A recent study has shown that revenues from global esports could reach $1.1 billion by the end of the year after a 14.5% YoY increase. Esports is now a more lucrative business than ever, and although Samsung is not involved directly with managing an esports team, the company's brand is becoming more visible across esports thanks to strategic partnerships.
Samsung is now an official sponsor of David Beckham's Guild Esports organization. Yes, David Beckham — the former England football captain — is the co-owner of the London-based Guild Esports organization, the latter of which was listed on the London Stock Exchange in October.
Samsung didn't disclose any monetary figures pertaining to its newfound role as a sponsor of Guild Esports, but according to CityAM, 50% of the value of the deal will be paid in cash, while 50% comes in the form of equipment such as Samsung monitors.
“This partnership shows our continued commitment to gamers and the wider industry and will offer fans experiences beyond the norm,” said Damon Crowhurst of Samsung Electronics UK.
Did you know? Samsung managed its own esports team for four years
South Korea is considered the cradle of esports. It's where the phenomenon began, so it's no wonder that Samsung was involved with managing its own esports team for a few years. The company's esports team, called Samsung Galaxy, was founded in 2013 after MVP Blue and MVP White were acquired by Samsung.
Samsung Galaxy teams competed in esports titles including League of Legends, StarCraft, and StarCraft II. The esports organization was disbanded in 2017 after winning the 2017 League of Legends World Championship.
Samsung hasn't managed its own esports team since, but the company has remained involved in the esports scene at large. This year alone, aside from partnering with David Beckham's Guild Esports organization, Samsung also became a CLG memory partner and revealed a new esports event back in April. It has also teamed up with H20 Esports Campus to create a learning program for aspiring game designers.
