3 biggest sponsorship deals in esports history

Esports is reaching new heights each year with more and more viewership, organizations, and large-scale tournaments. However, simply having moral support and viewership does not help sustain the industry. This is where sponsors come in that back-up the tournament organizers and esports organizations with proper funding and equipment to make it possible.

While a lot of new parties have tagged along with sponsorship deals, there are few that made major headlines and stood the test of time by starting when there weren’t many ready to invest across esports. Today, we will have a look at the 3 biggest sponsorship deals in esports history, that may have also played an important part in laying out the foundation of the esports industry.

Here are the 3 biggest sponsorship deals in esports

3. Alineware Team Liquid

Dell’s Alienware segment was made while keeping gaming in mind, so naturally, they also entered the esports scene. Being a hardware manufacturer, the company also made its own gaming segment, and sponsored events. Alienware also signed a 10-year partnership with Team Liquid back in 2011 and is currently one of the main sponsors.

The partnership seemed to work well and both parties decided to extend it for another decade in 2021. While the entire specifics were not provided, Team Liquid is also one of the biggest esports organizations with rosters across various esports titles. It’s not hard to believe that the partnership does not account for one of the biggest sponsorship deals in esports history.

2. Red Bull OG

Red Bull is another popular name in the esports scene and don’t come as a surprise considering the catalog of sports it has investments across. From tournaments to team/individual player sponsorships, the company has invested across multiple branches. What’s impressive is that Red Bull also hosts esports events for much lesser-known games.

Despite multiple investments across teams like BIG, Team Heretics, G2 Esports, and more, the biggest investment the company made was with OG, one of the legendary Dota 2 teams led by Johan ‘N0tail’ Sundstein that boasts four major Dota 2 championships under their belt. To this day, OG remains the highest-earning team across Dota 2 esports events.

1. Intel ESL

One of the tech giants ‘Intel’ is may just be the biggest sponsor in the esports industry. The company backs the ESL Faceit group which hosts several esports events each year including the Intel Extreme Master that started back almost two decades ago in 2006. Other events include the ESL One, Intel Grand Slam, and many more.

Back in 2019, Intel signed a contract with ESL to invest $100 million over three years which was known as the largest esports partnership in history. Apart from its contribution to the tournament prize pool of several popular games like Counter-Strike and Overwatch, the company also provides hardware for the sponsored events.

Also Read:2026 Asian Games expands Esports line-up to 11 games, eyes Indian talent

Is Esports worth investing time into?

There are several factors affecting the answer, but it all comes down to individual or team skills. It’s certainly in countries where gaming is accepted as it makes it easier and worth investing time into if players get a chance to improve their skills. However, that does not mean places where gaming isn't very prevalent cannot have some incredible players or teams.

Every place starts from zero. One of the most recent and best examples is The Mongolz, a professional Counter-Strike team from Mongolia that is making headlines for its incredible gameplay. This success led the government to recognize their skill and the team is now the national esports team of the country receiving complete support from the government.