Big-name sponsors fund European majors – Esports Charts

Three of the biggest esports major events in Europe secured major sponsorship deals, proving the strength in commercialization for Rocket League, Valorant, and Counter-Strike.

Data from global esports statistics provider Esports Charts show that the PGL Major Copenhagen, the RLCS Major Copenhagen, and Valorant Masters Madrid secured top-tier brands as sponsors.

Esports Charts noted that a total of 15 sponsors were present in all three major events, which were held in March 2023 alone.

The history-making VCT 2024: Masters Madrid in Spain was the most-sponsored brand of the three Majors, having 8 different brands being promoted. 

Among them were peripherals manufacturer HyperX, aim improvement software Aimlabs, Mastercard, AWS, and Verizon joining Riot Games’ stalwart sponsors Red Bull, Secret Lab, and OMEN. 

Meanwhile, the PGL Major Copenhagen represented six brands, and was considerably more open to gambling brands compared to Riot. Among the major sponsors of the first-ever CS2 major is 1XBET and Oddin.gg, a service catering to betting bookmakers. They also have monitor brand Zowie, Secret Lab, and Displate – the latter also advertised League of Legends Europe Championship broadcasts.

Meanwhile, Rocket League’s RLCS Copenhagen major event only had two sponsors: global automotive brand Mobil and Ally Financial. However, this major showed the potential for esports to have non-traditional partners outside of the usual esports cycle.

In total, Esports Charts tracked 15 total sponsors across all three events, with traditional esports partners such as hardware and computers leading the charge.

“Looking at the categorization of sponsors for these tournaments, it’s evident that the Computers and Peripherals sector remains at the forefront in terms of the number of represented brands. This sector features the most endemic brands in the industry, making them easily promotable to the target audience,” Esports Charts noted.

They also added and noted how sponsors in the betting and gambling category are also quite popular in esports, especially in tournaments for Valve games. 

“Riot Games currently maintains a stricter policy regarding sponsors, although according to The Esports Advocate, they may soon relax these restrictions significantly,” Esports Charts noted.

More esports tournament data may be accessed through the Esports Charts website at escharts.com. 

[PHOTOS FROM ESPORTS CHARTS]