Tournament platform Challengermode has partnered with DreamHack Spain to expand its National Esports Leagues (NEL) initiative into the Iberian Peninsula, now providing leagues in Spain and Portugal.
Encom Games is the license-holder of DreamHack Spain and, as part of this partnership, it will be the licensee of NEL in the aforementioned countries. The parties have also entered a long-term platform partnership that will see Challengermode act as the exclusive esports platform for DreamHack Spain.
Philip Skogsberg, CMO of Challengermode discussed the partnership in a statement: “We have been working with DreamHack HQ for over three years and are happy to extend this collaboration to their Spanish licensee Encom Games. Together, we can work on improving the grassroots esports scene in Iberia while unlocking new business and growth opportunities. We’re especially excited to add another set of leagues in Spain and Portugal to the growing list of supported NEL regions, something which is very important for the growth of the framework as a whole.”
Spain and Portugal’s version of NEL will go under the already-existing brand of DreamCup, an initiative ran by DreamHack Spain to give opportunities to amateur players. The renovated DreamCup will commence in the first quarter of 2019, encompassing League of Legends, CS:GO, PUBG, Rocket League, and Rocket with a combined prize pool of €19,000 (£17,078.64).
Arturo Castello, CEO of Encom Games also commented: “We are thrilled to work with Challengermode. Since the launch of DreamCup we have always wanted to develop a competition that allows amateur and semi-professional players to enjoy a pro-player experience, thanks to this collaboration we are closer to being able to offer it for the players of Spain and Portugal. We are looking forward to announcing the whole competition next year.”
In November, Challengermode entered a strategic partnership with esports organisation North and teamed up with not-for-profit Female Legends to launch the Women Esports League (WEL). The month prior, it opened up NEL in Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Iceland, and Finland.
Esports Insider says: Challengermode is doing a great job in providing opportunities for grassroots communities in a number of countries, and this is further evidence of that. Expanding its offering into Spain and Portugal, getting DreamHack Spain involved in its NEL initiative appears to be a solid move.