US technology company Intel has agreed a deal with esports organisation ESL to become its global technical partner.
The partnership extends from global events such as Intel Extreme Masters, ESL Pro League and ESL One to national championships and online tournament platforms, as well as studio and broadcasting operations.
Terms of the deal were not disclosed, but ESL said the partnership represented the biggest in its 17-year history.
Under the agreement, Intel will provide PCs for all participating esports teams and players, with high-performance processors to be supplied for streaming content.
ESL also revealed details of a new event, the Intel Grand Slam for Counter Strike: Global Offensive. An additional $1m (€892,000) prize will be awarded to the first team that can win four out of the last 10 $200,000 competitions held between the DreamHack and ESL events as part of the new initiative. The first Intel Grand Slam event will be ESL One Cologne 2017.
A $100,000 prize will also be awarded to any team that defeats any potential Grand Slam winner. Should a team with three eligible trophies be defeated in the fourth Grand Final, the opposition will receive $100,000, as long as they themselves are not on the verge of winning the Intel Grand Slam title.
“Intel’s involvement in esports and the gaming community has spanned more than 15 years, and we’re always looking for ways to take the player and fan experience to the next level,” said Gregory Bryant, senior vice-president and general manager of the client computing group at Intel Corporation.
“In this next phase of our long-time partnership with ESL, we’re investing in the development of future esports stars, further expanding our global footprint with the Intel Extreme Masters circuit, and exploring fresh formats like the Intel Grand Slam that we announced today.”