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New deal prolongs ‘longest running partnership’ in competitive gaming industry.
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- Three-year deal runs from 2022 up to and including the 2025 Intel Extreme Masters in Katowice
- US$100m investment to bring ‘further product innovations’ and improvements for fans and players
- ESL and Intel have so far collaborated on 82 events across 15 seasons
Esports organiser and production company ESL Gaming and technology giant Intel have agreed a three-year renewal of their sponsorship agreement.
The new deal will start in 2022 and run up to and including the 2025 Intel Extreme Masters (IEM) in Katowice, Poland, during which time the pair plan to invest US$100 million in esports.
The two parties said the investment will bring ‘further product innovations’ and improvements for fans and players of competitive gaming. Both brands will also continue to deliver technology solutions to power all pro-level tournaments and events.
Another part of the agreement will see all non-league ESL Pro Tour circuit CS:GO tournaments rebranded under the IEM brand, including ESL One Cologne. The partnership is also being expanded to include DreamHack Open and DreamHack Festivals for the first time.
The new deal marks a continuation of what the pair claim is the longest running partnership in the esports industry, dating back two decades. Intel supported ESL’s early events before becoming the official title sponsor of IEM in 2006. In 2016, the relationship was expanded further as Intel became ESL’s global technical partner.
“After 20 years of building something hand in hand it’s hard to consider Intel as merely a partner,” said Ralf Reichert, the co-chief executive at ESL Gaming. “The two-decade journey has forged a bond that has no parallel in the world of esports and we are excited to be extending it with a commitment of this magnitude; the next three years will be the greatest esports fans have seen yet.”
To date, Intel and ESL have held 82 IEM events across a total of 15 seasons, with tournaments being staged across North America, South America, Europe, the Middle East, China, Southeast Asia and Australia.
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