Global gaming festival operator DreamHack has announced its foray into content creation with a lineup of six original programs. Over the next several days, new shows with a variety of formats will debut online through DreamHack channels with many featuring DreamHack staff and personalities as hosts.
DreamHack global creative director Justin Burnham told The Esports Observer that his aim with this move is in part to “tell a story in between events,” making DreamHack a year-round brand in the minds of its fans rather than a strictly event-based company. He wanted to find a way to “not be like every other event: sell tickets, and then kick [fans] out the door and say goodbye.”
“We have a massive following all around the globe,” he said, “we have all these events, we just need to take the time to actually make these products happen and they’ll grow organically. And now, because we don’t have any events going on right now, we’ve got plenty of time.”
DreamHack was forced to cancel many of its festivals for 2020 due to the ongoing global COVID-19 pandemic, though the company is still operating several esports competitions online.
According to Burnham, featuring DreamHack staff within these new shows is an intentional part of the company’s strategy. The aim is to humanize the global events company, and make its staff known to the gaming community.
While DreamHack is already in talks with potential sponsors for the shows, Burnham said that this initial launch will serve more as a test season to collect feedback and establish benchmarks. “This isn’t something we’re looking for investment on overnight.”
