Vitality’s CS:GO team surprised fans by wearing the jersey chosen using $VIT Fan Tokens on stage before their clash with Renegades

Team Vitality have broken new ground in esports fan engagement at the Intel Extreme Masters (IEM) Tournament in Cologne after appearing onstage wearing a jersey chosen exclusively by  $VIT Fan Token holders on Socios.

Vitality fans were asked to choose between three unique jersey design options for the first poll on fan engagement app Socios.com. The chosen jersey design features the inclusion of the word Vitality and the $VIT fan token badge in the center of the jersey representing Team Vitality’s connection to its fans, and the importance of its community being at the heart of the organisation.

Team Vitality’s CS:GO team then surprised fans by revealing the winning option live on stage ahead of their clash with Renegades.

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Team Vitality launched their $VIT Fan Token on July 1st, with the initial supply of 350,000 priced at €2 selling out in a matter of hours.

Fan Tokens are collectible digital assets, minted on the Chiliz blockchain, that provide owners with access to voting rights in polls, VIP rewards, exclusive promotions, AR-enabled features, chat forums, games and competitions on Socios.com.

Since its inception in 2013, Team Vitality has grown into one of the biggest esports organisations in the world and home to some of the industry’s best esports players who compete in the biggest global esports titles. Over the last six months, Team Vitality has continued to build upon its esports legacy, most recently announcing its expansion into Brazil with the signing of Hugo “Dioud” Padioleau as its first official ambassador, and the reveal of its new League of Legends rosters.

Team Vitality will use Fan Tokens to empower their fanbase with a selection of unique and exciting rewards. Fans who purchase $VIT Fan Tokens will have access to exclusive content, activations around Team Vitality players, shop vouchers and also have the opportunity to attend events as special guests. Team Vitality will also host monthly polls where its fans can vote and have a direct impact on key organisational decisions.

Team Vitality are the fifth esports team to launch a Fan Token on Socios, joining OG, NAVI, Team Heretics and Team Alliance on the platform.

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The Socios network consists of a roster of 40+  elite international sporting organizations, including world leading football clubs Paris Saint-Germain, FC Barcelona, Juventus, Manchester City, Atlético Madrid and the Argentina national team.  Leading MMA organisations the UFC and PFL have also launched Fan Tokens on Socios.com, as will Aston Martin Cognizant and Alfa Romeo Racing ORLEN of  Formula One.

Driven by the central belief that transitioning passive fans into active fans is essential to the future of esports and sport, Socios is a direct-to-consumer (D2C) platform that leverages blockchain technology to provide partners with the tools to engage with and monetize their global fanbases. Fan Tokens have generated over $150M in revenues to be shared with Socios.com partners in 2021 alone.

Created by Chiliz, the leading blockchain provider for the global sports and entertainment industry, Socios.com will continue its global expansion throughout  2021 and is targeting many more Fan Token with partners from across the world.

Socios has multiple office locations around the world and has recently opened new regional headquarters in Madrid, Istanbul, São Paulo and Buenos Aires. The company will also open a new office in North America in the near future.

“At Team Vitality we are so proud of the success of our first fan token thanks to the support of our dedicated fans. With 350,000 sold at launch, $VIT marks the most successful esports FTO on Socios platform, we are honoured to share this milestone with our fans and partners at Socios and Chiliz. To see the fan selected jersey design on our CS:GO players on stage at such a major tournament like IEM Cologne was an exciting moment for us, and altogether represents how connected our players are with fans,” said Nicolas Maurer, CEO, Team Vitality.

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Alexandre Dreyfus, CEO of Chiliz and Socios, said:  “Seeing Vitality’s CS:GO team wearing the jersey picked by their fans live on stage at a major tournament is proof of how serious they are about using $VIT Fan Tokens to create unprecedented engagement and influence opportunities for their global fanbase.

“The response to the initial sale, the reaction from fans to the first groundbreaking poll and the reveal of the winning jersey live on stage at IEM has been a great success. What an amazing start!”