Busan Metropolitan City extends partnership with BNK FearX owners SBXG

The South Korean city of Busan has extended its partnership with SBXG, the esports division of 4BY4 and parent company of BNK FearX, for at least three years.

The deal is aimed at fostering the growth of esports in the Busan metropolitan area, including events, grassroots activations and student projects, among others.

Sbxg first partnered with the Busan Metropolitan City in 2021, and the two brands have worked together on various activations and projects since. The new expansion and extension, which was signed via a MOU between Busan Metropolitan City, BIPA and SBXG, will continue this trend.

According to BIPA’s Vice-president of Busan Global Game Industry Promotion Center, Sang-min Han, via LinkedIn, the two brands will work on attracting sponsors and partners to Busan, South Korea’s second-largest city, with FearX continuing to represent the city in esports leagues. As a part of the partnership, SBXG has relocated its headquarters to Busan and will recruit local talent in the city, in addition to hosting local activations and events.

SBXG is most known as the owner of BNK FearX, an esports organisation that operates teams in multiple games, notably a League of Legends franchise in the LCK and a roster in Rainbow Six: Siege’s South Korea League. FearX was formerly known as Liiv Sandbox. The company also has several other subsidiaries, including BESPN, Mouse Potato and LOLQ, all aimed at the local gaming and esports markets.