RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – With a global market of some 2.7 billion consumers, the gaming industry is one of the golden attractions in the entertainment sector – and companies are increasingly focused on harnessing this potential.
In Brazil, large companies are apparently realizing this industry’s revenue potential, as Ambev and Nubank are getting into the game.
On Monday, August 2, the companies launched the Good Game WP project, which aims to be a competitive circuit in the national e-sports scene, as well as a platform that adds content, entertainment and other experiences for game lovers.
The initiative, which for now has plans to operate only online due to the pandemic, should hold 3 in-person events in 2022 in São Paulo, Recife, and Porto Alegre, with an estimated audience of 600,000 people, the companies said.
Championships with a prize of R$200,000 (US$39,000) in cash and exclusive content on platforms like Twitch and YouTube are Good Game’s attractions for this year. The main categories of Brazilian sports are included in the initiative. Therefore, events and appearances of pro players from League of Legends (LoL), Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO), Free Fire and Valorant can be expected.
The platform will kick off later this Monday. Live broadcasts on its YouTube and Twitch channels, hosted by journalist Barbara Gutierrez and influencer Henrytado, will rock the networks on the first day of Good Game WP.
According to the companies, championships may feature professionals competing against amateurs. The project’s pro-players and streamers will be announced soon.
According to Ambev, the initiative is directly in line with the company’s philosophy of innovating and transforming its products and ideas, and draws the company’s gamer public closer.
The project’s very name reflects this attempt to better connect with this niche: “Good Game Well Played,” or GG WP, are acronyms widely used by the gamer community. It is a cordial greeting between players at the end of a game.
“Here at Ambev, our approach goes far beyond thinking about innovations in products or services. We look at everything that has the potential to foster new ideas and experiences for consumers. Launching a project for the gamer public, idealized by people from our team who are part of this universe, is part of our transformation,” says Ambev’s Marketing Vice-President Daniel Wakswaser.
For its part, Nubank hopes to democratize access to the market with this investment, making its first move toward the gamer audience by targeting a market that could generate US$2.3 billion in revenue in 2021, according to a survey conducted by Newzoo gamer market analysis company.
“We are very happy to announce our participation in a project like this, which connects athletes and amateurs to compete in what is already one of the most popular sports in the world. The gamer public has always had a close relationship with the Nubank brand and we see the circuit as an opportunity to bolster access to this market to an increasingly larger public,” says Nubank’s co-founder Cristina Junqueira.