ACTIVATIONS
German health insurance provider Techniker Krankenkasse will serve as esports event organizer ESL’s “official health partner,” the companies announced in a press release. The two-year partnership will see the companies hosting a Techniker Krankenkasse namesake tournament for students, which will end in a finals match at gamescom 2019 in Germany. “As more and more people dive into the virtual world, it is up to us as a health insurer to bring up the health aspects of the esports trend in the discussion,” Techniker Krankenkasse CEO Jens Baas said in a statement. “Physical fitness and a balanced diet clearly influence performance in esports: good esports athletes train as much offline as they do online.” Other activations, like education events, will be held during ESL One Hamburg.
BITKRAFT has partnered with Roundhill Investments, a registered investment advisor and ETF sponsor, to launch the Roundhill BITKRAFT Esports & Digital Entertainment ETF (NYSE ARCA: NERD). As the world’s first Esports specific ETF, The Roundhill BITKRAFT Esports & Digital Entertainment ETF (“NERD ETF”) is designed to offer investors exposure to Esports and digital entertainment by providing tracking, before fees and expenses, to the performance of the Roundhill BITKRAFT Esports Index (“NERD Index”) The NERD Index consists of globally-listed companies who are actively involved in the competitive video gaming industry, including video game publishers, streaming network operators, video game tournament and league operators/owners, competitive team owners, and hardware developers. Roundhill’s methodology first screens all potential companies and confirms that they meet minimum market capitalization and liquidity criteria.
Jens Hilgers, Founding Partner of BITKRAFT Esports Ventures, commented, “Together with the Roundhill team we are taking an important step forward in making esports more easily accessible on the public financial markets. The Roundhill BITKRAFT Esports & Digital Entertainment ETF enables institutional investors as well as individuals to participate in the long-term growth of esports and the underlying entertainment trends. Essentially, this ETF enables esports fans to invest in the field they love and believe in.”
Said Will Hershey, CEO of Roundhill, “More than just launching and operating the ETF, the Roundhill team is taking a next-generation approach on marketing and storytelling of the product tailored to a digitally-native target audience that is increasingly seeking out ways to invest in investment themes they see shaping their world.”
Another day, another deal for Cloud9, which announced a partnership with Microsoft designed to “co-innovate new technologies in esports.” The multi-year agreement will see the two brands l dedicate resources to develop new tools and technologies that will enable Cloud9 players and staff to uncover game-changing insights across a variety of titles in which Cloud9 competes.
“Using a range of Microsoft’s commercial and consumer products and services, we will work with Cloud9 to build tools that will help them train more efficiently and determine their best strategies to win.” said Mike Downey, Director of Sports Technology at Microsoft. “Pairing the technological expertise of Microsoft with some of the world’s best gamers and coaches, we have an opportunity to develop some really innovative technology.”
With this agreement, Microsoft becomes an Official Technology Partner and the Official Performance Analytics Partner of all Cloud9 branded teams, including the League of Legends Championship Series (LCS) team and the Counter Strike: Global Offensive team. “As our organization looks at reaching new heights this year and next, we are incredibly excited to use the power of Microsoft technology to help get us there,” said Jack Etienne, Cloud9 CEO and Owner. “At Cloud9, we are all about giving players the tools they need to succeed, and with Microsoft leading the way for us, we’re going to have the competitive edge.” The two companies say fans can look forward to seeing new stats, more engaging and interactive content, and deeper analysis to better understand their favorite players.
“Teaming the leading technology company with the number one esports organization further elevates our competitive edge for the long term.” said Jordan Udko, Cloud9 Executive Vice President of Commercial Partnerships. “The partnership represents the natural evolution of an existing commitment of being a players first organization. Providing our players with best in class support is core to who we are.”
Detroit-based Rocket Mortgage continues to leverage esports opportunities, this time locked in a deal bring one of the biggest esports events in North America to Detroit at Little Caesars Arena on August 24 and 25 to experience the 2019 League of Legends Championship Series (LCS) Summer Finals presented by Rocket Mortgage.
“We are doubling down on esports by supporting one of the biggest tournaments in the sport and bringing it to our hometown. The esports community strongly aligns with what we stand for as the nation’s largest FinTech lender– industry disruption and groundbreaking innovation,” said Jay Farner, CEO of Quicken Loans. “This is the latest in a long history of big innovative events to connect with passionate fans – from the Quicken Loans Carrier Classic and the Billion Dollar Bracket to the Rocket Mortgage Homestretch Sweepstakes – so bringing one of the biggest esports events to Detroit is the exciting next step.”
In addition to bringing the 2019 League of Legends Championship Series (LCS) Summer Finals presented by Rocket Mortgage to Detroit, Rocket Mortgage is also an active sponsor of 100 Thieves and their LoL team, which will participate in the tournament.
“We’re proud to partner with Rocket Mortgage as they become the first-ever presenting sponsor of the LCS Summer Finals,” said Chris “Chopper” Hopper, Head of Esports for North America at Riot Games. “We always strive to bring League of Legends to new locations around the region and are excited to offer one of the top esports events in North America to the passionate fans in Detroit for the first time.” Ticket information for the 2019 LCS Summer Finals Presented by Rocket Mortgage will be released on June 18 on lolesports.com.
