Brazilian gaming entertainment platform Final Level has closed a deal with brMalls, the largest shopping mall company in Latin America, for five esports events across the remainder of 2020 and 2021. It is a move by the company to get closer to the esports audience, considered strategic for the shopping mall business. The first of five events will happen in 2020 via the Valorant brMalls Cup (Copa brMalls), which will be held online due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
brMalls Executive Director of Operations Vicente Avellar told The Esports Observer that the entry into the games market was already being analyzed by the company: “Due to its size and expertise, we identified Final Level as the ideal partner to enter this highly successful segment in Brazil and with such a promising future.”
Events following the Valorant brMalls Cup will also have the intention of bringing the audience to the malls belonging to the company, which add up to 31 across every region in Brazil: “The mall, in addition to being a shopping destination, is also a space for entertainment and socialization. We saw in esports the opportunity to develop a business strategy that connects the gamer audience with our digital and physical spaces and products,“ Avellar said.
Avellar also said that the deal is not for a regular sponsorship, but a partnership in a number of aspects: “Unlike a sponsorship, the circuit is a perennial property created by brMalls that has four more competitions in 2021. The company enters into the business viability and capillarity, and actively participates with Final Level in the organization, content production, and promotion of competitions. This partnership opens the way for new actions, which are already in an advanced planning stage.”
The Valorant brMalls Cup will be broadcast from Nov. 20 on Rafael “Rakin” Knittel’s Twitch channel, one of the most famous esports streamers in Brazil, and feature some of the main organizations in the country such as INTZ, paiN Gaming, and Gamelanders, which belongs to Final Level and is considered one of the best local Valorant teams.
