GameStop has announced a new esports sponsorship strategy, kicking off a slew of investments in the esports industry by signing a three-year deal to acquire naming rights to compLexity Gaming’s new headquarters in Frisco, Texas. The 11,000-square foot GameStop Performance Center is slated to open in the Dallas Cowboys’ Frisco complex in May. CompLexity is owned by Jerry Jones, the owner of the Cowboys.
The video game retailer has also struck deals with the Overwatch League’s Dallas Fuel and Houston Outlaws, working with the teams’ respective parent organizations Team Envy and OpTic Gaming to sponsor “gaming clinics” and player meet-and-greet events for both organizations. GameStop’s Power Rewards program will feature exclusive giveaways and merchandise for all teams involved in this new intiative.
Unsurprisingly, this is not GameStop’s first involvement in esports. The company has sponsored esports events since 2006, when it first signed a deal with Major League Gaming. But this is GameStop’s largest investment into esports yet, and indicates that the company is interested in becoming involved on the street level in its home market of Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas.
“We are aiming to become the official minor leagues of esports where GameStop provides fun and unique cultural experiences for player development while preparing the next generation of professional gamers,” said GameStop CMO Frank Hamlin in a statement.
