World Rugby has appointed Strive Sponsorship to help evaluate future opportunities within the video gaming and esports industry.
Currently, the presence of Rugby in gaming and esports is practically non-existence except for a few console games – the most recent of which, Rugby 18, was a total disaster. The deal will enable World Rugby to tap into a market that the likes of football, Formula 1 and basketball have all seen success with tournaments such as the FIFA Global series, Formula One Esports Series and the NBA 2K League.
Tom Hill, Chief Commercial Officer at World Rugby said of the deal: “We’re keen to better educate ourselves in the world of gaming and esports prior to making an assessment of what opportunities may exist in helping us achieve our objectives.
“Strive’s intrinsic understanding and strong track record in sport, esports and gaming – and their intersection gives us the confidence that we’re getting the best advice to make key strategic decisions.”
Strive was recently announced to be working alongside the England and Wales Cricket Board to help evaluate the potential of esports in the world of cricket. The deal was sort by ECB to help understand the space better and source help from a company with a blend of gaming and esports knowledge.
Malph Minns, Managing Director of Strive Sponsorship, added, “Gaming and esports is a multifaceted and ever-evolving landscape, evidenced by the fact we have has seen 14 different operating models adopted by sports organisations in esports to date. We’re thrilled to be working with World Rugby to help educate them on the space and explore potential opportunities that play specifically to their objectives, key target audiences and territories.”
Esports Insider says: It’s great to see another traditional sport committing to exploring the world of esports. This year alone we have seen the ePremier Leauge, and Formula 1 Esports step up its game with more tournaments and bigger prize pools. With Rugby being a huge sport around the world there is no doubt it can emulate the same success in the future.