly clear what MegaFon is doing to support Virtus.pro, its logo has already made its way onto the organisation’s social media and website. Further details and results of the deal are set to be revealed soon.
Virtus.pro’s other partners include the likes of G2A, Parimatch, Fragstore, Twitch, Mr.Cat, and home entertainment giant LG. The organisation competes in Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, Dota 2, and Paladins.
Roman Dvoryankin, General Manager of Virtus.pro said the following in a statement: “We are happy to greet “MegaFon” as one of our key partners. An arrival of such a player at the esports market tells a lot in itself. The first stepping stone to our, hopefully, extensive partnership has been laid today. We have already prepared surprises to our fans and esports enthusiasts. We’ll tell more about them soon.”
MegaFon is just one of many telecommunications and mobile operating companies to get involved in the industry. AT&T is a partner of ESL’s North American mobile gaming events, T-Mobile sponsors both the Overwatch League and the Houston Outlaws, and Vodafone has its fingers in many pies. This is just a small sample of this emerging trend.
Esports Insider says: Virtus.pro is a force in Dota 2, one of the biggest esports titles, so we’re not surprised to see non-endemic companies want to get involved with the organisation ahead of The International 8. There seems to be a trend forming regarding the involvement of mobile operators and telecommunications companies getting involved in the industry.