Two Finnish brands, esports organisation ENCE Esports and telecommunications company Elisa, have unveiled a partnership that will see the two entities cooperate on events and activations.
According to Elisa and ENCE, the two companies will invest in Finnish esports events and the regional scene, as well as create content together. Financial details or the length of the partnership were not disclosed.
Elisa is one of the largest telecommunication companies in Finland, and is also a known supporter of esports, both regionally and internationally. The company has worked with notable names in the esports industry, including ESL Gaming, GRID and Relog Media.
Elisa also hosts its own tournament, the Elisa Esports Masters Espoo, which is set to take place in 2022. The tournament will act as an official affiliate tournament for the ESL Pro Tour.
ENCE is a European esports organisation most known for its CS:GO and Starcraft successes. Its Starcraft 2 player, Serral, is one of the most successful players in the scene currently. Moreover, ENCE’s CS:GO team is currently ranked the 10th best CS:GO roster in the world, although the organisation recently made significant changes to the roster.
The two parties did not share any specific details about the partnership, and the two companies simply stated that they are going to work on improving the Finnish esports ecosystem and scene.
Interestingly, one of ENCE’s recent jersey sponsors was Telia, another telecommunications company. The two-year partnership was renewed in July 2020 for two years however there has been no information regarding another extension. As such, it is possible that Elisa may have taken over Telia’s space in ENCE’s partnership roster.
Mika Kuusisto, ENCE’s CEO, commented: “Elisa’s long-term investment into the Finnish esports landscape has been an inspiration to ENCE, especially regarding the CS:GO Academy programme.
“We want to continue pioneering and developing the esports ecosystem along with other parties, which has made the collaboration with Elisa a natural fit. “
