Chipotle has signed on to sponsor three major esports events this year and launch its own branded competition property, the Chipotle Challenger Series.
In deals with both Dreamhack 
and ESL , sister subsidiaries of the Swedish conglomerate MTG , the fast food brand will become the official partner of Dreamhack Masters Dallas from May 31-June 2; presenting partner of Dreamhack Open Atlanta Nov. 15-17 and Intel Extreme Masters: Chicago, dates to be determined.
The Chipotle Challenger Series will be on-site amateur esports tournaments open to all attendees of the Dallas and Atlanta events. Winners will receive a trophy, free Chipotle for a year and “one-of-a-kind” Chipotle swag. Chipotle will also sponsor the players’ lounges at all three events and the Rank S Combine beginning Friday at the MGM Grand Las Vegas.
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Chipotle manager/experiential & partnerships Scott Robinson said the deals add new depth to the brand’s role in esports. Chipotle has sponsored OpTic Gaming and TSM in the past. “The Chipotle Challenger Series allows us to support new gamers, amateur gamers and professional gamers with an exciting addition to the event landscape,” he said.
ESL senior VP/brand partnerships Paul Brewer, who handled the deal for both properties, said the challenger series “is the very fabric of esports with DreamHack and ESL, where everyone from professional to amateur gamers can be involved.”
REV/XP, the gaming/esports agency sister agency to Chicago-based rEvolution, handled the deal for Chipotle and will manage strategy, creative design and experiential production.
Cofounder and SVP Dan Ciccone said the program is structured to give Chipotle an audience in a variety of gaming interests and reward fans that “get directly involved” in events.
Ben Fischer is a staff writer for SportsBusiness Daily, where this article appeared first.
