Telecom giant AT&T has partnered up with eSports organization ESL on Sunday. Fans and attendees were in for a surprise when professional gamers duked it out in a game of Clash Royale at this year’s AT&T SHAPE Technology & Entertainment Expo.
“AT&T has certainly been an iconic brand in what most people see as traditional sports,” said Mark Cohen, the senior vice president for Global Brand Partnerships at ESL. “We just know the value they could bring to our events, our platform, the fans, the community and the esports athletes themselves. We’re just so happy to have them aboard.”
The assistant vice president for Corporate Sponsorships at AT&T, Shiz Suzuki, agreed on the value that eSports could bring to the company. Suzuki said it would give them the opportunity to reach a more diverse and younger audience.
Suzuki also discussed the future of mobile eSports, saying that the company sees the ability for gamers to have low latency and fast speeds, all the while be wireless and take their competitive gaming anywhere without being at a disadvantage.
SHAPE explored the convergence of technology and entertainment in an immersive way, as industry leaders and start-ups introduced attendees to their work. Attendees also got to discover the cutting-edge of content creation, as well as distribution in order to reach new audiences with speakers and other exhibits.
Next week at E3, AT&T plans to demonstrate their 5G technology at the ESL Arena. E3 will take place between June 12 and 14 in Los Angeles.
