Esports organization Kansas City Pioneers has teamed up with esports wagering and data platform Pllay Labs for a partnership that will pave the way for similar collaborations between esports teams and betting agencies in the future. The Pioneers tout the partnership as an opportunity to achieve better synergies between esports and technology, leading to new options of engagement with fans and the monetization of followers.
Better Engagement and Monetization Options
The partnership will seek to build on a variety of aspects. It will create a number of activations and engagement opportunities that will translate into tech solutions, content, and other targeted opportunities to help esports fans and casual video gamers feel closer and more involved with the action.
Commenting on this partnership Kansas City Pioneers CEO Mark Josey pointed out some of the upsides:
“We know our community loves competition between our professional teams but also competitions between themselves. Pllay is a perfect fit for our Pioneers community, so look forward to our upcoming activations stemming across new gaming spaces.”
Kansas City Pioneers CEO Mark Josey
Pllay will offer fans opportunities to monetize their own gameplay. In doing so, the platform is following in the footsteps of other leaders, such as Unikrn which uses the UMode platform to enable players to bet on their own performance within games.
Esports Makes a Run for Mainstream Betting
Pllay co-founder and CEO Shawn Gunn said that giving professional and casual gamers the ability to monetize their gameplay and involvement with esports is “the entertainment and competition of the future.” He added:
“We share a culture of innovation and a strong sense of inclusive community — the KC Pioneers are challenging not only what it means to be an esports athlete but changing the way organizaitons are connecting with their fans.”
Pllay co-founder and CEO Shawn Gunn
This is just the latest of many esports developments to happen recently. New Jersey issued a license to Vie.gg, Esports Entertainment Group’s official betting platform. This is a first for EEG, but also a first for New Jersey, with a sports betting agency focusing entirely on the esports betting experience.
Unikrn will now have more competition in the face of Pllay Labs which is teaming up with esports franchises in the way that sports teams are striking alliances with sportsbooks.