Saudi Arabian esports and gaming festival Gamers8 has announced a partnership with German sportswear brand adidas.
Adidas and Gamers8 have developed a line of co-branded merchandise that will be available during the 8-week event in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. In addition, adidas will showcase designs on its activation booth during the event.
Gamers8 is the largest gaming and esports event in Saudi Arabia and one of the largest gaming events ever. The event, which started on July 6th, consists of a series of esports tournaments in games such as CS:GO, Dota 2, sports simulations and simulation racing, as well as concerts from prominent bands and artists, and a large-scale expo area.
The festival has already partnered with the likes of PepsiCo and Razer for this year’s edition, with the festival concluding in late August 2023. The event is set to have the largest-ever prize pool for a single esports event, totalling $45m (£~38m).
The partnership with Adidas will focus on esports players participating in the event, with the organisers noting that adidas and Gamers8 will co-brand and customise merchandise for esports teams taking part in the ‘summer season’.
Adidas will also showcase its Makerlab initiative which focuses on emerging designers around the world. It is unclear whether adidas and Gamers8 will create a merchandise drop that will be sold online, or just on the festival grounds.
Bilal Fares, General Manager MENA, adidas, commented on the news: “We are delighted to announce that adidas has entered this partnership with Gamers 8, a leading force in the world of esports and gaming. This collaboration marks an exciting venture where adidas will bring its innovative designs and expertise to create co-branded merchandise for the gaming community during this festival.
“Together, we aim to enhance the gaming experience that not only reflects the unique style of gamers but also elevates their performance on the virtual battleground. This partnership represents adidas’ commitment to embracing new avenues of sports and entertainment, catering to the ever-growing global gaming community”.
