From sponsorships to industry-wide announcements, Insider Sport has you covered when it comes to the world of esports.
This week’s edition highlights the latest developments in the esports sector, including NSE stacking up its partnership roster with the snack brand Pringles.
NSE stacks up its roster of partnerships with Pringles
The National Student Esports (NSE) has named the snack brand Pringles an official partner of the British University Esports Championship (BUEC).
NSE partnered with the brand, building upon the success of the previous collaboration around the ‘Stay in the Game’ campaign in 2023.
The deal will be visible at Insomnia, where NSE will be staging the Finals of the British University Esports Championship, bringing universities from all across the UK to battle it out and see who will be crowned Esports University of the Year.
Alex Coulson, Managing Director at NSE, said: “This latest partnership with Pringles is testament to the power of the NSE community. We are so happy that brands like Pringles are expanding their commitment to grassroots esports and gaming.
FaZe Clan to offer $1m as part of ‘FaZe Fridays’ 2024 expansion
North American esports organisation FaZe Clan has expanded its weekly gaming tournament series ‘FaZe Fridays’, with $1m in cash prizes set to be won throughout 2024.
FaZe Clan also noted that the expanded series will unlock a multi-million-dollar revenue opportunity for the organisation, with the Comcast-owned internet service provider Xfinity confirmed as a partner for the series, having also sponsored the initial FaZe Fridays events in 2023.
Mark Cruz, Senior Director of Brand Partnerships for Comcast, commented: “FaZe Fridays has given us an amazing platform to spotlight Xfinity as the network connecting FaZe Clan with some of the biggest gamers on the internet in this new go-to weekly gathering.
Team Liquid looks to bolster partnerships with Shikenso Analytics deal
German data and analytics company Shikenso Analytics has announced a partnership with global esports organisation Team Liquid.
The partnership enables Liquid to use Shikenso’s AI-powered tools to monitor and optimise its partnerships across streaming and social media.
Shikenso Analytics has partnered with a large number of esports organisations and tournaments in the past, including the likes of BLAST, GIANTX, M80, Fnatic and Ninjas in Pyjamas.
Arwin Fallah Shirazi, CEO of Shikenso, stated: “As we at Shikenso edge closer to our goal of establishing an industry-standard in media valuation, we’re thrilled to seamlessly integrate our cutting-edge solution into Team Liquid’s partnership strategies together with loadout, marking a significant stride towards shaping the future of esports analytics.”
Scottish Qualifications Authority launches esports NPA qualification
The Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) has launched a new National Progression Award (NPA) in esports for schools and colleges in Scotland, offering a one-year course that aims to provide an overview of the esports industry, with topics such as game performance and event management highlighted in the announcement.
According to SQA, the course’s development comes after colleges expressed an interest in awarding the topic. The authority noted that 88% of SQA centres surveyed agreed that esports is an ‘emerging and growing industry’ that has interest from learners. Before its official launch, the esports NPA was trialled at Dunoon Grammar School in Argyll and Bute for the 2022-2023 academic year.
Bobby Elliot, Qualifications Manager for Technology, Engineering and Construction at SQA, commented on the new NPA: “This qualification is the first of its kind offered by SQA. It’s designed to engage and motivate learners and deliver a wide range of current digital knowledge and skills.
“We offer a variety of computing and gaming qualifications, which are designed and developed with subject experts and industry to ensure they meet the skills needs of the sector. Going forward, we’re keen to look at plans to offer learners further articulation routes into further study.”
