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NetherRealm Studios announces a professional circuit for Injustice 2.

The Injustice 2 Pro Series will be presented by SIMPLE Mobile and Samsung.

Fighting games are becoming more marketable to non-endemic brands, and this partnership represents a potential shift towards new sponsorships within the scene.

Today, developer NetherRealm Studios (NRS) announced the second season of the Injustice 2 Pro Series. Players will compete at major tournaments throughout the year to earn ranking points. The top twelve players, along with three regional event champions and a “last chance qualifier” will compete at the Grand Finals event. A $150K prize pool will be up for grabs, with $50K of that to be awarded at high profile qualifying tournaments. The circuit will be presented by SIMPLE Mobile and Samsung.

Samsung is a well-known name in the esports industry. The Samsung Galaxy League of Legends team won the World Championship last year, and was a popular team for several years before their acquisition by KSV.

Last year’s Injustice 2 pro circuit was presented in partnership with TBS’s esports program ELEAGUE. The top 8 players from the Pro Series qualified for a televised World Championship. This year no such partnership has been announced.

Related Article: Fighting Games: The Next Esports Investment Frontier

The Injustice 2 Pro Series is the third professional fighting game circuit announced this year, following the Capcom Pro Tour for Street Fighter and the TEKKEN World Tour. Each circuit is run by the developer of its game. Together, these three circuits will award $775K in prize money, the largest professional overall yearly circuit payout in fighting game history.

Fighting games have long existed as a grassroots niche in the esports industry. However, in the last few years there has been a noticeable shift towards professionalism and marketability in the fighting game community. These professional circuits are a critical component for enticing non-endemic sponsors to support the scene, giving them a clear structure to follow and a single entity with which to partner.

In the past, if a company wanted to advertise to fighting game players, they would have to sponsor individual tournaments, each owned and run by a different person or company. Now that developers have committed to these yearly circuits, brands have the chance to work directly with developers to create long term partnerships.

The FGC represents an exciting opportunity for brands to develop new partnerships and market to a new, passionate fanbase. We will likely see more title sponsors and presenting partners enter the fighting game scene as it continues to grow.