TEAM VITALITY UNLEASHES COLLABORATIVE POWER WITH FOURTEEN PARTNERS AND FOUR RENEWALS FOR 2024
- Team Vitality is proud to count on the support of its four loyal national and international partners JBL Quantum, GG.BET, ALDI and Crédit Agricole for another year.
- Underlining the French club’s appeal, these contract renewals coincide with the recent additions of Magnum, Ben & Jerry’s, and Tradeit.gg.
- Team Vitality and its fourteen partners, through initiatives such as Frozen All Stars, Match of LeGGends, and V.Hive App, curated unforgettable experiences for esports fans throughout 2023.
- While esports continues to appeal to brands year after year, Team Vitality continues to bring its partners on board over the long term with a young, engaged and united audience.
Paris, January 17th January, 2024 – Team Vitality, the leading esports organisation, is delighted to announce that it has successfully retained fourteen of its partners, which continue to support its global and national influence in France. Thus, the French esports club has renewed 100% of its partner contracts that were due to end: JBL Quantum, GG.BET, (International Partner) ALDI and Crédit Agricole as they continue their adventures within Hive. Alongside them are Tezos, hummel, KIA, Cherry XTRFY, EVNIA, Kingston FURY, Secret Lab, whose contracts were previously due to end in 2023.
Marking the club’s 10th anniversary, Team Vitality ushered in a wave of new partners, including the skin trading site Tradeit.gg. Alongside these, the team also welcomed non-esports affiliated brands such as KIA, Magnum, and Ben & Jerry’s, each possessing a strong international presence and wish to start their esports journey with the French organisation. These alliances demonstrate the profound influence and impact that Team Vitality commands within the esports scene.
Despite the perceived economic challenges in the esports sector, Team Vitality stands out against the prevailing trend. A trailblazer which remains steadfast in aligning with top-tier partners across diverse industries who share common values of performance, innovation, authenticity, and passion. Their unique and unwavering commitment is underscored by the pivotal renewals that serve as a cornerstone for Team Vitality, as the club keeps its partnerships at the heart of its strategy.
A COMMUNITY THAT CONTINUES TO GROW AND UNITE DESPITE THE CRISIS
Competing in six iconic games, Team Vitality has continued to grow its community to more than 10 million fans worldwide This remarkable growth was fueled by the significant titles secured in 2023, such as the triumph at the final Counter-Strike Major in Paris last May, where 50,000 spectators cheered passionately for the players, creating an unforgettable atmosphere. The concluding phases of the event even reached a peak audience of 1.52 million viewers worldwide. Additionally, the club’s victory in the 2023 Rocket League World Championship in August set a record with over 468,000 simultaneous viewers.
In 2023, the club experienced a remarkable 70% surge in fan engagement across its social networks, surpassing one million followers on TikTok. The synergy of these global esports achievements and the club’s fervently engaged fanbase positions Team Vitality as an especially enticing opportunity for brands. Presenting a compelling partnership opportunity for brands seeking to captivate an audience traditionally considered challenging to reach due to their content consumption habits.
“We are very grateful to our partners for placing this trust in us, particularly within a sector that is still young, which is seeking its profitability model but has demonstrated its strong impact on several occasions. Their loyalty shows that we know how to aim well, creating activations that reflect their values and commitments while continuing to stay current with our fans. We are starting 2024 with many ambitions and as much passion as ever!” said Nicolas Maurer, CEO and co-founder of Team Vitality.
SIX PARTNER EXPERIENCES THAT MARKED 2023
Embodying the missions and ambitions of Team Vitality, the club and its partner companies have collaboratively crafted unparalleled experiences, guiding esports fans on immersive adventures.
In collaboration with ALDI, Team Vitality announced the creation of its first women’s team, the French Bees, for the 2023 League of Legends season. This partnership not only provided the roster with premium resources and access to the same infrastructure as the club’s other teams but also ensured tailor-made management. It serves as a powerful message, promoting women’s esports in local competitions.
