Fnatic and OnePlus’ partnership is a well-known relationship in the esports world and both parties have integrated each other into their existing products and services. For example, in OnePus phones, the gaming mode is branded as the “Fnatic mode.” The 2020 team jersey for Fnatic meanwhile, features the OnePlus logo bang in the front and center.
While Fnatic has been involved in mobile games in the past, its PUBG MOBILE roster is the most popular in terms of following. For example, its star player, Tanmay “ScoutOP” Singh, is the most followed professional player for Fnatic on social media with over 1M followers on both YouTube and Instagram. Fnatic’s entry into India with the announcement of a PUBG MOBILE roster has helped the brand gain popularity among the Indian esports community.
Recently, the organization announced that the PUBG MOBILE Pro League South Asia will be the last tournament for its current roster and that it will announce a revamped squad in the coming months. Despite having to let some of its players go, the organization has made one thing abundantly clear: it is committed to India and the PUBG MOBILE community. On May 21, Fnatic announced an initiative featuring some of the biggest sports personalities in India in partnership with OnePlus.
“Fnatic is very much involved in the broadcast and the concept of the event and it was something that both Fnatic and OnePlus wanted to do together. Both teams have worked really hard to put this together and to get this activation in place during this rough period for the brand,” Fnatic India’s country lead Nimish ‘“Nemo” Raut, told The Esports Observer.
This event, known as Domin8, will see Singh and an Indian content creator who has been signed by Fnatic, Luv “Godnixon Gaming” Sharma, take part in a PUBG MOBILE competition. The tournament will also feature four big names from the world of cricket, namely players Yuzvendra Chahal, KL Rahul, Shreyas Iyer, and Smriti Mandhana, all of whom have represented India internationally and have followings in the millions.
The event also features India’s biggest PUBG MOBILE streamer, Aaditya “Dynamo Gaming” Sawant, who boasts 7M subscribers on YouTube along with the actor/influencer Ahsaas Channa, who was also a part of the cast in a web series created by PUBG MOBILE India for its audience. The event pits regular folks against these celebrities in three matches, with the best players being given the flagship product from OnePlus.
“OnePlus is of course a global partner for Fnatic and PUBG MOBILE plays a very vital role in taking the partnership forward. The activation is something that wasn’t a part of the original agreement but something that both parties thought could help boost and activate the Indian market and the Indian mobile audience,” says Raut. “There was a sort of renegotiation in terms of the number of mobile titles and how we are going to activate OnePlus in the Indian territory and you’ll see a lot more stuff from both Fnatic and OnePlus together in the future.”
PUBG MOBILE’s popularity in India has allowed both Fnatic and OnePlus to explore the market in a new way. It also allows OnePlus a direct channel to reach the mobile gaming audience, something which Fnatic’s other teams may not have access to. So what does the future hold for the region and the partnership, according to Raut?
“Gaming is going to play a very important role, not just for mobile phone companies, but a lot of brands and esports promotion will provide the company with the required edge over the other brands for their advertising and marketing strategies. There is something really cool that will possibly come with OnePlus in September and I think for 2021, we are also working to integrate their marketing calendar with ours,” says Raut.
Shounak Sengupta is a staff writer at AFK Gaming.
