The Immortals and K-Swiss are teaming up on the first esports signature sneaker.
American tennis shoe brand K-Swiss and the Immortals esports franchise announced plans on Friday for a pair of sneakers, both a lifestyle shoe in the leisurewear category and also — wait for it — “a technical performance model” designed for professional gamers.
While the proposition of specifically engineered footwear for a sedentary activity may seem dubious on face value, that shoe is only one piece of a broader partnership; esports has a rich sneaker culture; and there are particular needs that arise when gaming for 10 or more hours per day. And, don’t worry, even a top Immortals executive understands the “curiosity and even skepticism” around crafting a performance sneaker for esports athletes.
K-Swiss will embed what it calls its brand-new “Surge dual-density technology” into the ethylene-vinyl acetate (EVA) sole to create a “a soft, pillow-like cushion that can alleviate weight on the heel.” The shoe company’s designers will visit the Los Angeles-based Immortals team regularly over the the next several months to tailor the sneaker to specific needs, which include a rising temperature, with the goal making the kicks “cool, lightweight and breathable.”
The performance sneaker will debut in early 2019 replete with a behind-the-scenes documentary of sorts, chronicling the design process, the interplay of these two brands and team-building outings. The video will be distributed on social media channels.
“The interesting thing about this partnership is that the head designer at K-Swiss was one of the driving forces behind this partnership, and he’s an avid, competitive gamer,” Immortals president and COO Ari Segal wrote to SportTechie in an email. “He believed that he could design a shoe that would enhance his own performance, and simultaneously have the look and feel of the streetwear design aesthetic he and many other gamers prefer.
“Flexibility, breathability, temperature control, stitch location, and maneuverability are all aspects of design we’re considering, but we’re really just scratching the surface at this point — much more to come!”
“We recognize and appreciate that there’s a curiosity and maybe even skepticism about this piece of the partnership,” he continued.“That’s exactly why we’ll be creating content and delivering an immersive, digital experience that allows fans and industry observers (and even skeptics) to observe the process and decide for themselves.”
K-Swiss will make the sneakers in the Immortals’ team colors, cyan and black, and adorn them with its warrior’s helmet logo. Segal sees similar opportunity for licensing of apparel such as footwear, akin to how traditional ball-and-stick sports have done with companies such as 47 Brand, Mitchell & Ness, and Levelwear.
There’s good reason for so many esports gamers to be sneaker-heads. Segal shared a recent conversation with the team’s vice president of content and avid gamer, J.M.R. Luna, who noted that, while players typically wear a uniform shirt and hat, footwear was left to personal choice.
“Sneakers, though, historically, were left up to the player, and as top players began to express themselves, footwear became associated excellence and status, and subsequently spilled into broader culture,” Segal wrote. “To me, this parallels traditional sports where, over time, on-court or on-field trends have crossed over into the main stream.”
SportTechie Takeaway
Merchandise is a natural extension of the esports business, with Segal saying Immortals management is “very bullish on continued growth.” Generating brand recognition and awareness is critical, and partnering with a sneaker company that has cachet like K-Swiss is a good step in that direction. It follows a sponsorship with Mountain Dew that was announced earlier this month. And now Immortals are first to market; no other esports team has a signature shoe.
Whether the performance shoe actually, you know, helps performance is almost beside the point. The real driver of sales will, presumably, be the lifestyle version of the sneaker, offering fans a way to signal brand and team affinity. It’s not like consumers who buy Steph Curry or LeBron James sneakers expect their own hoops acumen to suddenly resemble those superstars. And if the pro gamer shoe helps Immortals players compete ever-so-slightly better — then, hey, they’re better off than they were before this deal.
