From sponsorships to industry-wide announcements, Insider Sport has you covered when it comes to the world of esports.
This week’s edition takes a look at Spotify launching a League of Legends music hub, NSE’s Intel extension, Shot Studios collaborating with NRG Esports, plus HyperX and Volvic’s European Masters partnerships.
Spotify launches League of Legends music hub following Riot Games deal
Riot Games has signed a partnership with Spotify in which the media services firm becomes the exclusive audio streaming partner of the game developer’s League of Legends (LoL) esports division.
The multi-year collaboration will specifically be tailored around League of Legends’ three major international events, All Stars, the Mid-Season Invitational, and the World Championships.
Naz Aletaha, Head of Global Esports Partnerships at Riot Games, commented: “Music and story-telling have become an intrinsic part of our sport and game, so we are excited to partner with Spotify to provide our fans with another platform where they can enjoy a new manifestation of League of Legends esports.
“Powered by our shared commitment to innovation, this partnership with Spotify further unlocks our ability to merge sports, technology, and music to create unforgettable entertainment experiences and content.”
As part of the deal, Spotify will launch a new LoL esports centred music hub which will include playlists whilst also helping develop podcasts and behind the scenes footage of the upcoming World 2020 anthem. Additionally, Spotify will be the present partner of ‘Game 5’ which is the last match played if a series goes the distance.
June Sauvaget, Global Head of Consumer and Product Marketing at Spotify, concluded: “Our partnership with Riot Games will create a first-of-its-kind audio universe for the millions of Spotify and League of Legends fans across the globe.
“As the exclusive — and first-ever — global audio service partner for League of Legends esports, we plan to create the best possible audio streaming experience for our users, making discovering both music and podcasts easier than ever before.”
NSE extends Intel partnership
National Student Esports (NSE), the official body of university esports in the UK, has extended its partnership with Intel for the 2020/21 academic year.
Due to the extension, Intel will continue to be the headline sponsor for its British University Esports Championship.
Scott Gillingham, Gaming and Esports Lead at Intel UK, said: “Intel is proud to support NSE and the British University Esports Championship for another season. Through education, new technologies and the Intel FutureGen programme, our partnership continues to nurture British talent. Working with organisations like the NSE is at the heart of our esports strategy and we remain committed to providing esports opportunities for young people throughout the UK.”
The deal also continues to strengthen NSE’s sponsorship portfolio this year with the announcement that investment bank Barclays partnered with the body for the competition in June.
Jonathan Tilbury, Managing Director of NSE, added: “We’re incredibly excited that Intel has decided to extend the partnership into 2021. With 70 per cent of NSE’s audience enrolled on a STEM course, and almost 30 per cent studying Computer Science, Intel brings so much more to the table for students than just its rich esports heritage.”
HyperX and Volvic partner League of Legends’ European Masters
The European Masters, League of Legends’ second biggest tournament in the continent, has struck a deal with HyperX and Volvic Germany for its summer event.
Both brands are the first partners to be announced for the competition, as it entered the group stage, with Volvic Germany becoming the official beverage partner of the season. Additionally, HyperX will sponsor EU Masters’ “Big Plays” segment which highlights the key moments of the games.
This is not Volvic’s first time stepping into the esports sector with the brand previously partnering with Team Vitality in 2017. Moreover the firm has recently collaborated with German organisation BIG to become a partner of its League of Legends division.
Meanwhile HyperX has a longstanding history of partnerships within the competitive gaming sector given the fact that its demographics relate to an esports audience. Prior to the EU Master announcement its latest deal was with the Pittsburgh Knights which has players in titles such as SMITE and Rocket League.
Shot Studios strikes content collaboration with NRG Esports
Digital media company Shot Studios has partnered with NRG Esports to enhance the North American organisation’s content production and merchandising.
This multi-layered alliance sees Shots Studios’ online clothing website Lil Shop become the official retailer of NRG Esports’ merchandise. In addition the firm will collaborate with the esports team to create original content which will be distributed across NRG Esports’ social media platforms.
John Shahidi, CEO and Founder of Shots Studios, said: “Andy Miller and I have been friends for nearly 10 years, so this partnership already has an incredibly strong foundation and like-minded ambitions. The world of gaming is full of endless content, events, and merchandising possibilities and we are so excited to work with the crew at NRG to take it to the next level.”
Andy Miller, Co-CEO of NRG Esports, stated: “It’s been a dream of mine to work with Shots Studios in any capacity. Now that NRG has broken through culturally, it feels like the right time to let the Shahidi boys bring their magic to the NRG fam.”
Despite working with a multitude of influencers across a variety of social media platforms, this is Shot Studios’ first venture in the esports scene directly, highlighting the continued growth of the scene in recent months.
