IRVINE, Calif.—Feb. 8, 2019—The Overwatch LeagueTM today announced sponsorship deals with top brands including Coca-Cola®, Toyota, T-Mobile, HP, and Intel.
Coca-Cola has signed a multi-year deal with the Overwatch League and has been named the league’s official global beverage sponsor across all non-alcoholic beverage categories. In addition, Blizzard Entertainment has named Coca-Cola the official global beverage sponsor for the broader Overwatch esports ecosystem, including Overwatch Contenders, Open Division, Tespa (in North America), the Overwatch World Cup, and BlizzCon®. Coca-Cola will also be the official North American beverage sponsor across all non-alcoholic beverage categories for the Overwatch game.
“The union between Coca-Cola and Overwatch esports is the perfect pairing between two businesses that share common values,” said Brandon Snow, chief revenue officer of Activision Blizzard Esports Leagues. “We’re excited to work closely with Coca-Cola to reach and embrace an even more global and diverse group of fans.”
Toyota was named the official North American automotive partner of the Overwatch League and will return as the sponsor of the popular player-interview series, Access Granted: Driven by Toyota. Toyota vehicles will also be featured in a series of custom-branded vignettes featuring Overwatch League broadcast talent.
“We’re happy to continue our support of Overwatch League for the 2019 season as the official North American automotive partner,” said Samantha Goot, general manager of media and engagement marketing, Toyota Motor North America. “As a returning sponsor, we look forward to connecting with the growing number of passionate esports fans via the custom media elements that will provide behind-the-scenes access and unique content throughout the season.”
T-Mobile returns as the official U.S. wireless provider of the Overwatch League to give fans even more of what they love. Once again, the Un-carrier will be the presenting sponsor of the Overwatch League’s regular season and Grand Finals MVP Awards. New to this season, Overwatch League experts will nominate five finalists for the regular-season MVP Award, giving fans the opportunity to cast their vote for candidates on Twitch, Twitter, and Weibo. Together, T-Mobile and the Overwatch League will provide the ultimate inside look at top MVP candidates in a player-profile video series to air later this season. T-Mobile is also returning as one of the presenting sponsors for Overwatch League All-Stars.
HP will continue to power the Overwatch League with PCs and displays from their OMEN line of gaming products. OMEN by HP computers and displays will be used exclusively for Overwatch League practice and competitive play. OMEN by HP will sponsor a weekly video feature, Game/Set, focused on how pro Overwatch players improve their performance. HP will also be the presenting sponsor for the “Player of the Match” segment after every regular-season match.
Intel was named the official computer processor of the Overwatch League for the second year in a row. In addition to equipping all competition PCs with Intel® Core™ i7 processors, Intel will sponsor a series of educational videos to help fans learn more about competitive Overwatch. Intel will also be returning as the presenting sponsor of the Overwatch League All-Star Game.
“Intel has supported the esports community for over 15 years with some of our best technology for gamers who demand world-class performance,” said John Bonini, VP and general manager of the VR, gaming, and esports group at Intel. “As a returning sponsor for the Overwatch League, we’ve equipped all competition PCs with powerful Intel® Core™ i7 processors to maximize the viewing and playing experience for fans and competitors. The Overwatch League is a great showcase for esports, and we’re excited to be a part of it with Blizzard.”
“We’re proud to work together this season with Toyota, T-Mobile, HP, Intel, and Coca-Cola,” said Josh Cella, head of global partnerships for Activision Blizzard Esports Leagues. “Teaming up with world-class brands really elevates the Overwatch League and provides a wide array of quality products that we can feature for our fans. We’re also very excited to create original content for several of these deals that will entertain and educate our community.”
The 2019 Overwatch League season kicks off on Thursday, February 14, at 4 p.m. PST with a 2018 Grand Finals rematch between the London Spitfire and the Philadelphia Fusion.
