Over the years energy drink brands have become a mainstay in traditional sports with partnerships ranging from title agreements to casual sponsorships. With the rise of esports, energy drinks have also been a prominent figure in competitive gaming due to both entities appealing to younger demographics.
From energy drink giants to new start-ups, here are the brands giving fuel to the esports industry.
Note: energy drink brands are listed in alphabetical order. This list may be updated periodically.
Energy drinks in esports
Adrenaline Rush
Parent Company: PepsiCo
Based in: USA
Active in esports since: 2017
Esports partnerships: ESforce announced a partnership with PepsiCo in 2017, naming Adrenaline Rush, PepsiCo’s energy drink sold in Russia, as a sponsor of one of ESForce’s Virtus.pro. That partnership has since ended. In 2019, Adrenaline Rush also hosted the finals of Dota 2’s Adrenaline Cyber League Finals, which took place in Moscow.
CELSIUS
Parent company: Celsius Holdings, Inc.
Based in: USA
Active in esports since: 2019
Esports partnerships: Energy drink brand CELSIUS ventured into esports in 2019, signing a partnership agreement with the ill-fated team Echo Fox.
Coca-Cola
Parent company: The Coca-Cola Company
Based in: USA
Active in esports since: 2013
Esports partnerships: One of the longest-standing partners of the esports industry, Coca-Cola’s Coke Zero became the title sponsor of the League of Legends Challenger Series in 2013. More recently, the company introduced a new energy drink brand called Coke Energy in 2020 alongside a partnership with Pittsburg Knights.
G FUEL
Parent company: Gamma Labs
Based in: USA
Active in esports since: 2012
Esports partnerships: Calling itself the ‘official energy drink of esports’, GFUEL and FaZe Clan have been working together since 2012, meaning they’re maintaining one of the longest-standing partnerships in esports. Their relationship was extended and expanded in 2020. GFUEL also ‘refreshed’ its ongoing partnership with Tempo Storm by expanding into creator communities and beyond in 2021.
In 2019, GFUEL entered a multi-year partnership with Enthusiast Gaming which owns and operates Luminosity Gaming and co-owns Overwatch League franchise Vancouver Titans and Call of Duty League franchise Seattle Surge.
GHOST
Parent company: Ghost, LLC
Based in: USA
Active in esports since: 2020
Esports partnerships: GHOST made its first esports partnership in 2020 when it joined forces with XSET, a new organisation founded by former FaZe Clan executives. GHOST will become the organisation’s exclusive partner for supplements and beverages, a jersey sponsor, a sponsor for any future events, and will produce content and merchandise branded with the organisation.
Monster Energy
Parent company: Monster Beverage Corporation
Based in: USA
Active in esports since: 2015
Esports partnerships: Monster Energy is well-known among extreme sports circuits and was an early entrant into the esports sponsorship scene. The brand partnered with Evil Geniuses in 2015, followed by Team Liquid in 2016 and remains a sponsor for both teams to this day. Other partnerships include the likes of Dota 2 team PSG.LGD, Freaks 4U Gaming’s 99Liga, Mindfreak, and the Kuala Lumpur Major in 2018.
Mountain Dew AMP Game Fuel
Parent company: PepsiCo
Based in: USA
Active in esports since: 2019
PepsiCo’s MOUNTAIN DEW product line introduced Mountain Dew AMP Game Fuel in 2019, partnering with the Call of Duty World League (CWL) and North American organisation OpTic Gaming for launch activations. The energy drink’s additional partnerships include Virtus.Pro, as well as Immortals Gaming Club, covering two of its properties –Immortals and MIBR.
NOCCO
Parent company: No Carbs Company AB
Based in: Sweden
Active in esports since: 2020
Esports partnerships: Swedish energy drink brand NOCCO has formed strategic partnerships with esports organisations North and Singularity. Additionally, NOCCO briefly partnered with Astralis in 2018.
Red Bull
Parent company: Red Bull GmbH
Based in: Austria
Active in esports since: 2017
Esports partnerships: Red Bull fields its own sim racing team, Red Bull Racing, which recently opened its own training facility in the UK. This year the company also entered into a multi-year partnership with T1 Entertainment & Sports, giving the team access to Red Bull’s training facilities.
Red Bull is the official energy drink partner of Riot Games’ global League of Legends events, including the LEC and LCS.
The energy drink brand also sponsors both CS:GO and League of Legends teams for German organisation BIG. Acting as Vodafone Giants’ official energy drink, Red Bull is a partner of the Giants Fighter Dojo – the organisation’s headquarters in Barcelona, Spain.
In 2019, Red Bull UK formed a partnership with The NUEL that will see it support collegiate esports across the United Kingdom. G2 also signed a multi-year deal with Red Bull in 2019, as did ENCE, Pittsburg Knights, and AOC Gaming.
Respawn by Razer
Parent company: Razer, Inc.
Based in: Singapore
Active in esports since: 2019
Esports partnerships: Gaming hardware and peripheral manufacturer Razer introduced its own energy drink brand Respawn in 2019 and partnered with eUnited shortly after. This year, Respawn announced a partnership with North American organisation Dignitas. The deal is said to include the development of new products, production of lifestyle content, and prominence on digital events.
Rockstar Energy
Parent company: PepsiCo
Based in: USA
Active in esports since: 2020
Esports partnerships: Rockstar Energy, another PepsiCo brand, sponsors esports organisation mousesports, after striking a deal with the German entity earlier this year.
teaRIOT
Parent company: teaRIOT, LLC Company
Based in: USA
Active in esports since: 2019
Esports partnerships: North American organisation FlyQuest entered into a multi-year partnership with plant-based energy drink brand teaRIOT beginning in 2019. As the team’s official energy drink, teaRIOT will activate its partnership through branding, live events, and content integration.
Tornado Energy
Parent company: Global Functional Drinks AG
Based in: Russia
Active in esports since: 2016
Esports partnerships: Tornado Energy fields its own PUBG team, Tornado Energy Battle. The brand has also partnered with the Fortnite team of Virtus.pro and Gambit Esports.
Listen to ESI Network, a suite of esports podcasts
Read the original post: A guide to: Energy drinks in esports
Organize your team with Milanote.
Enjoy relaxed ambient music byTPV Media.
