Recently, there have been a couple of huge announcements affecting or involving the Spanish football; scene and they all revolve around Esports.
First, Barcelona announced its first Esports team that will compete against other European soccer giants in Pro Evolution Soccer 2018. Barcelona is now the first Catalan club to compete in the Esports game after it reached an agreement with Konami and eFootball.Pro. The team members are also quite excited about the Barcelona’s entry into the world of Esports. Gerard Pique, FC Barcelona’s center-back pointed out that the team would be able to contribute their values to the competition on top of being a formidable foe to the other teams.
“Barça is attentive to what happens in this global and technological world, and in view of the important growth of eSports, it is opening the way to also being a leader in this field,” said the Vice President of Marketing and Communication for FC Barcelona, Manel Arroyo. “FC Barcelona, in keeping with its innovative spirit, has decided to participate in a pioneering competition in the world of eSports, by the best partners, Konami, and eFootball.Pro. We are confident that this competition will continue to make members and culers from all over the world, as well as followers of eSports, proud.”
La Liga Sees Bright Future for Esports
La Liga, the Spanish football league has also revealed that the league will be expanding by venturing into Esports with a number of Esports projects they plan to effect in the very near future with soccer, or football, being at the center stage.
The league’s projects are intended to bridge the gap between the league and millennial generations as well as increasing engagement with the already established audiences. They also intend to grow the brand further in a way that will certainly appeal to new audiences.
To kick off its venture, La Liga has launched La Liga Esports, which, as stated by them, will include “ambitious projects, the details of which will be revealed in the coming months, which aim to bring together a passion for football and the exciting world of esports. Hard work, competitiveness and teamwork are some of the values that are common to both football and esports and these are the characteristics that football-loving gamers or those who, over time, may acquire such a profile will get the chance to showcase through these projects.”
Some of La Liga’s sponsors are clearly impressed by what the Esports scene has to offer. However, the Esports projects will initially be rolled out only in Spain in coming months before being expanded further to include international audiences.
