Caesars has struck a fresh esports partnership with Taito, a Japanese gaming company, to host the world’s largest arcade event in Las Vegas.
Caesars Ventures into Esports Again
Caesars Entertainment is firmly decided to break into a new segment that promises to bring the casino brand a fair share of interest insofar younger generations are concerned. Recently, Caesars has teamed up with Taito, a Japanese arcade game company, with the pair agreeing to host esports competition. It’s only a couple of days that the news broke that Eldorado acquired Caesars.
For those unfamiliar with “esports,” this is competitive video gaming. Teams and individuals play against one another to determine who is more skilled at a game. The global market for esports is enormous and it features international brands, such as BMW, Mercedes, KFC, Coca-Cola, and many other non-endemic brands that have realized the marketing power of esports.
Hosting the Battles of the Future
Esports has its attractiveness and Caesars is well aware of this. The company’s deal with an arcade company is not precisely a foray into tradition competitive gaming, but it’s a nice way to expand and to spice up its offering.
Called “Toushinsai”, this event will be hosted at the Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino in Ls Vegas this August. Arcade games are definitely a favorite in the United States where games such as Street Fighter V have been some of the headline competitive events.
With some 6,000 players coming to Toushinsai annually, the event definitely has its charm. Now that the edition is relocated to Las Vegas, however, hosts expect a far larger crowd to come rushing to one of the world’s most promising arcade competitions.
Not surprisingly, Street Fighter V will be all the rage this year and the winners will be awarded an all-expenses-trip to Tokyo which is another heartland of arcade gaming. Here is what Caesars had to say on the occasion:
Caesars Entertainment is excited to host Toushinsai competitors from around the globe,” stated John Linss, Caesars vice-president of strategic investment initiatives, “Our company has long fostered the rapidly growing esports industry throughout our resorts, and we are happy to be collaborating with Taito to bring their e-Arcade sports qualifier to North America for the first time.
Caesars may appear as the last venue that would host a video gaming competitive event, but the truth is that the casino has hosted Gears of War competitions. GoW is a competitive shooter that has its steady following, even though it’s not necessarily the largest competitive video gaming event that the world has to offer to date.
Meanwhile, Caesars have made headlines by backing various youth-focused and innovation. Caesars has been smart in picking its partnerships cleverly. For starters, the company may be investing in “marginal” competitions, but the marketing strategy has worked.
By playing host to emotionally-charged events, Caesars is establishing a better opportunity to connect with young crowds.
Not all efforts have been successful. The casino operator and brand backed the now defunct H1Z1 League, another esports competition. The H1Z1 was surrounded by a lot of controversies. For starters, a number of people visited the U.S. on a tourist visa and were then kept in the country to work as cheap labor.
Teams and employees were left without salaries, turning a bad situation into a worse one. While this hasn’t affected Caesars nor was the casino directly or indirectly involved, not all popularity is good. The arcade showdown, however, is spot on.
