Top 5 esports partnerships of 2022
Take a closer look at five of the most influential and noteworthy partnerships in esports from across the year
2022 has been another successful year for esports and gaming.
With the industry’s continuous global growth across spectators, players and revenue, it’s no surprise that businesses from across the globe are increasing their investments in esports and partnering with some of the world’s biggest rightsholders.
In this feature, we take a closer look at some of the most note-worthy partnerships and analyse how brands from across major global industries have teamed-up with esports and gaming’s biggest teams, players and competitions in 2022.
Dominic Mills
Published on December 15th, 2022
In this Insight:
ASOS x FNATIC
As one of Europe’s most valuable esports organisations, with a social media fan base of
over 33 million people worldwide, Fnatic is one of the industry’s leading organisations.
Wanting to increase their brand awareness amongst the esports community, online fashion retailer, ASOS, partnered with Fnatic earlier in the year. The partnership saw ASOS enter the esports and gaming industry for the first time, as they were officially announced as the main sponsor for Fnatic, with the retailer placing their brand on the front of one of the most visible shirt’s in gaming.
As well as placing their brand front and centre to hundreds of millions of spectators across the globe, ASOS and Fnatic joined forces to create exclusive collaborations and products designed to showcase the close link between fashion and gaming.
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Burberry x Gen. G
ASOS and Fnatic weren’t the only brand to recognise the key connection between fashion and gaming.
In July, luxury fashion brand, Burberry, entered the world of gaming for the first time, as they partnered with Korean esports team Gen G. The partnership has seen the two global powerhouses launch a four-part educational content series, with the aim of championing women and inclusivity in gaming.
Each episode of the series features an open discussion related to the challenges that women face within the esports and gaming community, featuring Gen G content creators and influencers alongside members of the Burberry team.
The partnership series has covered key topics such as allyship, social platforms and creativity within the gaming sphere and included Gen G content creators Gloria “Ploo” Shin, Jessica Kim, Krysta “Krystalogy” Eason.
Santander x League of Legends tournaments
Outside of highly successful fashion partnerships, the esports and gaming world has also attracted businesses and collaborations from a wide range of different industries, including more traditional ones, such as financial services.
Spanish commercial bank, Santander, entered the global esports ecosystem in June as they signed a multi-year partnership with both the League of Legends European Championship (LEC) and the Liga Latinoamérica (LLA).
Seeing the esports and gaming market as an ideal opportunity to promote innovation, diversity and digitalisation, Santander partnered with the massively popular gaming tournaments as their main sponsor.
Utilising the tournaments’ 74 million viewers, the bank aims to create a new community and connect with younger generations. Crucially, the partnership sees Santander as a main sponsor for an esports tournament for the first time, having previously solely focussed on traditional sports such as football and racing.
Nike x Rekkles
In addition to tournaments and organisations partnering with some of the biggest brands in the world, 2022 has seen the continuation of esports players and businesses joining forces to reach new audiences and build the gaming community.
Swedish League of Legends (LOL) player, Martin Larsson, better known as Rekkles, announced his partnership with sports-apparel giant Nike earlier in 2022. Having previously worked with Rekkles’ LOL rival, Jian “Uzi” Zihao, Nike have continued their investment in esports athletes, with the partnerships functioning as a strong bridge between conventional sports and esports.
The partnership has seen the swede feature on the Nike app, where he has discussed the importance of physical activity to keep concentration, as well as showcasing helpful workout plans for his fans.
KitKat x League of Legends
The final partnership to feature in the best of 2022, is between chocolate confectionary brand KitKat and the League of Legends European Championship (LEC).
The partnership follows in the footsteps of both ASOS and Burberry, with it being the brand’s first venture into the esports and gaming world. Wanting to make a market entry centred around an authentic and relevant partnership, KitKat launched a multi-media campaign ‘Give Esports a BREAK’.
The campaign, originally launched in 2020, has continued with a multitude of digital activations, in-game ads and television commercials, all looking to connect with gamers and fans from around the world in a humorous and genuine way.
In recognition for their connection with the community, KitKat have been nominated for ‘Esports Commercial Partner of the Year’ at the 2022 Esports Awards.
