The 2024 esports season was filled with exciting partnerships and sponsorships that shaped the industry. Despite challenges like layoffs and debates over sustainability, companies found creative ways to expand their revenue streams and collaborate. Team Vitality renewed its partnership with supermarket chain ALDI, focusing on the organization’s League of Legends women’s roster, Rising Bees.
The collaboration aimed to address toxicity towards women in gaming and promote diversity in esports. A video titled ‘Des Failles dans La Faille’ featured Rising Bees players discussing their experiences with misogyny in gaming. Spanish esports organization KOI partnered with Pepsi, which became the official beverage sponsor of KOI’s League of Legends EMEA Championship campaign.
Pepsi also partnered with The Esports World Cup, showing its commitment to the esports sector. FIFA announced two partnerships that reshaped the future of the FIFAe World Cup. One involved integrating Rocket League into the competition, while another with game developer Sports Interactive aimed to incorporate Football Manager into FIFAe’s competitive landscape.
Esports partnerships define 2024 dynamics
The League Championship Series closed its final season with a partnership with AT&T, featuring behind-the-scenes content and real-time match audio. AT&T also sponsored the LCS Fan Fest.
The Esports Awards partnered with the Esports World Cup, resulting in the first of two award ceremonies being held during EWC in Riyadh. Despite criticism due to Saudi Arabia’s stance on various social issues, the Esports Awards CEO assured that EWC would have no control over the award process. The International Olympic Committee partnered with the National Olympic Committee of Saudi Arabia for the Olympic Esports Games 2025, part of a 12-year deal aiming to establish a multi-title esports competition in Saudi Arabia.
Movember continued its presence in esports with various campaigns focused on men’s mental health and cancer awareness. German organization BIG launched a campaign with L’Oréal Men Expert, while BLAST Premier partnered with Movember for its World Final 2024. Brazilian organization FURIA partnered with Crunchyroll for a My Hero Academia merchandise line, highlighting the synergy between anime culture and esports.
These partnerships illustrate the dynamic and expanding nature of the esports industry in 2024, from innovative brand collaborations to addressing social issues.
Cameron is a highly regarded contributor in the rapidly evolving fields of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning. His articles delve into the theoretical underpinnings of AI, the practical applications of machine learning across industries, ethical considerations of autonomous systems, and the societal impacts of these disruptive technologies.
