Top 10 Esports Sponsorships that will redefine the industry

Sponsorships are a pretty big part of modern sports, and this is the case in esports too. Over the last decade, esports has gone from a more niche interest into a business that rivals the revenue of traditional sports. Playing games professionally brings in a lot of esports sponsorships. They have become a vital part of gaming. Without copious advertising, most events wouldn’t have the cash to function. Even the best esports streams use sponsorships. Which deals come and go are an indication of the health of an esport, like with Overwatch losing multiple sponsors or new tournaments like Gamers8 signing huge sponsorship deals.

Heading into 2023, there was some pull back in esports spending across the board. A few of the biggest esports sponsors in past years have withdrawn from the space entirely. Others though have increased their spending in the area, finding new ways to get value out of sponsoring competitive gaming.

Here are our selection of ten investors in esports that will redefine the esports industry as a whole:

10. US Air Force

Sponsorship from a military branch isn’t quite as traditional as some of the others on this list, and there’s a good reason why it makes some uneasy. However, the air force along with other branches of the military have shown an increased interest in sponsoring esports. This starts with the sponsorship of Cloud9, with logos appearing on their outfits. They’ve also ran Twitch streams and their own esports streams.

9. Comcast / Xfinity

Comcast Xfinity has been trying to tap into the market for gamers needing higher-quality internet for minimal lag gaming. These sponsor a good amount of esports here too. They’re one of the top esports sponsorships including having deals with Evil Geniuses, Philadelphia Fusion, the Overwatch League, esports arenas, and ESL. There is also an esports-focused arena.

Xfinity is one of the most prolific and dedicated esports sponsors. Late in 2022, Xfinity expanded to start sponsoring more orgs like FaZe clan. That’s along with running a music-focused outlet with FaZe called the Gig.

8. Disney

This esports sponsorship might not be the biggest here, but it’s a decent sign that even the most cautious brands are increasingly seeing esports as a viable space for promotion. The last year has seen FaZe Clan and Disney work together. They’ve produced a line of merchandise with renders the iconic Disney mascot in FaZe clan style.

7. Samsung

Electronics company Samsung is a huge presence in Esports, but they’ve contracted and expanded a few times already. In the past, they’ve directly run esports teams. More recently they’ve gotten involved in esports sponsorships too. They’ve sponsored the Intel Extreme Masters, Major League Gaming, and even DreamHack.

Source: @lolesports

6. Mountain Dew/ PepsiCo

Pepsi’s sponsorships for esports include sponsorships under specific brands such as Mountain Dew. This includes teams Splyce, Team Dignitas, and SK Gaming. Along with actual teams, they sponsor the Mountain Dew League (MDL) and other major CSGO events.

This year PepsiCo also became a major sponsor of the Gamers8 event. This is one of the biggest new events on the calendar and PepsiCo was their primary sponsor. Other brands have gotten involved too, with Rockstar Energy signing a multi-year partnership with NRG. PepsiCo is one of the companies making major expansions in their esports sponsorships in 2023.

5. Esports Bookmakers

Bookmakers have shown such an interest in esports, that its downright difficult to select a single one to feature on our list. Operators and groups like the Esports Entertainment Group, Betway, Unibet and GG.BET are amongst the biggest supporters of esports teams and events on the market.

You can witness plenty of events featuring esports betting sites as their main sponsor, and for good reason. Esports betting has become comparable to traditional sports in terms of affluence and interest. Some if not most of the best CSGO teams on the planet are now sponsored by a betting provider.

4. Mastercard

One of the biggest losses in esports sponsorships in 2023 was crypto companies going bust and taking their sponsorship cash with them, but traditional finance is partially filling that gap. Mastercard is increasingly getting involved in sponsoring competitive gaming events.

This year they’ve extended their deal with Riot Games which gives them a huge presence in gaming. They have a multi-year deal for sponsoring the LoL World Championship, the Mid-Season Invitational, and All-Star Events.

3. Coca-Cola

Coca-Cola is one of the biggest names in drinks, but also in sponsorship. The company has been sponsoring sports events along with other industries for quite a long time and there’s no exception in esports. Some of their esports sponsorships include Overwatch League (off and on), e-NASCAR, Riot Games, Pittsburgh Knights, paiN Gaming, and Tespa. Their sponsorships go beyond this too when you consider the range of drinks brands they own. Coca-Cola itself has increased its sponsorship in 2023 too.

Name recognition alone is enough for Coke to invest heavily into esports, and they are doing so with a large swath of sponsorships throughout the industry. While some major corporations like BMV are reducing their esports spending, Coca Cola has ploughed ahead with even more. More recently they’ve partnered with Guild Esports for a sizeable deal.

2. Red Bull

Red Bull has always been a company that heavily invests in sports and esports. Their portfolio features sponsoring a number of StarCraft 2 and Dota 2 events along with prominent teams like G2, OG and Tempo Storm. On top of that, Red Bull regularly organizes their own esports events like the RedBull SoloQ and RedBull Wololo.

When it comes to esports, Red Bull has become more involved, even as they maintain their sponsorships in more traditional sports. They are truly a driving force in the industry.

1. Intel

Intel is a giant in computers, and their sponsorships reached further out into esports than any other company. Over the past decade Intel has sponsored some of the biggest CSGO tournaments, with the Intel Extreme Masters series being their crown jewel. On top of that, the Overwatch League has had Intel as a CPU sponsor for power rankings for quite a while now. Riot Games also has Intel as one of their main partners for all global and regional competitions.

As one of the top esports sponsorships, fans of League of Legends, Overwatch and CSGO don’t go very long without hearing about Intel. As a brand, they are truly at the head of our Top 10 Esports Sponsorships list for 2021 and beyond.