by The GRID Esports sponsored Counter-Strike: Global Offensive tournament circuit has signed a deal with skin marketplace BitSkins. It is worth noting that this is the first official sponsor of the Champion of Champions Tour (CCT) since its unveiling in May 2022.
BitSkins will officially become the skin partner for the tournament which is scheduled to run from July 2022 to January 2024. As a result, the branding of BitSkins will be present across all English-speaking broadcast channels.
Per the announcement, the coming together will see both parties create engaging content for the community. More importantly, BitSkins will provide exclusive skin offerings to viewers and fans.
The event will be played across the major esports regions, including Europe, North America, and South America. As they build up to the 2024 LAN grand finals, there will be several regional online tournaments with cash prizes.
The entire competition promises a prize fund of $3.4 million to be shared among several events in the circuit. According to the released format, there will be 44 online cups, 11 regional LAN finals, and the global grand finals.
Speaking on the partnership, GRID Esports COO, Tom Warburton expressed the company’s excitement over the deal. He emphasized their quest to deliver the best fan experience and commended BitSkins on their effort in that regard.
“BitSkins truly understands the interests of esports fans and caters to their needs with a unique offering. We are thrilled to partner with them and enable emerging, regional esports talent to build a name for themselves while providing exclusive offers to their fans and supporters. We are committed to building a sustainable ecosystem across multiple tiers and are thrilled to partner with BitSkins to deliver the best fan experience to Champion of Champions Tour viewers.”
Anna Zamorniak, CEO of BitSkins, also commented on the partnership. She shared the company’s joy to go on this 18-month journey with CCT.
“We have been actively involved in the esports scene since the company’s inception. Champion of Champions Tour’s vision to enable the growth of the new talents is very much aligned with our values and we are happy to support the tournament over the upcoming 18 months. Partnering with GRID we set ourselves the long-term objectives to deliver the best quality esports experience for the fans and use the opportunity to mature with the audience.”
While BitSkins is the first official partner, some foundational partners contributed to making CCT a reality. Although GRID is at the forefront, other partners include FACEIT, Eden Esports, Relog Media, Black Molly Entertainment, and Fantasyexpo.
BitSkins is not new to sponsoring tournaments, as it also sponsored the just-concluded 2022 Pinnacle Cup Championship at Sparbanken Sk?ne Arena in Lund, Sweden. It was a Black Molly Entertainment-organized tournament that brought together eight teams and promised a prize pool of $250,000.
After a riveting four-day bout, Heroic were the ultimate victors. They swept Astralis 2-0 in the grand final to win the cup and walk away with $150,000 of the prize pool.
