Nike continues its takeover of esports as it partners with the Spanish esports organization, Vodafone Giants. The new global partnership between Nike and Vodafone Giants is the first of its kind in Europe.
The revolution starts now.
We join forces with @Nike as our partner to elevate our player's performance to the next level. #UnlockYourGame#WeAreGiants #VodafoneGiants pic.twitter.com/MAMrALzjCk
— Giants (@GiantsGamingENG) January 17, 2020
Nike continues making big moves
Earlier this week, Nike partnered with the South Korean organization T1. The deal between T1 and Nike not only includes co-branded merch, but also the building of a new training facility for the esports teams of T1. The new training facilities are set to open later this year, but the exact details have not yet been made public.
Besides the partnership with T1, the sportswear manufacturer also joined forces with the German esports organization, SK Gaming. Unlike the deal with T1, this partnership so far will be mainly focused on co-branded apparel. Besides SK Gaming’s partnership with Nike, they also partnered with Germany’s largest online football retail store, 11teamsports.
Taking over esports
Nike appears to be partnering with the biggest teams in esports to expand its reach into the hard-to-reach gaming market. The moves continue an earlier partnership between the clothing brand and the Chinese League of Legends Pro League (LPL). The $144 million deal was originally made back in November of 2018 and is set to continue for a period of 5 years. This deal includes all naming and distribution rights for apparel connected to the LPL.
The partnership with the Vodafone Giants
There is very little known about Nike’s new partnership with the Vodafone Giants. The first part of the partnership we do know, however, is the new jerseys for the 2020 season. The new jerseys were revealed earlier today on the Vodafone Giants Twitter page. The new jerseys have the simplistic look of many of the Nike-branded apparel in the esports scene.
With this latest move, Nike has ties to esports in all major regions, South Korea, China, Brazil, Europe, and North America. From here, it is expected that Nike will continue its expansion into the scene. What their next step is, however, is something we are eagerly waiting to find out.
Published: Jan 20, 2020 10:24 pm