Bud Light is getting into esports and the FGC, but apparently they have no idea what to do once they arrive.

On Monday, April 25, the beer company announced a new initiative called the Bud Light All-Stars. In short, Bud Light will bring North America’s top esports athletes (as voted on by fans) from CS:GO, Dota 2, Hearthstone, Heroes of the Storm, and Street Fighter V to various “celebration” events. They’ll live stream on Twitch. They’ll “upgrade on-site experiences” at events, and appear in a video series produced by Machinima.

That all sounds well and good, but the more you read into it — and the more we see this play out — the more it becomes clear that Bud Light’s big esports plan is a big esports mess.

View photos Red Bull’s Snake Eyez and Bonchan at TGS 2015 (Yusuke Kashiwazaki/Red Bull Content Pool) More

Sponsor or advertiser?

Beer companies are big sponsors for traditional sports, and Bud Light wants to carry its brand over into the “digital realm of esports.” Like Monster Energy or Red Bull, there are obviously plenty of beer drinkers to advertise to on any given major esports livestream or TV show. Getting fans (and beer drinkers) involved in the voting process gives them even more exposure in esports. It’s a no-brainer, and there’s absolutely nothing wrong with Bud Light, Budweiser, Heineken, or any other company wanting to put its product in front of a lot of Twitch eyeballs.

So it’s pretty clear what Bud Light gets out of it, but what about esports? There’s a perception Bud Light is here to throw its hat into the esports sponsorship ring, just as we’ve seen other major corporations do in recent years. Red Bull made a splash in the FGC last year by signing the best Ultra Street Fighter IV Zangief player in the world (and arguably the best North American player), Darryl “Snake Eyez” Lewis, as well as Evo 2014 USF4 runner-up Masato “Bonchan” Takahashi. In 2016, the company added Evo 2014 USF4 winner Olivier “Luffy” Hay and Daigo “The Beast” Umehara, giving it one of the most impressive Street Fighter stables in the FGC.

But Red Bull really put its weight behind these players. Snake Eyez was sent to Japan for nearly a month in order to train for Capcom Pro Tour Premier Event Tokyo Game Show, and to film a five-video documentary series. Both he and Bonchan were regular attendees at all of the biggest CPT events and both qualified for Capcom Cup.

In just two years, Red Bull Kumite has become an international FGC spectacle and is one of the most anticipated events of the year. Where companies like Razer and Mad Catz have been involved in the FGC for ages, they cater to a niche gaming audience. Monster Energy doesn’t even field its own team; it’s simply is one of many of Evil Geniuses’ sponsors. That’s how it is with most esports teams.

So where does Bud Light fall? Bud Light isn’t here to take the FGC and help it rise up with Street Fighter V by officially sponsoring players or must-see tournaments. Whoever wins the Bud Light All-Stars voting will attend special Bud Light esports promotions. You won’t see “BL” next to any player names on Capcom Pro Tour streams.

Players getting played

One of the biggest issues I see with Bud Light’s initiative is the player selection process. I don’t understand how it came down to the four chosen players, and Bud Light has been pretty vague about it all.

“Bud Light worked closely with Twitch and other industry experts to hand-pick athletes that will resonate with current and long-time esports fans due to the athlete’s notoriety and skill level in their respective games,” a Bud Light representative told Yahoo Esports.

The players they came up with were Chris Tatarian, Panda Global’s Ryan “Filipino Champ” Ramirez, Winterfox’s Gustavo “801 Strider” Romero, and Jason “Jayce the Ace” Nghe.

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