International esports organisation Team Liquid is expanding its commercial infrastructure in Brazil by opening a dedicated ecommerce platform.
The new store will be live on June 24th, led by Team Liquid’s new apparel line featuring its Fortnite creators, and will count on local vendors for official production and logistics.
The Brazilian store has been in Liquid’s plans for over a year. In January, Mike Milanov, Chief Business Development Officer at Team Liquid, had already anticipated in a YouTube video that the new platform would be launched in 2022.
Team Liquid entered the Brazilian scene in 2018, raising awareness mostly through its participation in the local Rainbow Six Siege and Free Fire leagues. Today, the organisation also fields Valorant and Fortnite rosters in the country.
Brazil, which is the third biggest esports market in the world behind China and the U.S, had become central in the organisation’s strategy, being classified by Milanov as ‘the number one priority market for Team Liquid in 2022’.
The launch of the Brazilian ecommerce platform will happen simultaneously with a revamp of other Team Liquid stores in North America and Europe. Local vendors were signed with the objective of ‘cutting down on shipping times while supporting local merchants’, according to the organisation.
The organisation also intends to build a training facility in São Paulo, following the pattern of other Team Liquid venues in Utrecht and Santa Monica. Other plans for the country include localising the community platform Liquid+ for the Q3 and participating in the Brasil Game Show, the biggest Brazilian gaming event, in October 2022.
“Over the years, we have been investing heavily into infrastructure locally and are proud to finally unveil our digital storefront. We will continue building and investing into this fan experience over time as Team Liquid grows in the region,” Milanov said in a press release.
It comes during a busy few months for the Brazilian market. Santander unveiled a five-year Brazilian League of Legends Championship (CBLOL) deal with Riot Games in April, Heineken signed a CBLOL sponsorship deal in June, and local organisation Los Grandes bought North American org Simplicity’s Brazilian branch and CBLOL spot.
