Spanish soccer club Valencia CF is looking to get involved with eSports sponsorships by signing a partnership deal with a Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft team.
Developed by Blizzard Entertainment, Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft is a spin-off on the legendary Warcraft series, and features players competing by playing cards from hand. The game is estimated to have over 50 million active players, making it a promising sector for sponsorship and branding opportunities.
The Valencia-sponsored team's debut was slated for the Gamergy eSports tournament held in Spain in June, and featuring two of the country's most popular Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft streamers on the Twitch service.
This particular sponsorship goes to show that there is a lot of potential for symbiotic business relationships between eSports and traditional sports, and could signal increasing instances of powerful and established sports teams looking to invest in disruptive eSports.
Why This Trend Is Growing
- Cross-sport Partnerships
- The Valencia CF sponsorship demonstrates the potential for collaborations between traditional and eSports teams.
- Esports Sponsorships
- The growing popularity of eSports presents branding opportunities for traditional sports teams.
- Powerful Sports Teams Investing in Esports
- Established sports teams like Valencia CF are showing interest in disruptive eSports ventures.
Industries Being Reshaped
- Sports Sponsorship
- Cross-sport partnerships allow for innovative sponsorship opportunities within the sports industry.
- Esports
- eSports sponsorships offer branding and marketing possibilities within the rapidly expanding eSports industry.
- Gaming and Entertainment
- The convergence of traditional sports and eSports creates disruption and investment opportunities in the gaming and entertainment sector.
