Visa and FACEIT, the largest independent competitive gaming platform in the world, announced an agreement that will create a new dedicated gaming environment for esports enthusiasts. The partnership, leveraging the unique competitive advantages of each brand, will significantly expand gaming experiences for fans around the world. Russia will be the first market for the partnership to launch and will focus on several top esports disciplines relevant for the geography, and will be launched commercially with one of Russia’s top banks. The collaboration between Visa and FACEIT will focus on designing and distributing fun and unique online programs where esports enthusiasts can develop their gaming skills to participate in different tournament formats.
“According to our estimations, the global esports market is forecasted to reach 500 mln gamers by 2020. Visa is keen to contribute its payment expertise to the space and deliver added value to this audience. Given the synergy between FACEIT’s stronghold on the Russian market, the overall number of esports audience and how receptive Russians are in general to innovative concepts, this is absolutely the right geography to start with.” said Evgeniy Zelenyi, head of Strategic Partnerships and Fintech, Visa Russia.
‘We’re excited to work with such a globally recognised brand and to support their next step into esports,” said Niccolo Maisto, Co-Founder & CEO, FACEIT. “This partnership is a shining example of how a brand can become endemic to the esports community and help the overall esports ecosystem grow which is FACEIT’s continued mission.”