FC Barcelona signs esports collaboration with Tencent

Despite having been overshadowed by the news that star player Lionel Messi has asked to leave the club after over 20 year, Barcelona have announced the news that they have partnered with Chinese technology and gaming organisation Tencent. Already being involved in the world of Esports through the Rocket League, Barcelona are seemingly looking to boost their presence in the industry.

Barcelona already compete in Konami’s eFootball PES and Psyonix’s Rocket League, however their partnership with Tencent will see them cover a wide range of Esports competitions, as well as focusing on education. The deal with Tencent could well see Barcelona partner with a Chinese Esports team, with a number of leading organisations likely to be keen on being the chosen one. Barcelona are the latest in a long line of sporting organisations to put a significant emphasis upon Esports, with the relationship between competitive gaming and traditional sports being closer than ever before.

What the Partnership Means for Barcelona

A move into both League of Legends and Fortnite has been discussed in great detail too, with Tencent already owning Riot Games, the developer of LoL. They also co-own TJ Sports, who organise the League of Legends Pro League in China, meaning that a step into this market would certainly not come as a surprise. Tencent also have a 40% stake in Epic Games, the publisher of Fortnite, with a move into the battle royal game also being on the horizon.

Just last year, English club Manchester City announced a partnership with Tencent in an attempt to enhance their Esports standing, with Barcelona having recently followed in their footsteps, becoming the second European football team to do so. While specifics surrounding the deal between Barcelona and Tencent have yet to be made public, communication from Barcelona stated that they will “engage in deep communication” with their new partners. Meanwhile, the deal with involve “esports competitions, esports education and industry exchange in the future with a view to exploring the many possibilities of collaboration between sports and esports.”

What Other Markets Do Tencent Operate In?

Tencent also have a major hand in Clash Royale developer Supercell, 11.5% of PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds developer Bluehole, 5% of Rainbow Six developer Ubisoft and the same stake in Activation Blizzard, developers of both Call of Duty and Overwatch.