This year, the collaboration takes on a new, broader international and competitive dimension. Transforming from the French Bees to the Rising Bees, the team has secured ALDI as a major partner for the second consecutive year, with additional support from Crédit Agricole as the official partner of the 2024 roster. These two brands will strive to cultivate a more inclusive and competitive environment for female players.
The V.Hive mobile app provides Team Vitality’s most engaged fans exclusive access to club-related experiences through a unique reward system. Celebrating its first anniversary in November 2023, Team Vitality and Tezos marked the milestone.
In just one year, the V.Hive application garnered 83K downloads, resulting in the creation of over 25K avatars and 64K wearables. As a token of appreciation for the dedicated global fanbase, this translated to 1,000 rewards with the club (signed jerseys, creative posters, merchandising, etc.) and four in-person experiences organised between fans and players at major esports events, including the LEC competition in Berlin, CS Paris Major, Rocket League Worlds, and the Frozen All Stars game.
In 2024, V.Hive will launch its fifth season with new in-app features and new experiences for its fans.
- Crédit Agricole is touring France to make esports accessible to everyone thanks to the Vitality School Summer Tour
Spearheaded by Team Vitality and backed by Crédit Agricole since 2022, the VSchool Summer Tour provides young esports enthusiasts with the chance to engage in complementary courses, allowing them to acquaint themselves with esports practices, learn good technique and sportsmanship while receiving guidance from industry professionals. In the current year, Crédit Agricole extended invitations to VSchools nationwide through collaborating with regional banks. By expanding the initiative to multiple cities in France, Crédit Agricole remains a catalyst for connection, fostering cohesion and promoting social inclusion through esports.
- GG.BET, the official international partner and Team Vitality, brought together the legends of CS:GO through an anthology match show
During the CS:GO break in the summer of 2023, Team Vitality, in collaboration with its international partner GG.BET (services not accessible in France), organised a thrilling event that united two legends of the game and their respective teams through a series of explosive matches. At the Berlin-based event named ‘Match of LeGGends,’ Counter-Strike’s two GOATs, s1mple (NAVI) and ZywOo (Team Vitality), joined forces. This showmatch captivated over 80,000 Counter-Strike enthusiasts, thanks to the participation of exceptional players and casters from the Counter-Strike community.
- KIA and JBL QUANTUM transported esports players to another dimension during the LEC Finals in Montpellier
During the final 2023 LEC season held in Montpellier, Team Vitality, alongside partners Kia and JBL Quantum, orchestrated a series of unique experiences centred around the game League of Legends.
As a result, fans had the opportunity to connect with players during signing sessions, all while immersing themselves in the esports atmosphere through JBL Quantum products. Team Vitality introduced the engaging “Blind Box” experience, where participants embarked on an immersive journey to guess which League of Legends champions they were assigned through a quiz.
Simultaneously, Team Vitality collaborated with KIA to bring forth the “The Lane of Movement” experience. Immersive black and yellow KIA cars transported fans from downtown Montpellier to the arena, offering them the chance to play League of Legends throughout the journey.
To conclude the year with a bang, Team Vitality and Unilever’s two brands launched an exciting partnership, treating fans to a Rocket League extravaganza: The Frozen All Stars showmatch. This unique event, a heartfelt nod to the fans’ passion as official competitions resumed, showcased Team Vitality’s world champion squad facing off against international gaming legends in a series of thrilling matches. The action unfolded on both the Twitch channel and Team Vitality’s TikTok account, with Boyan and LifeIsCool from the Rocket Baguette channel in France providing engaging commentary. For an English-speaking audience, the showmatch was also available on the renowned Scottish Rocket League caster JohnnyBoi_i’s Twitch channel.
Taking inspiration from the NBA All-Star Game format, the showmatch unfolded within the cosy confines of a mountain chalet, courtesy of a transformed V.Hive (Team Vitality premises). Throughout the evening, fans soaked in the laid-back atmosphere while relishing the match, all while indulging in delightful taste experiences featuring Magnum and Ben & Jerry’s ice cream through various interactive activities like blind tests and rankings.