Houston Outlaws renews partnership with GameStop

Houston Outlaws, the Overwatch League franchise owned by Beasley Media Group, has renewed its deal with GameStop.

GameStop will serve as the franchise’s official consumer electronics and video game retailer for the 2020 season.

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The partnership will see Houston Outlaws and GameStop provide training resources for the amateur Overwatch community for a second year, taking part in retailer’s “esports pro training series.” 10 online videos will be produced for Houston Outlaws’ fans to learn from.

A representative for Houston Outlaws commented on the renewed partnership in a release: “The Houston Outlaws are very excited to kick-off GameStop’s 2020 partnership! The timing has never been better with consumer engagement with video gaming and esports reaching record levels, as families stay at home. GameStop’s ability to deliver curbside pickups and video tutorials to those eager to “game together” and join this movement is great for the sport!”

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The collaboration also includes in-store meeting sessions with Houston Outlaws players, though they will be hosted virtually if social distancing restrictions maintain throughout the year. GameStop will also be integrated into the team’s tradeshows and watch parties once the aforementioned restrictions are lifted.

Frank Hamlin, Chief Customer Officer for GameStop, also spoke on the renewal: “The GameStop pro training series is an online platform that supports amateurs at the grassroots level who are looking to learn new techniques and strategy from the top professionals in esports – it’s a win-win for our customers who are looking to gain a competitive edge on games such as Overwatch. We’re very happy to continue our partnership with the Houston Outlaws and take our relationship to new heights in 2020.”

Esports Insider says: A lot of the terms of this partnership can’t be executed upon based on the ongoing pandemic, which means GameStop will surely have conservative expectations of the return on the deal for 2020. With that said, it’s encouraging for Outlaws to renew a partnership after switching ownership groups.

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