Esports organiser and production company ESL Gaming has renewed its long-standing partnership with North American technology company Intel, taking the collaboration to 20 years.
According to the release, the renewal, which is set to commence in 2022, will see both entities invest over $100m (~£71.95m) in esports up until, and including, IEM Katowice 2025. The investment is expected to bring ‘further product innovations and improvements for fans and players alike’.
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In addition, all non-league ESL Pro Tour circuit CS:GO tournaments will be rebranded under Intel’s Extreme Masters brand.
This includes ESL One Cologne, which has now been renamed to Intel Extreme Masters Cologne (IEM Cologne). As of this writing, Intel and ESL have executed over 80 IEM events across 15 seasons.
Ralf Reichert, Co-CEO at ESL Gaming, commented: “After 20 years of building something hand in hand it’s hard to consider Intel as merely a partner. The two-decade journey has forged a bond that has no parallel in the world of esports and we are excited to be extending it with a commitment of this magnitude; the next three years will be the greatest esports fans have seen yet.”
The renewal is a continuation of Intel’s 2016 agreement, which saw the tech company become ESL’s global technical partner. As a result, both brands will continue to provide technology solutions for ESL’s pro-level tournaments and events. Moreover, the partnership has been expanded to include the DreamHack Open and DreamHack Festival for the first time.
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Marcus Kennedy, General Manager of Gaming and Esports Segment for Intel, added: “When we joined forces with ESL two decades ago, we never imagined just how powerful this partnership could be. We’ve shaped the esports landscape together, collaborated on some of the most spectacular events in the world, and brought the very best esports experiences to millions of fans around the globe.
“As a leader in PC gaming, we at Intel are excited about this next step in our successful history together and to elevate esports to an even higher level.”
Esports Insider says: This is a massive renewal for both Intel and ESL. Exact details regarding how the $100m investment will be spent has not been revealed, so it’ll be worth keeping an eye on any upcoming announcements. Intel’s decision to integrate its branding further by sponsoring all non-league ESL Pro Tour events, and expanding into DreamHack, also highlights the scale of this renewal.