Atlanta-based organisation Ghost Gaming has teamed up with daily fantasy sports operator PrizePicks to continue developing esports and fantasy offerings in the Southern United States.
As a result of the agreement, both entities will collaborate on a range of integrations which include launching contests and apparel, whilst also utilising talent and digital assets.
RELATED: Atlanta Ownership Group acquires Ghost Gaming
Speaking exclusively to Esports Insider Todd Harris, the former Chief Operating Officer of Hi-Rez Studios and Co-Owner of Ghost Gaming, discussed the benefits of the partnership: “When it comes to an esports organisation, there’s a number of assets that we can leverage as a part of this strategic partnership. One being digital inventory, as you know, there’s quite a lot of it when it comes to esports in terms of team assets.”
“Another one is digital media integration, of course, talent, integration and appearances. Then the third area would be contests of various sorts, whereas an organisation, we’re leaning into that. My primary learning from being in gaming and esports for 15 years is number one, this is where the attention lives, with video games and with fantasy. Number two, this audience craves authenticity and interactivity. So I think we have an esports org and those players with a legitimate interest in participating in fantasy, and they’re sharing that with their community. That’s a great opportunity.”
PrizePicks is no stranger to working with Harris in the past as the two collaborated to launch the fantasy platform’s first esports offering with the SMITE Pro League in spring 2019.
Whilst operating its own SMITE team, Ghost Gaming also holds professional rosters for titles such as Fortnite and Rocket League, as well as homegrown Atlanta title Brawlhalla.
RELATED: DreamHack Sports Games partners with eManager to create eSuperliga fantasy game
According to the firm’s press release, the partnership aims to establish ‘a dominant hub of fantasy sports and esports in the southeast’. PrizePicks CEO Adam Wexler delved deeper into this comment by stating: “I love the fact that they [Ghost Gaming] are very focused on their brand. It’s not just winning championships, they want to be a culturally relevant brand.”
He continued: “I take great pride in the fact that our business is based in Atlanta, Georgia, and we want to bring a major B2C technology win to the city and build a real prominent brand that has long-standing power. So I think both of us are going to be around for quite a while with our brands.
“We’re talking about the future here. Some may argue that this kind of partnership is a little premature, but I think at the stage that we’re at, in our growth development, it’s the right partnership for us. Esports will continue to grow, fantasy will continue to grow, our brand will continue to grow. It’s the right kind of stepping stone for us to build that momentum out of Atlanta.”
Esports Insider says: This new strategic partnership further highlights the growing relationship between fantasy platforms and esports. It’ll be interesting to see how the agreement plays out considering it’s stepping away from the conventional tournament organiser deals, either way, the partnership is yet another signal that Atlanta is serious about establishing itself as a new hub for esports.
Secure tickets for ESI Digital Winter
Source: Read Full Article