Last month Fangage announced a partnership with Esports organization Tempo Storm to use Fangage’s digital autograph platform to interact with fans. The two organizations publicly initiated the partnership through a live Twitch autographing session with Tempo Storm “speedrunner”, Mychal “Trihex” Jerfferson on Jul. 12.
Fangage allows fans to upload any photo they want into a secure server and then have a pro athlete on the platform digitally autograph the image.
“We have found that a lot of fans are uploading photos of a favorite player, a screen shot from the game, a Twitch highlight, if they manage to meet the player and snap a selfie, or any kind of personal picture of family or friends,” said Jackson Moreland, head of Fangage’s strategic partnership division.
Athletes can sign the photos using a stylus, creating real signatures, and Fangage works to verify the identity of who is signing and image to ensure authenticity.
Esports regular seasons are generally hosted online and there are only a few in-person events each year that teams like Tempo Storm can qualify for, and where fans can meet their idols. “There are only a few large tournaments a year and they are expensive,” Moreland said. “Most people would have to fly out, pay for a hotel, and usually wait in huge lines just to walk up [with no guarantee of an autograph]”.
Instead, using Fangage, Tempo Sports athletes can regularly sign autographs. “They are using our platform once a week for half an hour and they can also use it biweekly for sixteen minute blocks and their talent can sign autographs live on their Twitch screen,” Moreland explained.
SportTechie Takeaway
Executives within the different esports leagues and organizations are using different platforms to reach as many fans as possible. Activision Blizzard recently announced a multi-year broadcast deal with Disney to televise the Overwatch League.
While the leagues manage the content distribution channels, teams are utilizing resources like Fangage’s digital autographing platform to put the team members’ personalities on display and create an interactive fan experience similar to that found in traditional sports.