League of Legends
World Championship
PUMA Teams Gen.G & Cloud9 show strong performances at the LOL World Championship
November 10, 2021PUMA Teams Gen.G & Cloud9 show strong performances at the LOL World Championship
November 10, 2021Impressive! This year marked the 11th annual League of Legends (LOL) World Championship (better known as Worlds), which was played in Reykjavik, Iceland. It is one of the most watched esports tournaments annually, with fantastic brand visibility for PUMA. This clearly shows the growing popularity and importance of esports. For the first time we saw two PUMA teams hit the quarter finals – Gen.G and Cloud9. The match was one of the highest viewed matches during Worlds and almost two million tuned in at its peak. In the end, Gen.G bet Cloud9 in a clean sweep 3 – 0. We asked Angela Wong, Manager Esports & Marketing Innovation at PUMA about this year´s LoL Worlds and the future of esports at PUMA.
We want to push sport and culture forward in the space, by helping to remove that box gamers are so often placed in, and really grow by building with the community, and helping them amplify their stories and their world.
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Two PUMA teams (Cloud9 & Gen.G) made it to the quarter finals. What a great success.
Angela: It is the first time we have had two of our global team assets play in the quarter finals at the same time, and it was exhilarating to watch them play against each other in pursuit of the LOL Worlds title. The match was in the top10 of the highest viewed matches during the LOL Championships. Almost two million tuned in at its peak. It was some tough play, but in the end, Gen.G won with a clean sweep 3-0.
How does that make you feel?
Angela: I’m really proud of both teams for making it so far. Cloud9 has probably played the most games of any team during the Championships this year, and they have been to Worlds every year since 2013 (except 2020). Gen.G also had an incredible run this year, making it all the way to semifinals to conclude the season. As a recent new addition to our Global esports portfolio, I couldn’t be more proud of how far we’ve come together. Both teams represented us well on the global stage this year.
How do you see the future of esports at PUMA?
Angela: Esports is growing every year, and PUMA is proud to support and champion this growing sport.
How would you describe our esports strategy?
Angela: Just as we do with any other sport, we want to build authentic relevance in the space, while also being able to enhance esports with performance and culturally inspired lifestyle products. This builds into our greater gaming strategy, but I would say we are nothing without the authentic relationships we build in this community. We want to push sport and culture forward in the space by helping to remove that box gamers are so often placed in, and really grow by building with the community, and helping them amplify their stories and their world. Gaming is such a cultural influence, and as a brand we want to embrace that in the way we interact with the community and create products for any consumer that resonates with that idea.
Thank you for the insights, Angela.
