I don’t think anyone saw this one coming.
Internet purveyor of adult entertainment, YouPorn, has just penetrated the eSports scene with a hardcore Spanish team previously known as Play2Win. As part of the deal, the five man team will be re-branded as “Team YP”, and will begin unloading on the competition at the Gamergy Dota 2 tournament in Madrid later this week.
With the massive amount of money and viewership being generated in e-sports, it’s no wonder that one of the Internet’s most notorious porn distributor would want in on this action. And the demographics are definitely in their favor as the majority of e-sports is dominated by males. By having their fingers inside both gaming and porn, it’s like the perfect “double penetration” of both markets. Plus, with the team being based in Spain, and primarily competing in European events, “Team YP” will see less controversy, over sponsoring a major US Team, where the market tends to be more conservative.
There are no details on the team’s viewing habits on YouPorn, but they will be focusing on Dota 2, Hearthstone, and League of Legends. It’ll be interesting to see for exhibition games, if the team will show their true prowess by competing one handed.
E-sports is traditionally supported by hardware manufacturers, all the way to soft drink and food companies, which are pretty safe territory when it comes to endorsements. This is definitely one of the most controversial moves of all time. Especially since the gaming industry has recently come under fire for misogyny and sexually motivated scandal. It’ll be interesting to see what kind of endorsements Team YP’s overlords have in store for them.
What do you folks think? Is this good for e-sports? Or will this start to unravel the legitimacy that the sport has sought to gain?
Source: Venture Beat