Sticker and trading card company Panini has reportedly entered esports through a partnership with North American organisation compLexity Gaming.

The one-year deal is partially seen as the organisation helping Panini enter the industry in a productive manner.

Daniel Herz, Chief Revenue Officer and Vice President of compLexity Gaming touched on the partnership in a statement: “By teaming up with one of the most reputable traditional sports brands, Complexity Gaming and Panini are furthering the intersection of esports and traditional sports through new product innovation and content. With the traditional sports world’s growing interest in video games and Panini’s roster of talented professional athletes and teams, this partnership creates more opportunity for integration across gaming, football, basketball, and more.”

The partnership includes trading cards and posters being made for compLexity Gaming, as well as the organisation handling a brand new Twitch channel for Panini. Content on the channel – which will also appear on YouTube and social media – will see sports athletes play games alongside compLexity’s competitors and personalities.

Jason Howarth, Vice President of Marketing at Panini America discussed the company’s entrance into the industry: “The esports audience shares similar demographics and interests as traditional trading card fans, so being able to engage those fans in new ways and where they are spending their time is important. It’s also a way to engage a younger audience and introduce them to our Panini trading card products. Partnering with Complexity, an organization that shares a similar vision to creating compelling content, reaching new audiences and leveraging the crossover appeal of gaming with traditional athletes is why we are really excited about this partnership.”

compLexity Gaming is also partnered with WinStar World Casino and Resort, H4X, Epics, and Twitch. The organisation competes in Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, Dota 2, Rocket League, Fortnite, Clash Royale, Madden, Artifact, Magic: The Gathering Arena, and Hearthstone – it also houses a number of streamers.

Esports Insider says: It’s hard to say just how popular physical compLexity trading cards will do considering the digital nature of esports and gaming culture at large. With this being said, there’s a huge opportunity to be grabbed by Panini if this deal proves fruitful considering the depth of competition in the industry.

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