‘Music is definitely connected’: How a record label fits into a wider media ambitions for G2 Esports

This may be the most far-out marketing strategy for an esports team’s jersey in a while.

G2, one of Europe’s largest esports organizations, has composed an epic metal song “Our Way” to launch its new jersey created in partnership with Adidas. But wait, it gets odder. Chinese-born American cellist Tina Guo, who worked under the direction of Hans Zimmer on the movie Dune, is on the track. As is YouTube sensation Luke Holland. Not to mention deathcore guitarist Jason Richardson and Finnish singer Noora Louhimo. The eclectic lineup was rounded off by the lead vocalist — G2 Esports founder and CEO Carlos ‘Ocelote’ Rodriguez.

To say, the track came out of left field is an understatement. And yet it seems to have had the desired effect. Feedback from fans in the 10 days since the track went live has been overwhelmingly positive, said Rodriguez. Similarly, demand for the jersey has been boosted. Unsurprisingly, Rodriguez declined to clarify that statement with actual numbers. He did, however, say it was on track to exceed expectations.

If anything the reception points to how attuned the organization is to one of the most active fanbases in esports. Not only was G2 the team with the second most views last year on Twitter, it also had the eighth most talked about esports athlete in Mixwell amongst its users, per the social network. That said, success was never clear cut. How could it be with such an off-piste plan? So Rodriguez and his team spent six months and a considerable amount of money trying to improve those odds — no mean feat when working with musicians who all expect a certain amount of freedom and autonomy, said Rodriguez.

“You have to think about the universe we’re building — it’s the same way you’d think about what Marvel has built,” said Rodriguez on how he tried to keep his passion project in lock step with the wider trajectory of G2. “By that I mean, you create something that has personalities, stories, big events and a legacy. On top of that we also have this dynamic of success or failure around competition that’s built on a mix of reality like the tournaments we’re in and fantasy with the characters we create. Most if not all existing entertainment IPs don’t have that.”

Whether he’s right is besides the point. Being a competitive esports team isn’t enough for many CEOs. Regardless of how successful they are, teams like G2 can only earn so much because they don’t own the games they play.

Ultimately, it’s the owners of the games (the publishers) that determine how much they earn because they own the IP. It explains why esports teams find it so hard to carve out new revenue streams. They have to dig deeper to leverage their brands and fillings in search of those dollars. Content is one of those ways. It’s why teams like Faze Clan and 100 Thieves aren’t really esports organizations. Sure, the teams are important, but only …read more

Source:: Digiday