English professional football club Manchester City has extended its collaboration with multinational esports organisation Gen.G.
As a result, the club and organisation will join forces on various activations ahead of the League of Legends World Championships, which is set to host its Finals in London later this year.
According to a release, Man City and Gen.G will implement ‘various build-up marketing activations’ to generate fan engagement for the season-ending event, such as various short videos to promote the organisation’s participation.
One activation mentioned is a Gen.G Academy Series presented by Gen City, which will have a League of Legends & EA FC class for Korean fans. The collaboration will also include an amatuer League of Legends tournament in Korea as well as a ‘Gen City Day’ event at League of Legends Park in Seoul this August.
The extension follows Manchester City and Gen.G joining forces on various activations during the club’s pre-season tour of Asia in 2023. Previous events saw former players Joleon Lescott and Shaun Wright-Phillips, as well as Manchester City Esports members, participate in FIFA Online matches at the Afreeca TV facility at the Lotte Mall in Seoul.
Manchester City continues to expand its involvement in the esports and gaming industries. In June 2024, the club opened a gaming facility inside the Etihad Stadium. Meanwhile, July saw the club launch a themed map in Fortnite Creative. Manchester City has also previously partnered with FaZe Clan, with the collaboration including a pop-up event at the Etihad Stadium in 2022.
2024 has also been a year of expansion for Gen.G. In July, the organisation joined forces with the Saudi Telecom Company (stc) to launch esports certification courses available at the Esports World Cup taking place in Riyadh. Additionally, this year has seen Gen.G launch a branded wine, acquire a data analytics platform and open a new building in Seoul.
Kristoffer Lewis, Head of Esports, Gaming, and Metaverse at Manchester City, spoke on the extension: “We are thrilled to expand our collaboration with Gen.G, a leader in the esports world.
“This collaboration not only enhances our presence in the gaming community but also allows us to engage with our global fanbase in new and exciting ways.”
