Intel And ESL To Invest $100 Million In Esports

December 14, 2018

ESL and Intel have announced an extension to their esports partnership and together plan to invest more than $100 million in the sector over the next three years to develop technology, events and tournaments.

In addition to kicking off Season 14 of the Intel Extreme Masters in 2019, the partnership also encompasses support of ESL’s premier live esports circuits, including ESL One powered by Intel® and the $1,000,000 Intel® Grand Slam.

The investment will also introduce eSports to new regions of the globe with the hosting of events in countries in the Aia-Pacific region

“ESL and Intel have worked side by side on growing esports for nearly two decades,” said Ralf Reichert, ESL’s Founder and Co-CEO (he was a speaker at iSportconnect’s Lausanne Summit in 2017).

“We built a number of cornerstones of this industry together and helped many gamers in becoming legends of the sport. The long-term extended partnership with Intel opens even more opportunities for us to take our efforts to a whole different level on a global scale.”

John Bonini, Vice President and General Manager of VR, Gaming and Esports at Intel Corporation, said: “This joint investment with ESL into the ecosystem means that the esports growth and innovation that we’ve led over the past two decades will continue.”

“This partnership will advance the rapid evolution of esports, and Intel is committed to ushering in this new era with technology solutions that place the gaming community and fans first.”

As well as being the biggest in terms of investment, Intel and ESL also have the longest standing partnership in esports, starting with ESL’s first events in Germany.