Royals announce gaming partnership with KC’s premier esports org: We share the same DNA
March 27, 2023 | Startland News Staff
The Kansas City Royals on Monday announced a partnership with one of the fastest-growing esports organizations in North America: the Kansas City Pioneers.
Among the first partnerships of its kind in the MLB, the move represents an opportunity to connect two passionate fan bases — baseball fans and fans of gaming, the Royals said in a partnership announcement.
“We share a lot of the same DNA. A love of competition. A love of our city. And a genuine passion for bringing innovative experiences to our fans,” said Tony Snethen, vice president of brand innovation for the Royals, ahead of the team’s March 30 opening day.
The Pioneers — one of Startland News’ Kansas City Startups to Watch in 2023 — is an entertainment, media and gaming organization. Its players compete in top-tier esports at professional levels in Rocket League, Apex Legends, eNASCAR iRacing with content creators in dozens of other titles.
Click here to learn more about the Kansas City Pioneers.
Members of the KC Pioneers during an April 2022 Pioneers bootcamp at Kauffman Stadium
Mark Josey, Kansas City Pioneers
Last season, the Royals and Pioneers hosted an event at Kauffman Stadium where some of the best esports teams in the world came together to prep for the HALO Championship Series Tournament that took place in Kansas City, according to the Royals. At the time, it was one of the first partnerships between an MLB team and an esports team.
This season, the Royals and the Pioneers will look to build on the success with a Gamer Night activation at the K, Community initiatives, and more, added Mark Josey, CEO of the KC Pioneers.
”Partnering on world-class events, like we did last season, that really connect new experiences to fans of traditional sports and gaming here in the Midwest is very exciting,” said Josey. “Merging new and existing audiences in engaging ways, whether through interacting with streaming content and events or sitting on the first base line, that is truly the future, and we could not be happier to partner with the Royals to help lead the way and cheer us on as the home team.”
Click here to follow the Kansas City Pioneers on Instagram.
Featured Business
2023 Startups to Watch
stats here
Related Posts on Startland News
Aussie tech company with KC HQ closes $112M round to scale its global expansion, AI innovation
As global technology company SafetyCulture closes another massive funding round, Kansas City — its largest market and biggest opportunity — stands primed for continued investment at the firm’s U.S. headquarters in the Crossroads Arts District. SafetyCulture on Tuesday announced a $112 million round — which values the Sydney, Australia-based workforce operations company at $1.7 billion —…
MyAnIML earns NSF funding, patent; now facing new phase of growth with industry validation
Thanks to a recent federal grant — along with a newly secured patent on its first-of-its-kind, proprietary facial recognition tech for cows — MyAnIML is proving its place as a leader within a herd of ag innovation, Shekhar Gupta said. The Overland Park startup received a 250,000 Phase I grant from the National Science Foundation…
M25 rankings: Startup hubs are slowing; why KC could be losing ground to Midwest neighbors
Kansas City’s startup scene is walking a fine line between flat and stagnant, said Victor Gutwein, teasing caution and other insights into KC’s No. 11 ranking — a position it’s held since 2022 — on M25’s latest Midwest startup cities list. “We’re seeing fewer startups (registered in our datasource Pitchbook) than we used to in Kansas…
Kansas City entrepreneurs chosen for startup competition focused on health tech
WICHITA — Health innovation is a global priority, said organizers of the latest NXTSTAGE cohort, announcing nearly a dozen finalists and solutions hailing from Kansas City to France. Ten companies were selected for the 2024 NXTSTAGE Community Health and Vibrancy Pilot Competition, presented by Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas (BCBSKS). Finalists include startups working to…