PSG.LGD – the Dota 2 team that’s cohoused by PSG eSports and LGD Gaming – has entered a partnership with energy drinks brand Monster Energy.
As part of this one-year deal, Monster Energy’s logo will be present on the jerseys worn by PSG.LGD’s players.
The sponsorship is said to be aimed predominantly at the Asian market, which makes entire sense when you consider that PSG.LGD’s roster is made up from Chinese & Malaysian players and the team has a huge fan base in that region. This news follows the recent Asian tour that the squad embarked on, which seems like a missed opportunity considering Monster Energy wants its brand to be noticed more in that particular market.
Yassine Jaada, Manager of Paris Saint-Germain eSports said this in a statement: “Monster is part of those referent brands on the eSports world stage. This brand is the one Paris Saint-Germain eSports needed to sustain its legitimacy and validate the project we started with LGD few month ago. We are proud of that trust and are now looking forward to growing alongside Monster Energy.”
PSG.LGD is one of the favourite teams going into The International 8, an incredibly popular annual Dota 2 tournament that boasts a sizable prize pool of at least $23 million (£17.9 million). The event will be hosted in Vancouver, Canada, but fans from all around the world will tune in so Monster Energy’s logo is sure to be placed in front of plenty of eyes.
Fabien Allègre, Director of Merchandising and Diversification for Paris Saint-Germain added: “For the past four months, our Dota2 team has been keeping improving and achieving great performances. We are pleased today to welcome Monster Energy in the PSG eSports family and share this pioneering adventure that Paris Saint-Germain started almost two years ago. Together, we will work to promote our respective brands amongst young people in China and around the world.”
In April, PSG eSports expanded into Dota 2 by partnering with LGD Gaming. The Chinese organisation is partnered with HyperX, eNgage, and VPGAME, though this is the first sponsor specifically for the Dota 2 team.
Monster Energy has had ties in the esports industry way before sponsoring PSG.LGD, partnering with the following organisations: Alliance, Team Liquid, Natus Vincere, Fnatic, Team Envy, paiN Gaming, Vici Gaming, and Evil Geniuses.
Esports Insider says: PSG.LGD is one of the hottest teams in Dota 2 and has a huge fan base in Asia – as demonstrated by the recent tour – so it seems like a good partner for Monster Energy when you consider the brand’s goals of reaching the Asian market. We typically prefer sponsorship where interesting and unique content is created or interesting activations take place, but a jersey sponsorship may just do the job for the energy drinks company.