Each and every month, dozens of partnerships and sponsorships are announced in esports. It’s hard to keep track of every development if you don’t follow Esports Insider religiously, but even then, there’s a lot of content to consume.
To make things easier, Esports Insider has hand-picked a selection of the most impressive, surprising, and noteworthy deals that were announced in February 2020.
NBA 2K League finds restaurant partner in Panera Bread
NBA 2K League established a partnership with American restaurant chain Panera Bread.
As part of the deal, Panera Bread will provide food for NBA 2K League’s hosts, broadcasts, and players during live broadcasts. The restaurant chain will also be the presenting sponsor of the league’s ‘Rookies Who Deliver’ broadcast segment.
Read the full article here.
Immortals revs up SoCal Toyota sponsorship deal
Immortals Gaming Club announced a partnership with the Southern California Toyota Dealers Association to sponsor its LCS team.
The Southern California Toyota Dealers Association, which comprises 59 dealerships in the region, will have “prominent logo placement” on Immortals’ LCS jerseys and be the team’s official automotive partner, according to a release.
Read the full article here.
Tinder shows love for esports with paiN Gaming partnership
Brazilian organisation paiN Gaming attracted a partnership with social dating application Tinder.
The organisation explained that Tinder would sponsor its rosters in Free Fire, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, Dota 2, and Clash Royale.
Read the full article here.
America’s Navy partners with DreamHack and ESL
America’s Navy partnered with event organisers DreamHack and ESL, both of which are properties of MTG.
The deal sees the U.S. Navy act as the official festival partner at DreamHack Anaheim and DreamHack Dallas.
Read the full article here.
Inter Milan enters esports with QLASH partnership
Italian football club Inter Milan entered esports through a partnership with Italian esports organisation QLASH.
Inter | QLASH will compete in FIFA and eFootball PES with Diego “Crazy_Fat_Gamer” Campagnani and Luigi “Kirito_Yuuki_00” Loffredo being the first signings for the team.
Read the full article here.
Philadelphia Fusion enters five-year deal with Rothman Orthopaedic Institute
Overwatch League franchise Philadelphia Fusion established a partnership with Rothman Orthopaedic Institute.
The five-year deal will see the institute become the official medical provider of the team and a sponsor of the Fusion Arena. As per the deal, Philadelphia Fusion’s players will be monitored by a team of physicians – including Dr. Bradley Smith, Dr. Edward Rosero, and Dr. Robert Franks – to ensure good health.
Read the full article here.
ESL partners with U.S. Air Force for IEM, Pro League, AnyKey
Event organiser ESL established a multi-faceted partnership with the U.S. Air Force.
The deal sees the U.S. Air Forces become an official partner of Intel Extreme Masters (IEM) in North America, Season 11 of the ESL Pro League, and AnyKey. U.S. Air Force will host on-site activations and produce dedicated content for tournament broadcasts, starting with the ESL Pro League in March.
Read the full article here.
Esports Engine to manage Halo Infinite global esports
Esports Engine, the recently-established operations company from the co-founders of Major League Gaming (MLG), will manage global esports efforts for Microsoft’s Halo Infinite.
The Halo Championship Series will return with the release of the upcoming first-person shooter, with Esports Engine and developer 343 Industries planning to “build the greatest esports program Halo has ever seen,” according to a blog post.
Read the full article here.
Chiefs Esports Club enters two-year partnership with Marvel
Australian organisation Chiefs Esports Club entered a two-year partnership with Marvel within Australia and New Zealand.
The deal will see Marvel integrate its properties into activations hosted by Chiefs Esports Club throughout Australia. Chief Esports Club’s players will don co-branded merchandise that features elements of popular Marvel characters.
Read the full article here.
Herman Miller, Logitech G to collaborate on esports-centric furniture
Furniture manufacturer Herman Miller entered a partnership with gaming accessory brand Logitech G to collaborate on furniture targeted towards esports competitors and streamers.
The first collaborative product will be a co-branded gaming chair, which will be released sometime this spring.
Read the full article here.