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Thus, esports sponsorships are a long way from what they used to be. Whereas at first people engaged in mere sales of products already released in other countries using various gaming labels, today the video gaming industry has become a multi-billion dollar industry with large-scale companies partnering with brands all over the world. Due to the fast development of esports, sponsors from different fields have been attracted which makes sponsorship more diversifying and active.
Sponsorships during the young age of esports were more inclined to gaming-related products and services including computer hardware firms, video game producers, and producers of energy drinks. They saw the possible opportunities of esports as a popular methodology to engage a young audience and contributed the funds required for the development of this discipline. Most of the sponsorship agreements were relatively small and required sponsors to provide products, event partnerships, and paltry amounts of money in prizemoney.
With time the world started noticing esports and non-endemic brands or companies that are not directly associated with sports or games started making their move into the scene. This change signified a major shift in the dynamics of the esports sponsorships’ journey. Coca-Cola, Mercedes-Benz, and Nike, among others, began to understand the importance of targeting the fresh audience of esports. Such sponsorships ensured that more cash was pumped into the scene and this saw teams and events expand in terms of capacity.
It is also worth noting that digital & social media have been another influential factor in the advancement of esports sponsorship. Indeed, the brands have learned about the possibilities of utilizing online communities and influencers within the esports environment. Sponsorship deals have now gone further and included content creation, social media promotions, and influencer marketing. This makes it easier for brands to interact with esports fans directly and, therefore, make a bigger impact with their sponsorship.
In the future, continuous development of technologies such as blockchain and NFTs will be of significant influence on sponsorships of esports. All of these technologies present new possibilities to interact with fans and new forms of sponsorships. For instance, we may see in-game content or areas and products that fans can buy or exchange featuring the brands’ logos. The integration of these technologies could do much more for how sponsors are engaged and offered in the esports realm of the complex scene.
Some peculiarities of the development of esports sponsorships show the general development and, to some extent, the domestication of the esports industry. Sponsors have been major beneficiaries of esports right from the gaming niche brands to big corporate organizations. With the growth of the industry, it is expected that sponsorship will play an even more significant role and will become more creative in the future.