Sweden-based esports organization Challengermode announced a partnership with the gamer-focused internet browser Opera GX.
As part of this partnership, an esports fund will be created. This fund will be aimed at accelerating the growth of emerging small esports organizers in the UK, USA and Germany. A total of $30,000 will be distributed to local esports organizers with this fund. In addition, support will be provided by Challengermode to facilitate tournament organizations.
The application period for the organizers will remain open for the duration of the three-month campaign.
Grassroots esports communities act as the introduction to esports for thousands of players around the world. But because of the evolving nature of the esports space local and third-party efforts organizations are often fragmented, underfunded, and lack the polish you’d expect from an established sport. These are pain points we want to eliminate with this fund, empowering esports organizers to easily create their own dedicated space for their community, reducing their costs and giving players a respectable prize pool.
Philip Hübner, Chief Business Development Officer at Challengermode
Initial funding from this fund will focus on VALORANT, CS:GO, League of Legends and Teamfight Tactics tournaments. According to the statement, this funding will focus on developing infrastructure to foster long-term esports engagement and increase the accessibility of small-scale esports initiatives.
Opera GX has a long association as a browser of choice to complement gaming, so partnering with Challengermode to encourage the next generation of esports players is a natural fit for us. So much of the money and attention in the esports industry orbits around the very top tier of competition, with little trickling down to the grassroots level. We want this fund to give grassroots organizations real staying power, making them institutions similar to existing local sports clubs.
Maciej Kocemba, Product Director of Opera GX
The partnership between Challengermode and Opera GX sets itself apart from many other partnerships by concentrating on grassroots esports organizations. We hope that such partnerships will continue in the esports sector.
