eSports
A.P. Moller – Maersk partner with BLAST Premier in first long-term esports deal
- Global logistics company will sponsor tournament series for the remainder of the 2022 Counter-Strike season
Esports tournament organiser BLAST Premier has announced a season-long partnership with leading global logistics company A.P. Moller – Maersk.
BLAST Premier and A.P. Moller – Maersk will look to use the partnership to bring fans closer to esports through integrated digital campaigns and an MVP activation and broadcast segment.
The deal will see Maersk’s branding feature across BLAST Premier digital and physical assets, including the remaining six events of the year: Spring Showdown (27 April – 5 May) and Final (15-19 June), Fall Groups (19-28 August), Showdown (19-23 October) and Final (23-27 November) and World Final (14-18 December).
The collaboration will be A.P. Moller – Maersk’s first long-term partnership in esports and Counter-Strike following last year’s first involvement in the space when Maersk sponsored November’s Fall Final, which saw the long-awaited return of fans to arenas as 25,000 spectators attended Copenhagen’s iconic Royal Arena across three days of CS:GO action.
The partnership will feature an MVP activation, which will look to reward the best player from each event with a special Maersk MVP trophy. At the end of each tournament, a shortlist of players will be selected with the winner chosen by public vote.
A.P. Moller – Maersk is an integrated container logistics company working to connect and simplify its customers’ supply chains. As the global leader in shipping services, the company operates in 130 countries and employs roughly 93,000 people.
Oliver Clarke, Commercial Director at BLAST, said: “We are delighted to welcome back a highly respected and global brand such as Maersk. With a focus on fan-led in-person and digital experiences to engage the Counter-Strike community, we hope to build on the popular MVP segment from last year’s Fall Final Copenhagen. Bringing on board a non-endemic brand such as Maersk is testament to the value partners outside of the gaming and esports space equate to teaming up with BLAST Premier.”
Samuel Poulter, Head of Corporate Branding at A.P. Moller-Maersk, said: “We are proud to be a sponsor of BLAST for the second year in a row. We chose to sponsor the MVP to recognize the enormous skill and tactical intelligence needed in this sport and to engage and interact with the fans who are truly passionate about their teams and players.”
BLAST Premier is a global Counter-Strike tournament series, hosting the best players and teams, offering opportunities to regions across the globe and crowning the world champions of CS:GO. Up to 32 of the world’s best teams take part in the seven BLAST Premier events across the year with a combined prize pool of $2,475,000 on the line.
Powered by WPeMatico
Zenni Optical, the world’s leading online eyewear retailer, announced a partnership with ESL FACEIT Group (EFG), the leading esports and video game entertainment company. Designed to integrate eye health education with innovative eyewear solutions for the esports community, the partnership will officially launch at DreamHack festival in Dallas, taking place from May 31 to June 2.
This collaboration will showcase a co-branded collection of lifestyle and competitive eyewear and accessories, highlighting Zenni Optical’s commitment to promoting overall eye health, particularly in addressing issues like eye fatigue and strain. Additionally, the initiative will incorporate essential eye health education across various DreamHack Festivals, in alignment with EFG’s broader mission to foster inclusive gaming worlds and engaged, supported communities.
“DreamHack and ESL represent some of the most community-centric and prestigious competitive events in the world. In their own unique ways, they embody esports for everyone. By partnering with these incredible brands across the gaming and esports spaces, we aim to create engaging experiences that combine eye-health education with innovative eyewear solutions for players and fans at all levels,” said Robb Chiarini, Head of Gaming, Sports, & Events at Zenni Optical.
“We are thrilled to partner with Zenni Optical as the Official Eyewear Partner of DreamHack and ESL. The genuine passion that Zenni has for the esports industry is a refreshing sight to see, and a major driving factor for the decision behind our partnership. Zenni’s ongoing commitment to provide eyewear for everyone mirrors our own drive to create worlds beyond gameplay for gamers everywhere,” Craig Levine, Co-CEO at EFG, said.
Bucks Gaming’s Cream City Convergence Esports Tournament has been selected as a Capcom Pro Tour event, becoming one of just three tournaments in North America chosen to be a qualifier for the prestigious Capcom Cup.
The Capcom Cup is an annual Street Fighter 6 competition, hosted by video game developer and esports organizer Capcom, with a $1 million first place prize. Each year, Capcom selects a small number of tournaments worldwide to serve as Capcom Pro Tour events, with the winning players from each event qualifying for the Capcom Cup. As one of the tournaments selected by Capcom for the honor this year, Cream City Convergence will become the first esports event run by an NBA team to work with a major esports organizer.
Top-ranked Street Fighter 6 players will compete at Cream City Convergence when it returns for its second year on Saturday, Aug. 24, at Baird Center. In addition to Street Fighter 6, this year’s tournament will also have brackets for Tekken 8; Super Smash Bros Ultimate; Super Smash Bros Melee; and Guilty Gear: Strive.
The Esports Integrity Commission (ESIC) has announced Kambi and Abios, its esports data subsidiary, as new ESIC Anti-Corruption Supporters. This partnership signals the alignment of Kambi’s longstanding commitment to corporate probity and sports integrity with ESIC’s ongoing battle against match-fixing and corruption in esports.
Kambi and Abios join a distinguished class of other Anti-Corruption Supporter stakeholders who have historically worked with ESIC to ensure that attacks against the competitive integrity of esports competition are appropriately reported and dealt with. Anti-Corruption Supporters assist ESIC in investigating suspicious betting activity, supporting ESIC’s broader mission to combat cheating and betting fraud in the esports industry. Kambi and Abios’ entrance into the Anti-Corruption Supporter class will see the entities actively work with ESIC to assist in ESIC’s mission to disrupt, prevent, investigate and prosecute all attempts to compromise competitive integrity in esport competition.
Abios’ Managing Director and Founder, Anton Janér, commented: “Our mission at Abios has always been to enable the sustainable growth of esports. As such, we’re incredibly excited to join ESIC in their mission to future-proof esports through combatting match-fixing and other integrity-related malpractices. Fair play is a crucial component in ensuring the viability of esports as a long-term community and investment and we hope to be able to support the industry together with ESIC going forward.”
Stephen Hanna, ESIC’s Chief Executive Officer, commented: “We are pleased to welcome Kambi and Abios as Anti-Corruption Supporters. Kambi and Abios are well trusted and recognised operators in their respective industries, and their entrance into the Anti-Corruption Supporter class of ESIC membership emphasises their shared commitment to upholding the highest standards of integrity and fair play within the esports industry.”
The post Kambi and Abios Join ESIC as Anti-Corruption Supporters appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
-
EurAsia4 days agoEvoplay expands footprint in Georgia with Europebet partnership
-
Golden Matrix Group7 days ago
Golden Matrix Group Joins Rio Grande do Sul Flood Relief Program
-
Latest News7 days ago
Golden Matrix Group Joins Rio Grande do Sul Flood Relief Program
-
Balkans4 days ago
SOFTSWISS Expands to Bulgaria: European Growth Through Partnership
-
Christine A. Dorchak4 days ago
Greyhound Advocates Applaud Gov. Ned Lamont for Signing Bill to Outlaw Dog Racing
-
Latest News4 days ago
ELA Games Announces New Slot Game – Big Wave Delight
-
Latest News3 days ago
NIFL Strikes Exclusive Data & Streaming Deal With FeedConstruct
-
Compliance Updates3 days ago
ITIA Bans Two Players for Corruption Linked to Belgian Syndicate
