Canadian esports tournament organiser and broadcaster Northern Arena has announced a partnership with Canadian wireless network operator TELUS.
The deal will see Northern Arena organise ‘multiple planned initiatives’, including hosting TELUS esports events.
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The first initiative is the TELUS Esports Series, which will feature multiple divisions of Rocket League competitions for aspiring players. The participants will compete for over $50,000 (£∼35,358) in prize money.
TELUS is no stranger to organising its own esports events. Since 2018, the company has created and supported a range of charity and grassroots events.
Carl-Edwin Michel, Founder and CEO of Northern Arena, commented on the deal in a release: “Northern Arena is thrilled about this great partnership with TELUS. We want to set the standard for esports events in Canada by producing high-quality esports tournaments with high production values.
“The partnership with TELUS enables us to present the best the gaming community has to offer and gives us the opportunity to showcase the amazing talent of esports players we have in this country.”
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The inaugural season of the TELUS Esports Series began on May 17th with registration for the series now open for all Canadian residents. Regular season competition kicks off on June 12th with the finals taking place on July 31st.
Chris Williamson, Manager of Gaming and Esports at TELUS, also spoke on the partnership: “The esports ecosystem today concentrates the majority of benefits of organized play in the top tier of players at the highest competitive levels. Our intent at TELUS is what it always is – to empower Canadians to experience the full power of connectivity.”
“We intend to flip this ecosystem on its head, and enable amateur players to experience the vast social and competitive benefits of organised play. I’m excited to kick off TELUS’ journey into the esports space with this event in partnership with a triple-A vendor like Northern Arena, and I look forward to more exciting and innovative events to come.”
Esports Insider says: TELUS joining forces with Northern Arena to expand its presence within the esports industry is certainly a smart move given the vast experience of the event organiser which has collaborated with a range of high-profile companies in previous years.
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