NRG Esports has signed its largest-ever sponsorship deal, with Nestle frozen-snack brand Hot Pockets coming on board in a deal that spans the organization’s streamer and esports sides.
The deal will be announced this afternoon. Terms are not released, but the team confirmed that it represents its biggest deal by value. Assets include naming rights to NRG’s 20,000-square-foot, $10M USD Content Castle creative studio; jersey branding for NRG pro teams; and digital/social content. The new name of the content castle will be released at a later date.
Hot Pockets has had a couple other interactions in gaming, including advertising on Twitch and being a jersey patch partner on the Cleveland Cavaliers’ NBA 2K League team. But this is its biggest play in the space yet.
Michael Bull, Nestle’s associate brand manager, said in a statement that the company is doing the deal because “the cultural tie between Hot Pockets and gaming is undeniable, so partnering with a premier esports organization was a natural fit for us.”
At the 12-room content castle in Los Angeles, Hot Pockets will have a signage and branding presence and what the sides are calling a “distinct installation.”
NRG, which was founded in 2015, opened the content castle late last year for its content creators. It has teams that compete in the Overwatch League, Call of Duty League, Rocket League, and Apex Legends.
For Hot Pockets, gaining a foothold in gaming is important in part because competitor Totino’s, which is owned by General Mills, already has a notable presence in the space including a deal with 100 Thieves.
