Mentioned in this article Teams: NRG Esports, SK Gaming

Discover has done its first esports sponsorship, signing on as a partner of the Penny Arcade Expo (PAX) East in Boston this weekend in a deal that includes advertising time during Twitch streams from the event.

The deal is limited in scope to this weekend, but it marks the third major US credit card brand to enter gaming, following Mastercard’s long-term global deal with Riot Games signed in 2018 and Visa’s 2017 team deal with SK Gaming.

“The esports community continues to grow, which means more and more of our customers, and potential customers, are gathering on platforms like Twitch and at conventions like PAX East, so naturally we want to be there,” said Discover SVP/consumer insights and brand Ryan Scully.

Discover is the presenting sponsor of the expo’s PAX Arena, which is host tournaments in Super Smash Bros and Magic: The Gathering, as well as the Discover Card TEKKEN 7 Showdown today. It will also host a meet-and-greet with NRG Esports player Nairoby “Nairo” Quezada, and operate fan activity booths. Terms were not disclosed.

Twitch Sr. Dir./Global Sponsorships Nathan Lindberg, who sold the deal, said PAX East is a good platform to introduce new brands to esports and allow them to “build credibility in the space the right way.” Scully said Discover will look at Twitch’s prior presenting sponsorship deals as a benchmark, along with usual metrics around engagement on site.

“Esports is a new territory for us, so there is a lot of value in simply compiling learnings and getting feedback from gamers,” Scully said.

Ben Fischer is a staff writer for SportsBusiness Daily, where this article appeared first.