Major polluters target esports industry with advertising deals, report finds | Fossil Fuels

A study has found that oil companies, petrostates, airlines and car manufacturers are among the major polluters bombarding the esports industry with ads.

Esports, short for electronic sports, are competitive video games watched by spectators. Multiplayer games such as League of Legends and Defense of the Ancients 2 attract millions of viewers.

Action group Badvertising counted at least 33 large-scale deals that CO2-intensive companies have concluded with the flourishing sector since 2017.

Most of the deals the researchers found were with automakers. Another five were with fossil fuel companies, three with airlines, two with petrostates and two with the U.S. military.

“Our research shows that polluting companies facing increasing pressure to divest from fossil fuels are doubling down on their esports sponsorships to maintain influence,” said Andrew Simms, co-founder of Badvertising.

The inaugural Esports World Cup wraps up Saturday in Saudi Arabia. The oil-rich kingdom will host the first esports Olympics next year, the International Olympic Committee announced last month.

Simms said it would be “game over” for the industry if such events were used to make polluters more acceptable.

Climate-damaging companies have long sought to improve their public image by sponsoring sporting events. They are now also looking to the fast-growing esports industry, which has an estimated half-billion viewers and is particularly popular among young people.

Simms compared the companies and governments to “griefers” — players who go out of their way to harm others — and their sponsorship of esports to “cheesing,” a way of abusing the mechanics of a game that almost resembles cheating.

Oil company Shell has come under fire from climate activists for teaming up with gamers playing Fortnite, one of the world’s most popular video games, to promote its “ultimate road trip” campaign.

The campaign is based around a virtual Shell island and features statements such as “Fill up at Shell with Shell V-Power NiTRO+ premium petrol and feel your engine roar” and “Share your coolest screenshots with #ShellRoadTrips and get featured by your favourite gamers”.

Saudi Arabia launched the Saudi Esports Federation with sponsorship from national oil company Aramco. The United Arab Emirates and Qatar followed suit with the Dubai esports and gaming festival and a partnership between Qatar’s Quest Esports and French football club Paris Saint-Germain, sponsored by state-owned Qatar Airways.

Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman said last year that he was unfazed by accusations that he was “covering up” human rights abuses in his country by investing in sports.

“If sports washing is going to increase my GDP by 1%, then I will continue sports washing,” Prince Mohammed told Fox News.

According to research by audience analytics firm Nielsen, brand sponsorship of sporting events is one of the most trusted advertising channels, even surpassing television, social media and influencer advertising.

In June, UN Secretary-General António Guterres criticized the fossil fuel industry’s disinformation campaigns and called for a ban on their advertising.