“The greatest mouse we have ever made.” These are the words that the PR department of gaming peripherals manufacturer Finalmouse used to describe its latest collaboration with Valorant pro player Tyson “TenZ” Ngo.
Finalmouse Starlight Pro TeNz
Finalmouse, which is known for its high-end gaming equipment, has been hyping up this drop for a few months now and the release day finally has finally come. On July 17, around 40,000 Magnesium Starlight Pro TenZ’s mice were made available to the public, most of which sold out in minutes.
The company’s impressive track record of marketing campaigns and collaborations with well-established names has reportedly earned Finalmouse around $7,5 million just from this venture alone. Superstar Valorant professional TenZ will also receive an undisclosed cut from the revenue, further proving that apart from performance, branding in esports is also incredibly important.
Various sources reported that 30,000 pieces were sold instantly, with the remaining 10,000 mice being sold out in the next seven hours. All 20,000 medium-sized and half of the stock of the small-sized mice made up these figures, proving that this collaboration hit the targeted audience.
With 40,00 units sold at a 190$ mark, it’s estimated that a 4-6 week window will be needed for processing and shipment. Customers can expect to get their tracking numbers halfway through August, while pro players will receive them within a week.
Finalmouse also announced that due to global supply shortages of magnesium alloy and other components, this upcoming Starlight TenZ drop will be the last Starlight batch of 2022. The December holidays drop and the Finalcon at the end of the year will only include the highly anticipated keyboard launch. The peripheral company claims that the three years of development have led to the creation of this 40-gram mouse, which can hold up to two months of battery life.
The future of esports branding
With the younger generations being more interested in the gaming industry and esports, more and more companies are figuring out how lucrative these ventures can be. In a recent press release, Jérôme Coupez, founder and CEO of Prodigy Agency, compared the TenZ and Finalmouse collaboration to the Nike and Jordan collaboration of the 90s.
Finalmouse and its previous high-profiled collabs seem to be tapping into the hype culture and it’s not the only company to do so. With Razer set to drop an entire line of apparel and peripherals in a collaboration with high fashion brand BAPE, it seems that this is only the tip of the market.
Only time will tell if the Starlight Pro by TenZ and Finalmouse will become as iconic as the Air Jordan 1 shoe, but this is certainly an exciting step in the development of esports branding.
Image credit: Finalmouse