Japanese Automaker Nissan Partners with OpTic Gaming and FaZe Clan

Nissan has announced a partnership deal with OpTic Gaming and FaZe Clan. They join several other high-profile companies to enter the esports space in the past six three months.

Another car manufacturer has entered the esports space. Following BMW and Honda, Nissan is now a sponsor of both OpTic Gaming and FaZe Clan, according to a press release from the company.

The deal provides the esports organizations with Nissan vehicles, including the electric Leaf and the classic Altima, for content creation. In return, players from FaZe and OpTic will display the Nissan logo on their jerseys. Nissan is already an established player in the traditional sports sector.

Please help us give a warm welcome to our newest partner, @NissanUSA.

This landmark partnership is a tribute to the power of the #Greenwall! #NissanEsports pic.twitter.com/qiYsZIRC7E

— OpTic Gaming™ (@OpTic) March 21, 2019

Robert Cross, the director of media and activation at Nissan North America, described the sponsorship as a move to reach a younger audience: “For any company trying to reach the Gen Z and millennial-minded audience, streaming and esports is an enormous opportunity. We believe this partnership presents a new approach in introducing ourselves and connecting with millions of fans through their favorite gamers.”

Please join us in welcoming the @NissanUSA family as FaZe Clan’s newest sponsor, for 2019 & beyond!#NissanEsports x #FaZeUp pic.twitter.com/yTGvuKwr0L

— FaZe Clan (@FaZeClan) March 21, 2019

The length and terms of the deal are unknown.

2019 IS THE YEAR OF ESPORTS

Nissan is the latest auto manufacturer to jump into the esports space. Earlier this year, Team Liquid signed a deal with Honda, making the automaker the official car of the team. Not long after, Cloud9 and BMW also announced a similar partnership. Both deals are similar to Nissan's and include prime logo placement on team jerseys along with the use of vehicles for content creation.

2019 seems to be the year that highly established brands are making the foray into the esports ecosystem. In fact, more and more unrelated brands are starting to enter into the space. Most notably, insurance provider State Farm has sponsored a segment on the League Championship Series since the beginning of 2018. It’s not just large esports events that are garnering the sponsorships, either. State farm also sponsored the streamer Benjamin “DrLupo” Lupo earlier this year.

As esports continues to grow, the space has become attractive for large companies and corporations looking to make new inroads into a difficult to reach demographic. You can read more about esports’ unparalleled ability to reach certain demographics here.