#022 - Building A Global Esports Brand

Introduction and Background

• Beginning with son, Sam Mathews, in London
• 2004 – Quake Gamer
• Developed Teams
• Anne was the finance department
• Sam and Anne co-founded Fnatic
• 2015 – Anne stepped aside

Developing an Esports brand from the ground up

Setting up as a business

• Bank accounts
• Getting Money
• Must have the Team (without the team you don’t get recognised)
• Dutch team (Quake)
• A lot of PR to get known
• Around when CPL come around
• Back pocket to get teams sent to America
• No support
• No Travel money
• Think of the costs
• Positive Cashflow for at least 6 months
• High performing teams
• LOL and CS: GO
• Starting now is very difficult
• Good capital

Words of wisdom by starting a team today

• You need to have a great foundation and some capital
• 14+ years already in industry
• Esports is not just a hobby anymore
• Cheaper in Australia but it is catching up

Fnatic getting away from a sponsorship only model

Gradually learning to monetise 

Developing their own shop and clothing (2008)

The better you become as a team, the more you can market your own clothes and designs

• Sponsorship
• Shop
• Clothing
• Marketing Activations
• Streaming
• Fnatic Gear (Peripherals) – Quality products for gamers

Fnatic Branding

• Counter-Strike 1.6
• How does Fnatic target fans?
• Target based locations
• Picking up world class teams
• Licensing restrictions
• Teams and Performance first
• Marketing to follow worldwide
• Quality of Teams

Esports Trends

• Back the publishers
• Without publishers promoting their games it may not be around
• League of Legends (2006)
• You must be looking at what’s coming up
• Right Game and Right Publisher
• Heroes of Newerth Vs. League of Legends
• PUBG Vs. Fortnite

Up-to-date with Games

• League of Legends
• CS: GO
• Rainbow Six
• Overwatch – Franchise model
• Fortnite – Not a pure Esport? using content creators

 US Esports teams have high evaluations

• Teams raising high evaluations
• Teams spending a lot of money
• Ability for Growth

Sponsorship

• Food companies
• Snack foods
• Healthy Drinks
• Credit Cards
• Music
• Clothing
• Shoes
• Telephone

Any product that is to be marketed from 18 – 34-year old

The educational process to Non-endemic sponsors.

Kellogg’s breakfast bars.

Eventually making money through broadcasting rights

• What’s the tipping point of sponsor verse own gear
• A lot of sponsors get tighter with money
• As you’re growing, they’re not growing with you
• Difficulty and Risk
• They forget that you’ve grown
• Start with a small sponsorship, haven’t been prepared to go up to that value
• Endemics have reached their budget
• Reaching local councils and stadiums
• Sports Stadiums
• Live Events 

Expansion Fnatic into Australia

• Rainbow 6 Team
• Can’t take LOL team due to licensing
• FIFA team
• Overwatch contenders
• Aren’t any other top teams.
• Haven’t had the chance to become world class.

BIG Esports Links

Subscribe to get notified of all future podcasts