As always, there were plenty of notable deals made in the esports industry last month. Tokidoki and Team Liquid; Casio and FaZe Clan; ESforce and Skillbox; and many more. To keep everybody up-to-date, Esports Insider has compiled all of the most interesting, significant partnerships and sponsorships from November into a single article.
Team Liquid offers new threads with tokidoki partnership
Team Liquid has partnered with Japanese-inspired lifestyle brand tokidoki to launch a new apparel line.
The 16-piece apparel and accessory line will centre around Team Liquid’s mascot, Blue, alongside classic characters from the tokidoki brand.
Olympique de Marseille enters esports with Grizi Esport collaboration
Ligue 1 football club Olympique de Marseille (OM) entered esports last month through a collaboration with Grizi Esport, a French esports organisation founded and owned by football superstar Antoine Griezmann.
Two players will represent OM during the upcoming FIFA Global Series — the highly regarded Fouad ‘Rafsou’ Fares and Amine ‘Mino7x’ Boughanmi. OM will also compete in the ‘eLigue1’, the main French FIFA league organised by EA and Ligue 1.
Vindex to join World Economic Forum’s Global Innovators Community
Esports infrastructure company Vindex has become the first gaming company to be added to the World Economic Forum’s (WEF) Global Innovators Community. The initiative provides companies with “a platform to engage with public- and private-sector leaders and to contribute new solutions to overcome the current crisis and build future resiliency”.
The Community will consist of various summits and meetings between business leaders, public figures and stakeholders. The news came in the same week that Mike Sepso, Vindex’s Co-founder and CEO, was inducted into the Esports Insider Hall of Fame for his work in the industry.
ESforce announces partnership with online university Skillbox
Russian company ESforce Holding, the parent company of esports organisation Virtus.Pro, has announced a partnership with online educational resource Skillbox. The two companies will create an online university course on esports professions, including teachings from ‘well-known practising industry experts’.
ESforce is a major player in Russia and the CIS region, owning Virtus.Pro, tournament organiser Epicenter, broadcasting and production studio RuHub, Russian esports website Cybersport.ru, and esports venue Yota Arena in Moscow.
Casio unveils FaZe Clan G-SHOCK watch
Consumer-electronics manufacturer Casio America has partnered with esports and lifestyle brand FaZe Clan to create a customised model of its G-SHOCK watch, celebrating FaZe’s 10-year anniversary. The product went on sale on November 27th, adding another high-profile merch collaboration to FaZe’s impressive portfolio.
GamingMalta partners with European Development Championship
Independent non-profit foundation GamingMalta has announced a partnership with the European Development Championship, a series of Counter Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) tournaments organised by Eden Esports and Fantasyexpo.
The competition’s prize pool has been revealed to be around $150,000 (~£111,330) in prizes across its first five tournaments.
Astralis Group and Userneeds enter strategic partnership
Danish esports organisation Astralis Group and market research firm Userneeds have entered into a strategic partnership designed to create insights into Astralis’ work with fans, sponsors and partners. Userneeds will provide assistance with the analysis, interpretation and strategic validation of the results, enabling Astralis to better understand fan attitudes and behaviour.
Astralis Group is now a publicly traded company after its initial public offering (IPO) in December 2019. Astralis also recently merged the operations of previously separate brands — Origen (League of Legends) and Future FC (FIFA) — under the single brand of Astralis.
OG Esports unveils FUN88 as official betting partner
European esports organisation OG Esports has named Asian betting operator FUN88 as its official global betting partner. According to the release, the multi-year deal will focus chiefly on OG’s Dota 2 roster, with the aim to create additional value that will contribute to the esports’ sustainability.
Learfield IMG strikes Esports Engine, Mainline and Endeavor deals for Level Next
Learfield IMG College has partnered with operations company Esports Engine, tournament software and management company Mainline, and Endeavor for its Level Next collegiate league.
It was revealed in October that Learfield IMG College entered a multi-year partnership with EA. The North American varsity league will support more than 2,500 schools and will be played on at least one EA title (Madden 21).
British Esports Association teams with FACEIT for Women in Esports initiative
The British Esports Association has partnered with esports platform FACEIT as part of its inclusive ‘Women in Esports’ initiative.
Women in Esports will gain its own organiser page on the platform, with the initiative creating women-only tournaments in order to encourage females to take part in competitive gaming.
Spacestation Gaming partners with Aim Lab
US-based esports organisation Spacestation Gaming has teamed up with FPS performance and training platform Aim Lab to enhance its player development structure. Developed by neuroscientists at Statespace, the platform will offer Spacestation’s coaches, players and community with data to maximise player performance.
Spacestation becomes the second major North American organisation in recent months to partner with Aim Lab, after DarkZero Esports penned a deal with the company in October. In May, Overwatch League franchise Philadelphia Fusion announced Aim Lab as its official skills training partner.
Newzoo and EVOS Esports partner to analyse SEA market
Gaming and esports analytics firm Newzoo has partnered with Indonesia-based esports organisation EVOS Esports to conduct market research and analysis of the South East Asia region.
Newzoo will use EVOS’ network of teams, business partnerships and fan communities to conduct market research and gain insights into the South East Asian market. In particular, Newzoo will be focusing on mobile gaming. In return, Newzoo will help EVOS identify growth opportunities and strategic insights.
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Learn2Esport teams with Twitch for streaming curriculum
Learn2Esport, a European firm that provides esports programme management tools and educational resources, has announced a new partnership with streaming platform Twitch. The companies will collaborate on a ‘streaming curriculum’ that helps students understand the live-streaming industry, including potential careers in the space.
While Learn2Esport is based in Europe, the company will launch its Gameplan programme management platform in North America from January 2021. Expansion into Southeast Asia at some point thereafter is also part of the company’s ambitions due to the industry’s growth in the region.
Guild Esports joins forces with Fergus Purcell to launch apparel range
UK-based Guild Esports has partnered with renowned streetwear designer Fergus Purcell to launch Guild’s first apparel collection. Purcell created key designs for the popular skatewear label Palace and has worked with Marc by Marc Jacobs, among many other notable achievements.
BLAST Premier partners with BBC to broadcast on iPlayer
Danish tournament organiser BLAST last month partnered with the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) to show its BLAST Premier CS:GO tournament circuit.
The BLAST Premier Fall Showdown has already been shown on BBC iPlayer in November, and the upcoming Fall Final, taking place from December 8th-13th, will also be shown on the platform