https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TkP9Ih5IAMw
Bud Light is the latest brand to jump into the eSports space with the announcement today of Bud Light All-Stars.
A list of top North American eSports athletes will be announced at DreamHack in Austin on May 7th and were chosen by gaming experts. Those chosen will come from games including Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, Dota 2, Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft, and Heroes of the Storm.
Fans will then vote for their favorite eSports athlete and the five players who receive the most votes will be named as the first Bud Light All-Stars live on Twitch during E3. The All-Stars will then provide exclusive game streams throughout the summer on Twitch, take part in a behind-the-scenes series from Machinima which will explore what it takes to become an All-Star, and attend various eSports events.
“Bud Light has always been the beer that sports fans – regardless of what they’re watching – reach for and enjoy together,” Bud Light vice president Alex Lambrecht commented in a press release. “eSports is a new and exciting frontier for us and we’re looking forward to providing another opportunity to bring fans around the country together to cheer for their favorite athlete.”
The Bud Light All-Stars will then finish their season with a special celebration and fans at TwitchCon 2016 at the San Diego Convention Center in October. This celebration will take the form of a three-round elimination tournament “unlike anything seen before”.
There will be a number of surprises for both All-Stars and fans during each round, with fans ultimately deciding which All-Star has outshone the rest.
Counter-Strike: Global Offensive recently broke eSports viewing records during the latest CS: GO Major tournament with 45 million hours watched and 1.6 million concurrent viewers. Over 225 million people watched eSports in 2015.