by BLAST has announced a new partnership with top-of-the-line apparel brand Nike. The global esports tournament organizer will now have its official line of esports outfits made exclusively by Nike.
The big reveal was made on Twitter, with BLAST sharing a promo video using Counter-Strike: Global Offensive caster Mohan “launders” Govindasamy. According to the release statement for BLAST, the new collection will include T-shirts, hoodies, jerseys, and caps.
Based on the teaser, the collection will have a simple, yet classy look. Nike’s iconic “swoosh” will be perfectly placed under the BLAST Premier logo straight down the middle.
The idea of this collaboration was first teased during the 2022 Spring Finals in June. However, it was all speculation until the recent announcement.
While a sneak peek into the collection has been revealed, it is not available for fans to purchase yet. BLAST revealed that the merchandise will become available during the Fall Groups, which is expected to run from August 19 to August 28.
BLAST’s head of creative solutions, Faye Marlborough, commented on the collaboration, saying that the company aims to encapsulate the passion for competitive gaming through the collection.
“Our ambition is to work with the most reputable brands in the world, and they don’t come much bigger than Nike. Gaming has become a lifestyle over the last few years with the rise of esports, we are excited to be able to encapsulate the passion and uniqueness associated with competitive gaming through this collection.”
BLAST has in the past offered its line of esports apparel for purchase through a dedicated website. The limited-edition collection was made possible through a partnership with sportswear brand Champion.
Meanwhile, there is no information on how fans can purchase the expected collection. Although BLAST has used a dedicated website in the past, it is currently unavailable.
If BLAST makes use of its online store, it begs the question of exclusivity. Nonetheless, an update regarding how fans can purchase the merchandise is expected soon.
Compared to other apparel brands, Nike has been relatively quiet in the esports scene. For a brand as big as Nike, it is surprising that it does not have as many esports collaborations as they do in regular sports.
While this is the latest, it is not the first for the sportswear brand. In September 2019, Nike unveiled kits for all 16 teams that were participating in the League of Legends Pro League.
Earlier in that year, Nike signed a four-year deal with the Chinese league organizers. It also has an active deal with Brazilian esports team FURIA.
BLAST has also been super busy in the first half of this year. The company has secured several new partnerships while announcing expansions on several other existing collaborations.
Two weeks ago, BLAST announced a partnership with media company DAZN. The British company will ensure that the remaining BLAST CS: GO tournaments in 2022 will be broadcasted across over 100 territories worldwide live and on-demand.
Back in February, it was revealed that BLAST will be venturing outside of CS: GO for the first time in its history. They have been contracted to produce all Fortnite Championship Series (FNCS) events in 2022.
The FNCS 2022 season will culminate with the Fortnite Champions Series Invitation scheduled to be held in November. The tournament promises a prize pool of $1 million, but the participants remain unknown at this stage.
