Bud Light announced today that it will be sponsoring its first eSports program. The beer company is building a roster made up of players from various titles, including Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, Dota 2, Hearthstone, and Heroes of the Storm. They will announce the preliminary choices for athletes on May 7 at the DreamHack Austin event.
Which players make the final roster will be decided by the fans via a voting process that will take place on a yet to be determined date. On June 14, during E3, the five athletes with the most votes will be officially named to the Bud Light All-Stars.
“This is such an exciting area for us. The growth in (eSports) is huge and this is really the right time for us to get in. We have identified it as a great space because, similar to how we identify in the NFL with fans, eSports fans have that same passion.” ~ Jesse Wofford, Bud Light’s digital sports marketing manager.
The Bud Light All-Stars will compete in a three-round elimination tournament at TwitchCon 2016 in October. Leading up to the tournament they will host Twitch streams throughout the summer, participate in eSports events, and appear in a behind-the-scenes series from Machinima.
