For the third year in a row, Seattle Sounders jerseys will feature a video game. Seattle’s MLS club will don new kits for Sunday’s home match against Los Angeles that promote Forza Motorsport 7, a new Microsoft game that debuts October 7 for Xbox One and PC. Microsoft Xbox has been a Sounders jersey sponsor since the team first entered MLS in 2009 and recently has used the partnership to promote its own games. In 2015, the Sounders wore special Halo 5 jerseys. A year later, players sported jerseys with Gears of War 4 branding. This year, it’s Forza Motorsport 7,… Read More
There may be some heated League of Legends competitions going on the next time you pass by a Microsoft Store. The tech giant announced today that it is partnering with ASUS Republic of Gamers and HyperX to host weekly League of Legends events at its physical stores across the U.S., Canada, Puerto Rico and Australia. Called “ROG Arena at Microsoft Store,” the competitions invite local players to sign up for 5-on-5 battles each Saturday beginning Aug. 26, with up to eight teams at the weekly tournaments. The only requirement to compete is an active League of Legends account; Microsoft will provide… Read More
As Microsoft enters the final year of its reported $400 million deal with the NFL, the Surface tablet will be more visible on the sidelines than ever. Since the 2013-14 season, players and coaches have used the Surface tablet to review past plays on the sideline during games. As GeekWire reported earlier this month, NFL referees this season will now use the tablet to review replays for the 2017-18 season, replacing the “under-the-hood” monitor. We saw the integration during the preseason opener on Aug. 3 and it was used again on Wednesday during the Texans vs. Panthers game. There will be… Read More
NFL players and coaches won’t be the only ones using a Microsoft Surface tablet on the sidelines this season. NFL referees will now use the tablet to review replays for the 2017-18 season, replacing the “under-the-hood” monitor. The new technology was in action for the first time during Thursday night’s preseason opener in Canton, Ohio. Dean Blandino, the NFL’s former vice president of officiating, noted that there are two tablets at each 20-yard line for the referees to use. NFL debuts replay tablets tonite. 2 tablets, 1 at each 20 yd line for ref to use during reviews. Replaces under… Read More
The Sounders may look a little different after the 2018 season — aesthetically speaking, at least. Seattle’s MLS club announced today that it is working with sports management giant WME | IMG to explore a potential new naming rights sponsor for its jerseys, matchday pitch, and training facility. Since the team’s inaugural MLS season in 2009, Seattle-area tech giant Microsoft has paid to have the Xbox brand name and logo appear on all three of those properties. That contract was extended both in 2013 and 2014; the current deal expires after the 2018 season. The original jerseys featured “Xbox 360,”… Read More
