Energy-drink marketing in esports
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Energy-drink marketing in esports refers to the sponsorships, partnerships and promotional practices used by energy-drink manufacturers to reach audiences of competitive video gaming across leagues, events, teams and livestreaming platforms. Academic content analyses have found that energy-drink brands are the single most prevalent food-and-beverage sponsors in global esports, accounting for more than a third of identified sponsorships.[1] Related research on livestreaming platforms has likewise reported that energy drinks dominate food and beverage brand mentions and exposure on Twitch, YouTube Gaming and Facebook Gaming.[2]
Peer-reviewed auditing of official websites and social media for premier events, leagues, teams and players in 2023–2024 counted 497 food-and-beverage sponsorships in esports; 181 of these (36.4%) were energy-drink sponsorships, the most of any product category.[3] The same analysis identified Monster Energy (47 sponsorships) and Red Bull (42) among the most frequently occurring individual brands across the sample.[4] Industry playbooks have also described energy drinks as an “endemic” sponsor category perceived as appropriate by esports fans, alongside technology companies and internet service providers.[5]
Sponsorship models
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Energy-drink activations in esports typically include publisher and league partnerships, team and creator sponsorships, collegiate-level programmes, and brand-owned tournaments. Riot Games announced Red Bull as the official energy-drink partner for global League of Legends events in 2019, with broadcast integrations and event activations; the partnership was extended in March 2025 for the League of Legends EMEA Championship (LEC) through the end of 2026.[6][7] Broadcast integrations in LEC and LCS have included the presenter-branded “Baron Power Play”, a segment highlighted by esports media analysis and by Riot's own partnership communications.[8][7]
Tournament operators have also maintained multi-year relationships with energy-drink brands. ESL Gaming announced an expanded, multi-year global portfolio partnership with Monster Energy in 2022, later followed by Monster Energy's designation as the Official Energy Drink of the Call of Duty League for the remainder of 2023 and all of 2024.[9][10]
At the team and creator level, announcements often emphasise product placement, content series and community activations. Team Liquid revealed a wide-ranging Monster Energy partnership in 2016 and has since co-run branded tournaments on third-party platforms; Fnatic announced Red Bull as official energy-drink partner in January 2025.[11][12][13]
Collegiate esports has become a distinct channel for energy-drink marketing. G Fuel disclosed sponsorship of Farmingdale State College’s esports programme in 2022 and later announced a conference-wide partnership with the U.S. National Esports Collegiate Conference (NECC) in 2024; in the UK, National Student Esports (NSE) renewed a multi-year partnership with Monster Energy in 2024 for the British University Esports Championship.[14][15][16]
Brand-owned events form another pillar of activation. Red Bull has operated tournament series such as Red Bull Home Ground in Valorant, alongside the amateur League of Legends circuit Red Bull Solo Q, which features national qualifiers and global finals.[17][18][19] In North American television esports, naming-rights agreements have included the G FUEL ELEAGUE Arena, announced in 2017 with brand integrations across Turner’s ELEAGUE broadcasts.[20][21]
Advertising formats, in-game tie-ins and disclosure
On livestreaming platforms, brand presence commonly involves on-screen logos, verbal shout-outs, affiliate links, custom overlays and sponsored segments; platform rules require clear disclosure of paid promotions, as set out by Twitch and YouTube.[22][23] Esports broadcasts also feature branded game-state segments, for example the Red Bull-presented “Baron Power Play” used in League of Legends competitions in EMEA and North America.[8][24]
Cross-promotional campaigns have integrated energy drinks with video-game rewards, such as Xbox’s Rockstar Energy collaboration for Halo Infinite in 2021 and Activision’s ongoing Monster Energy promotions for the Call of Duty franchise that grant in-game items and Double XP for purchases of co-branded cans.[25][26][27]
Influencer marketing in esports is subject to general advertising-disclosure law and self-regulatory codes. In the United States, the Federal Trade Commission urges “clear and conspicuous” disclosures of material connections by creators and brands; in the United Kingdom, the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) and Committee of Advertising Practice (CAP) publish influencer guidance on making ads “obviously identifiable”.[28][29] UK rules also restrict advertising of foods high in fat, salt and sugar to under-16 audiences and set placement guidance on targeting and media contexts, while separate ASA guidance addresses claims for caffeinated products.[30][31][32] In 2025, a UK Parliamentary briefing summarised plans to introduce new restrictions on online HFSS advertising by October 2025 and noted proposals concerning the sale of high-caffeine energy drinks to children.[33]