French Soccer Club Paris Saint-Germain Dives Head First Into eSports
(Courtesy of @PSGeSports/Twitter)
Two weeks after announcing a partnership with French online media company Webedia, France’s largest soccer club Paris Saint-Germain is diving further into eSports with the creation of PSG eSports.
Led by Bora “YellowStar” Kim, the newly-appointed Head of eSports, PSG will enter teams in League of Legends, the world’s most popular eSports video game, along with soccer franchise FIFA.
A European star in League of Legends, Kim will supervise the future of the PSG LoL team in the European Challenger Series, the second LoL division in Europe. Eventually, the franchise would like to enter the top division, the European Champions Series. Kim will also oversee the FIFA players, too.
“We have decided to invest in eSports and to enter our teams in two of the sector’s most iconic games,” Paris Saint-Germain President Nasser Al Khelaifi told reporters Thursday. “The decision forms part of the club’s international development strategy and our digitization project.
“It also represents a new way for PSG to engage with its fans and to attract new ones in key development markets. eSports is a part of our future activity and our brand. PSG must win, there is no choice.”
Earlier this month, Webedia and subsidiary company Bang Bang Management purchased Team Huma’s League of Legends European Challenger Series spot from prior owner Behdad Jaafarian. Webedia subsequently received a license to build an eSports organization using the logos, images and branding of Paris Saint-Germain.
Thursday’s announcement also included the signing of PSG eSports’ first players such as reigning FIFA world champion August “Agge” Rosenmeier and Lucas “DaXe” Cuillerier. The PSG LoL team, which will eventually be comprised of a coach, seven players and two analysts, will be based in Berlin where the official League of Legends league is held.
