MUMBAI: Indian live game streaming app Pocket Aces has entered a long-term strategic partnership with global esports organisation Fnatic.
Fnatic is one of the world’s pre-eminent esports organisations and has a decade-long legacy in a variety of games like League of Legends, Counter-Strike, Dota 2 and more. The company is now pioneering the PUBG Mobile esports space with their squad based out of India.
A first-of-its-kind partnership for the Indian gaming ecosystem, Pocket Aces’ Loco will onboard Fnatic India’s entire roster, that includes some of India’s leading streamers and gamers onto the app and Fnatic will broadcast exclusive content on Loco.
The alliance also reinforces the shared vision of building a thriving esports ecosystem in the country. Loco and Fnatic will co-create unique esports content together. This includes multiple tournaments and non-fiction shows.
The two companies believe that esports content is in a nascent stage and the coming together of two organisations with strong content pedigree will deliver unparalleled entertainment to gaming fans in India.
Commenting on this partnership Anirudh Pandita and Ashwin Suresh, founders, Pocket Aces said, “Fnatic and Pocket Aces share a common vision of building a sustainable esports ecosystem in India. We want to provide Indian esports and gaming fans, world-class gaming entertainment across formats and this partnership will ensure that this shared vision is realized very soon. Fnatic has made a strong commitment to Indian gaming and as the home of Indian gaming, we are delighted to welcome them.”
While the partnership bolsters Loco’s leadership as India’s homegrown game streaming platform, it also marks the first-ever content partnership between a pro team and an app.
Nimish Raut, Fnatic lead, India said, “At Fnatic, we are dedicated to entertain our fans through content and new formats of gaming. We believe that esports has the potential to be the top form of entertainment in this country and these shared thoughts make Pocket Aces and Loco the perfect partner as we seek to level-up the content play in India. As a pioneer in the digital content space, Pocket Aces has a history of building entertainment channels from scratch and working with one of the best talents. We are thrilled to be working with Loco to build the future of esports and entertainment together.”
In the last few months, Loco has seen a surge in streamer signups which has been 50x more than expected. Recently, Loco also hosted an exclusive partnership with another esports giant Skyesports for a ‘Grandslam Tournament’ across five game titles.
The association between Fnatic and Loco started early April this year, for a PUBG Mobile charity tournament called #GamingForGood that witnessed a total viewership of 5.8 million.