About the Overwatch League™
The Overwatch League™ is the first major global professional esports league with city-based teams across Asia, Europe, and North America. Overwatch® was created by globally acclaimed publisher Blizzard Entertainment (a division of Activision Blizzard—NASDAQ: ATVI), whose iconic franchises have helped lay the foundations and push the boundaries of professional esports over the last 15 years. The latest addition to Blizzard’s stable of twenty-two #1 games,[1] Overwatch was built from the ground up for online competition, with memorable characters and fast-paced action designed for the most engaging gameplay and spectator experiences. To learn more about the Overwatch League, visit www.overwatchleague.com.
About Blizzard Entertainment, Inc.
Best known for blockbuster hits including World of Warcraft®, Hearthstone®, Overwatch®, the Warcraft®, StarCraft®, and Diablo® franchises, and the multi-franchise Heroes of the Storm®, Blizzard Entertainment, Inc. (https://www.blizzard.com), a division of Activision Blizzard (NASDAQ: ATVI), is a premier developer and publisher of entertainment software renowned for creating some of the industry’s most critically acclaimed games. Blizzard Entertainment’s track record includes twenty-two #1 games* and multiple Game of the Year awards. The company's online gaming service, Blizzard Battle.net®, is one of the largest online-gaming services in the world, with millions of active players.
*Sales and/or downloads, based on internal company records and reports from key distribution partners.
About Activision Blizzard Esports Leagues
Activision Blizzard Esports Leagues (ABEL) is responsible for the development and operation of premier Activision Blizzard professional gaming properties including the Overwatch League™ and the Call of Duty® World League, as well as the commercialization of the entire Blizzard Esports portfolio. Launched in 2017, the Overwatch League is the world’s first major global esports league with city-based teams, with 20 teams across Asia, Europe, and North America. In 2019, the Call of Duty World League Presented by PlayStation®4 will deliver five vs. five team play featuring Call of Duty®: Black Ops 4. It is ABEL’s vision to be the most innovative, scalable, and valuable developer of global competitive entertainment.
About HP
HP Inc. creates technology that makes life better for everyone, everywhere. Through our product and service portfolio of personal systems, printers, and 3D printing solutions, we engineer experiences that amaze. More information about HP Inc. is available at http://www.hp.com.
About Toyota
Toyota (NYSE: TM), creator of the Prius hybrid and the Mirai fuel cell vehicle, is committed to building vehicles for the way people live through our Toyota and Lexus brands. Over the past 60 years, we’ve built more than 38 million cars and trucks in North America, where we operate 14 manufacturing plants (10 in the U.S.) and directly employ more than 47,000 people (more than 37,000 in the U.S.). Our 1,800 North American dealerships (nearly 1,500 in the U.S.) sold nearly 2.8 million cars and trucks (2.4 million in the U.S.) in 2018—and about 87 percent of all Toyota vehicles sold over the past 16 years are still on the road today.
© 2019 Blizzard Entertainment, Inc. OVERWATCH, OVERWATCH LEAGUE, BLIZZARD, and BLIZZARD ENTERTAINMENT are trademarks of Blizzard Entertainment, Inc., in the United States and/or other countries.
[1] Sales and/or downloads, based on internal company records and reports from key distribution partners.
Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-looking Statements: Information in this press release that involves Blizzard Entertainment's expectations, plans, intentions or strategies regarding the future, including statements about brand deals, the dates of the 2019 Overwatch League season, are forward-looking statements that are not facts and involve a number of risks and uncertainties. Factors that could cause Blizzard Entertainment's actual future results to differ materially from those expressed in the forward-looking statements set forth in this release include unanticipated product delays and other factors identified in the risk factors sections of Activision Blizzard’s most recent annual report on Form 10-K and any subsequent quarterly reports on Form 10-Q. The forward-looking statements in this release are based upon information available to Blizzard Entertainment and Activision Blizzard as of the date of this release, and neither Blizzard Entertainment nor Activision Blizzard assumes any obligation to update any such forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements believed to be true when made may ultimately prove to be incorrect. These statements are not guarantees of the future performance of Blizzard Entertainment or Activision Blizzard and are subject to risks, uncertainties and other factors, some of which are beyond its control and may cause actual results to differ materially from current expectations.