Thanks to Overwatch, which is among the biggest shooter games with 35 million monthly active players, its league is grabbing a lot of attention. Blizzard Entertainment has grabbed two big sponsors for its much-awaited Overwatch League, an official e-sports league based on the popular shooter game.
How can HP and Intel help Overwatch League?
Blizzard Entertainment’s Overwatch League has forged a multiyear sponsorship agreement with HP and Intel. The chipmaker will also be sponsoring the competitive play of the game in the events outside of the Overwatch League. The announcement was made at Blizzard’s big fan event, BlizzCon 2017, in Anaheim, California.
For the players, this sponsorship from HP and Intel means they will be using HP OMEN gaming PCs and displays, powered by the Intel Core i7 processors. Fans will be hoping that HP and Intel will help expand the community by creating original content with the players and teams.
E-sports is a growing market, so it is no surprise that big names are getting attracted towards it. According to market researcher Newzoo, e-sports could be a $1.5 billion market by 2020. “We’re proud to sponsor the Overwatch League and equip all competition PCs with Intel Core i7 processors to contribute to a great experience for fans and competitors,” Intel said, in a press release.
HP’s Global Head of Marketing, Personal Systems, Alex Craddock, said, “OMEN hardware has been widely adopted by many of the world’s top e-sports professionals, and we’re thrilled to help power the gameplay for the Overwatch League.” HP also partnered with Blizzard in June to be the official PC of the Overwatch World Cup.
Biggest deals ever
The Overwatch League was announced in November of last year. The league includes 12 teams representing major cities from North America, Asia and Europe. The inaugural season for the league will start on Jan. 10, 2018, and will run through June. The playoffs and finals are scheduled for July. From Dec. 6 onward, preseason matches will start including exhibition matches. All the games will take place at the Blizzard Arena in Los Angeles, once a home of Johnny Carson’s Tonight Show.
Speaking to Mail Online, Mike Sepso, the current Vice President of Esports at Activision Blizzard, said the involvement of two big brands with the league underlines the quality of infrastructure and systems that Blizzard has invested in for the league. He said that the deals with HP and Intel are the biggest ever he has seen “in the space.” However, he gave no details on the size of the deals.
“Due to the global system and team franchising infrastructure, it really creates a strong platform for big brands to connect with,” Sepso told. Further, the executive also acknowledged the support of the 12 franchise team owners, who are well known in esports and traditional sports.
E-sports organizations such as OpTic Gaming, Immortals and Cloud9 are paying $20 million as an entry fee for the league. Other owners include Robert Kraft of the New England Patriots, Andy Miller of the Sacramento Kings, Stan Kroenke of the Los Angeles Rams and Fred Wilpon of the New York Mets.
