Hi-Rez Studios, the creative force behind the third-person MOBA game SMITE, has revealed a robust lineup of sponsors for the upcoming Smite World Championship Season X. Among the 11 partners for the event, which will be held at the Esports Stadium Arlington in Texas from January 12th-14th, are notable brands such as PC peripheral company SteelSeries, PC and laptop manufacturer Alienware, and furniture brand Herman Miller.
Although SMITE may not enjoy the same global popularity as some of its MOBA competitors, the game has maintained a strong presence since its launch in 2014. The previous World Championship event in early 2023 boasted a prize pool of $415,000 (~£326,551) and garnered around 80,000 peak viewers, as reported by Esports Charts.
For the upcoming championship, SMITE has secured support from prominent endemic partners. This includes custom PC builder Starforge Systems, owned notably by members of OTK Media, gaming division Alienware from DELL, and supplement company ADVANCED, which recently collaborated with esports brand Sentinels to launch a new energy drink called Hopium.
Additionally, RallyHere, an esports platform, Monstercat, a record label, i3D, a networking company, and Titan Forge, a sci-fi miniatures retailer, have also joined as partners for the event. SteelSeries, a Danish esports-centric hardware brand, will serve as the tournament's official peripheral partner. Alongside them is Herman Miller, a globally recognized furniture manufacturer that has recently entered the esports and gaming markets.
The SMITE esports scene has a distinctive structure wherein all teams participating in the Smite Pro League, the top-tier competition in the game, are owned and operated by the game's developer. This shift occurred in Season 8, eliminating traditional esports organizations from the scene. The decision ensures that all players receive an equal salary, supplemented by prize money won from tournaments, aiming to maintain stability in the SMITE ecosystem, as highlighted by Hi-Rez.
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