Cryptocurrency exchange Bybit signs on two additional professional gaming organizations today on an esports sponsorship spree. Joining Bybit’s esports universe today are Astralis, global frontrunners and Denmark’s national treasure in esports, and independent player-owned organization Alliance, hailing from Sweden.
The partnerships mark the second and third instalments of Bybit’s global esports offensive, following its newly gained status as the exclusive cryptocurrency platform partner of NAVI (“Natus Vincere”) on Aug. 18. The deals deepen the bond between two fastest-growing communities of shared demographics.
Combining Astralis’ uncontested popularity and dominating Counter-Strike team, and Alliance’s decade of experience and the sponsorship deals elevate Bybit’s presence to over 11.3 million global fans and followers of professional tournament teams and serial winners of world titles in esports.
The scope of the partnerships will go beyond branding rights on jerseys, twitch.tv screens, and digital channels. Bybit will take an active part in planning player engagements, carbon neutrality initiatives, inclusive financial education, and various awareness campaigns on campus over the next few seasons. There are also whispers of collaborative sessions between the esports superstars.
WSOT 2021: Esports Pros, Meet Crypto Lovers
“Bybit is in it for the long run”, said Ben Zhou, co-founder and CEO of Bybit and an esports fan himself, of the multi-year deals.
“Much like esports, cryptocurrency is a fast-growing segment and it can be highly competitive. Success in either field requires skills, focus and the right state of mind. And there’s a special connection between both communities, where real fans champion sportsmanship, respect and fairness, and the pros compete to bring out the best in each other,” he added.
Bybit says the partnership will be up close and personal. Talent from both Astralis and Alliance will be leading troops in Bybit’s annual gamified crypto trading competition, the World Series of Trading (WSOT) 2021.
Fans will find out whether the esports extraordinaires’ crypto trading strategies are as respectable as their gaming performance. Troops and solo players will compete for a prize pool of up to $7.5 million in WSOT 2021, almost five times of last year’s total prize sum.
“We are off to a good start with the creative energy and friendly rivalry among the esports organizations. I feel that WSOT 2021 is the perfect place in time to invite esports creators and fans to join the world of the future of finance. Attractive prize money and NFT prizes are up for grabs in WSOT 2021, but for each participant it’s about creating an experience on a level playing field. May the best players win,” said Zhou.
The esports organizations will reveal the captains of their respective WSOT 2021 troops on social media. Fans can also search for the teams on the WSOT event website (bybit.com/wsot2021).
Reinventing itself from a crypto derivatives market leader, Bybit’s growth trajectory to a fully fledged exchange platform for all crypto lovers started from 2018. Bybit now offers a full-stack of products and services from spot trading to a wide range of contracts including cloud mining. The Bybit brand is now one of the biggest names in crypto trading with more than 2.5 million registered users from over 200 markets, supported by 24/7 multilingual customer service teams across geographies.
Championing Healthy Competition, Jakob Lund Kristensen, co-founder and CRO of Astralis said the collaboration is all about positivity.
“This is a significant deal for Astralis on all levels. At the same time, the purpose of the agreement and activation around it is almost a perfect match with ours: to champion the positives of gaming, said the Astralis co-founder and CRO.
“Both companies are pioneers in their field, striving to make a positive impact as organizations, as individuals and via the ongoing global digitalization. Under this agreement, this will be done through initiatives and campaigns centered around education and charitable work supporting and promoting a more sustainable agenda in the tech and gaming world.
“The three-year deal will place Bybit’s logo on the official players’ jerseys of our Counter-Strike team as well as digitally on relevant platforms and social media channels. The deal also gives us room to focus even more on the ongoing work to develop our teams, brand and business,” said Kristensen.
Jonathan Berg, co-founder and CEO of Alliance said: “Today I’m extremely pleased and excited to announce our two-year partnership with Bybit.
“I’ve been a crypto and blockchain enthusiast for many years now, and from the start I had a strong belief that there would be a time when our two worlds would mesh. Today many of us have used crypto or do use crypto for a variety of services and I’m excited to see what the future holds for us.
“Crypto just as well as esports is still a young industry, but we both come from the same place, the passion and zeal to change the world and challenge what is taken for granted.
“It’s been a pleasure to get to know the people over at Bybit, and what’s made me personally excited for this deal is that not only are we both at the forefront of our respective industries but we also have a drive to be a positive impact on the world we operate in. Throughout this partnership Alliance and Bybit will do initiatives and run campaigns focused on sustainability, education and charity.
“You will find the Bybit logo on Alliance jerseys going into TI10 in October where they are competing for the $40 million dollar prize pool,” said Berg.
Bybit says the future of the partnerships will be guided by the esports and crypto communities’ shared passion for the thrill of competition and their drive for next-level performance.
“We are really excited to partner with two powerhouses like Astralis and Alliance, and look forward to many exciting initiatives and activations in the months and years to come. We play to win, and we are here to stay,” said Zhou.
