Esports tournament organiser ESL Gaming and computer and mobile device manufacturer Lenovo have agreed on an exclusive PC partnership for ESL’s Intel Extreme Masters tournament.
Lenovo and ESL will jointly create a series of online and in-person activations around IEM tournaments, showcasing Lenovo Legion gaming computers and equipment. The partnership will start with IEM Dallas, and is set to last at least until IEM Katowice 2023.
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Lenovo Legion appears to be replacing Acer and its Predator brand as the official PC partner for the IEM tournament series, known for being one of the premier CS:GO tournaments in the world. Acer and ESL first partnered in 2019 for a three year deal that ended in 2022, and it appears that ESL has decided to go with Lenovo instead of a renewal.
However, ESL has seperately named Predator a partner of its ESL One events in 2022, including the Dota Pro Circuit tournaments in Western Europe and North America.
As part of the collaboration, Lenovo Legion’s portfolio of gaming PCs will be featured through brand integrations. These encompass Lenovo Legion brand exposure at in-person IEM events — starting with IEM Dallas 2022 — as well as on social media and online through broadcast commercials and on stream overlays.
Lenovo and its Legion line are notable partners of esports tournaments and teams. The brand recently partnered with Complexity Gaming, and also secured a deal with G2 in December 2021.
Rodrigo Samwell, Chief Commercial Officer at ESL Gaming, said: “We are thrilled to partner up with Lenovo and have them play a part during the renowned Intel Extreme Masters competitions. Lenovo Legion is the perfect partner for this amazing legendary esports competition that we have created together with Intel. We are convinced that they will strengthen the gaming experience of the pro players and the overall experience of the fans.”
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Emily Ketchen, Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer of Intelligent Devices Group at Lenovo, said: ” Lenovo Legion is a gaming brand with roots in esports, teaming up with one of the world’s pre-eminent esports tournament brands speaks to our commitment to our gaming community.
We’re proud to be joining the fans and followers of Intel Extreme Masters this year in supporting the top players and teams around the world as they reach new heights alongside Lenovo Legion’s high-performance devices.”
Esports Insider says: It’s interesting to see that Acer and ESL Gaming did not agree on a renewal for IEM. Being one of most-known esports tournament, sponsoring IEM will surely help increase the visibility of the Legion brand as it competes with the likes of Acer’s Predator, ASUS’ RoG and Logitech’s G.
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