Cloud9 is a populareSportsorganization, boasting high-level professional teams in a number of different competitive games. Some of its notable teams play competitively in titles such asOverwatch,League of Legends, andCounter-Strike: Global Offensive. With numerous highly skilled players associated with the organization, it’s unsurprising that many gamers follow these Cloud9 affiliated teams. Recently, the organization announced a new partnership that gives players the chance to pick up some new exclusive gear.
In a post on Twitter, Cloud9 announced that it was collaborating with thepopular media franchiseThe Smurfs. “You probably weren’t expecting something like this, but we definitely smurfed with this collab,” the tweet said. In addition to posting an announcement message, Cloud9 released a video on Twitter celebrating the collaboration. In the clip, two players were losing in a competitive game. Suddenly, one of the gamers came up with the brilliant idea of inviting his friend, “a Smurf.” The video went on to reveal the Gamer Smurf, the main character featured throughout much of the gear in the collab.
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This partnership brings a lot of new merchandise based onThe Smurfsto Cloud9. AmongThe Smurfs-themed gear, fans can buy various hoodies, t-shirts, and hats. These specially designed team wear include the classic colors associated with the popular franchise, along with pictures of the Gamer Smurf and/or the word “smurfing.” There is even an exclusiveThe Smurfsx Cloud9 PUMA jersey available for purchase.
While this new exclusive Cloud9 line of gear contains many different articles of clothing, there are also some other products included. Gamers can pick up a couple ofThe Smurfs-themed mousepads, as well as a velcro patch with a picture of the Gamer Smurf. In addition, there are exclusive stickers available.
Despite seeming like an unexpected partnership, this deal between the groups makes some sense. In addition to being the names of popular television/movie characters, the word “smurf” also has several connections to video games. While the term can be used negatively when a skilled gamer creates an alternate account to beat lower-ranked players, it also has a more positive use in theworld of professional esports. According to this second definition, it means when a team convincingly beats another high-level team.
This isn’t the only eSports organization to recently announce a collaboration with a popular media franchise. Last month, Team Liquid, a rival of Cloud9, announced acollaboration with theNarutoseries. This partnership brought exclusive new merchandise to the organization based on the popular franchise
It’s always interesting to see what type of collaborations top-levelesportsorganizations get involved in to encourage fans to buy their merchandise. With Cloud9’s new line ofThe Smurfsproducts available, it will be interesting to see if other organizations answer with their own exclusive partnerships.
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