American game publisher 2K has appointed Tim Andrade as the company’s new Director of Esports Partnerships and Licensing, according to a post by Andrade via social media.
Andrade will take over the company’s large partnership roster for its esports titles, which most notably includes the NBA 2K League, and will be tasked with strengthening partner relations and licences.
Active since 2011, Andrade worked as a level designer before moving to Electronic Arts. From there, he moved to Sony Mobile, where he worked as a Project Manager. In 2016 he secured the position of Business Development Manager for esports and gaming data company Newzoo.
After Newzoo, he moved to BANDAI NAMCO America, and then to Capcom, where he stayed until the move to 2K. Throughout his career, he worked with esports brands and developing esports scenes across a variety of different games, such as Street Fighter. During his time at BANDAI NAMCO he also worked with esports tournament organisers and production companies for esports games on the BANDAI NAMCO roster.
Andrade joins 2K during an interesting time for the company. 2K’s most successful esports product — the NBA 2K League — is continually devloping, however, the franchise has been criticised for years over microtransactions and its pay-to-win mechanics.
The 2K League expanded into Mexico in 2021 and renewed its partnership with the Esports Entertainment Group in early 2022. The most recent development came in April 2022 when Indian platform Loco announced that it has retained broadcast rights for the League in India.
The 2K League also already has an impressive lineup of partners, including Champion, Snickers, Wilson, Google, SAP and Coinbase. The League’s ecosystem is also steadily growing and currently features 24 teams.
