PPB March 2019

To Game Or Not To Game Paul June, with Anaheim, California, supplier Mobile Edge, shares trends about the ever-growing market of esports. FIVE MINUTES WITH Paul June vice president of marketing for Mobile Edge PPB How have you used promotional products to serve the gaming industry? June Mobile Edge has been at the forefront of producing promotional products used by the gaming industry for more than 15 years. We work with Alienware and Razer to produce a wide range of gaming bags, backpacks and accessories, including apparel for Alienware, that are used as promotional products. In 2017, we began producing our own line of Core gaming products, which features award-winning bags and mobile power accessories. Virtually all the products Mobile Edge produces can be decorated with a company logo via a custom patch (molded 3D and digital print available), 5,000-stitch embroidery or vinyl stickers. We even have our own corporate premiums division that specializes in working with companies and other organizations to produce highly- desirable, quality promotional items for their employees, members and clients. PPB Gamers have the reputation for being hyper-dedicated to their skill and the games they play. Does this affect the popularity of promo products? June To the extent that games are hyper- dedicated to their craft, we also believe they’re hyper-dedicated to getting the right bag with the right quality to protect all of their gear. We like to think this hyper-dedication is what drives many gamers and companies serving the gaming industry to seek out the kinds of quality promotional products Mobile Edge produces. PPB Have you seen products translate into higher in-game purchases, or generate more excitement around a specific element of a game? June One of the many unique aspects of our Core Gaming Backpacks is that two of the three versions come with Velcro ® panels. This allows gamers, esports teams and even their fans to create their own patches and display them proudly on their packs. In fact, we’ve worked with a number of companies and organizations to create custom patches for events and teams, which is a great way to generate excitement. I can easily envision a Core Gaming Backpack completely covered with eye-popping event and team patches. That would be pretty cool. PPB Can you share with us a unique promotional campaign that you helped execute within this industry? June Mobile Edge ran a Kickstarter campaign in August to September 2017 to launch the Core Gaming Backpack. Not only did this campaign help generate funding to develop prototypes and launch the new product line, it also helped us to connect with people in the gaming industry—including gamers, esports teams, fans and various esports organizations—so we could hear from them firsthand how our products impact them and how we could make our products even better! It was a very rewarding and memorable experience. PPB Where do you think the future of gaming and esports is headed? Do you see any major changes or disruptions? June The global audience for esports, including gamers and fans, was expected to reach 380 million people in 2018. That’s more than the entire population of the United States. The annual revenue for esports is projected to be $1.5 billion by 2020. Clearly esports and gaming is a big deal, and it’s growing. Just last year, high schools and colleges throughout the United States began introducing esports as official programs that esports athletes can “letter” in. That’s pretty amazing. Esports is also being featured on television, with the broadcast of tournaments and events. With all this interest, it’s easy to imagine that it won’t be long before esports revenues begin to rival that of some of our more traditional sports leagues, such as the NBA and NHL. For example, in 2017, the NHL took in $4 billion. Esports is already not too far behind that level. As for disruptions, it’s clear the opportunities that an esports athlete has (or will soon have) are likely to one day rival those of participants in these other, more-traditional sports. Pretty soon, the highest paid athlete in the world might not be a baseball, soccer, or football player, but a gamer. | MARCH 2019 | 81 THINK