The following is our list of teams we think that Fnatic will be gunning for;
1. Team Malaysia
Team Malaysia is the only team without a sponsor that has been guaranteed a spot at The International 5. While they may not have the best results in the global scene, they are undoubtedly the kings of South East Asia and has been dominant in the region since the team was formed two months ago.
Why should Fnatic sponsor:
- Team Malaysia has been guaranteed a spot at The International 5. The Fnatic brand will be represented on a global stage.
- Team Malaysia members outside of Mushi do not stream their games at all. The acquisition of Team Malaysia will give Twitch, one of Fnatic's core sponsors, four more pro players streaming exclusively on their services.
- Increase their brand image in South East Asia. Fnatic has not return to South East Asia after they stopped sponsoring Indonesian DotA team in 2009.
- Secure three very big names in the Dota 2 scene (Mushi, Ohaiyo, and Kyxy).
- A possible payout assuming Team Malaysia cashes at The International.
Complications:
- Fnatic prides itself on roster stability. It is unknown if the core players of the team will leave for China again after The International 5.
- Team Malaysia players except Mushi do not have a huge presence on social media, especially Twitter. They only use Facebook.
- Considering Mushi is signed under Douyu.tv, this exclusivity could lead to further complications with one of Fnatic's core sponsor Twitch. While Fnatic may want Team Malaysia, it is unknown if Twitch would allow Fnatic's team members to stream on a competitor service. Especially when it comes to Mushi.
2. Burden United
Formed on late February, Burden United has already made waves in the European scene winning first in Hitbox EU Championship and also finishing third in Dota 2 Champions League #5. On top of having decent results, Burden United is also made up some of the most colourful people in the scene.
Why should Fnatic sponsor:
- One of the up-and-coming teams in Europe.
- Have very colourful personalities like SingSing who will gain a lot of attention.
- SingSing and ComeWithMe are very active streamers on Twitch. Considering that Youtube will be kicking off their esports livestreaming service soon, Twitch would secure SingSing and ComeWithMe's exclusivity under Fnatic.
- At the time of writing, SingSing has 105k Twitter followers while ComeWithMe and Sockshka has approximately 10,000 followers. Numbers are important in securing a higher payout from sponsorships.
- Playing in The International 5 European qualifier.
Complications:
- The International 5 European qualifier is rather stacked and it is hard to finish top two. This means there is a possibility the Fnatic brand will not be represented at The International 5.
- It is unknown if the team will stay together after The International 5 qualifier or The International 5. The players on the team tend to change teams according to past records.
- SingSing and ComeWithMe's tendency to say inappropriate stuff on social media or at an interview.
- Team potential is also unknown
3. Rave
Having gone a year without a sponsor, it could be about time Rave finally could secure one. Undoubtedly the best performing team in South East Asia in the past year, Rave has appeared in many international tournaments and finished well in majority of them. The team also has a fanatic following worldwide.
Why should Fnatic sponsor:
- One of the top teams in South East Asia and is widely considered the favourite to win The International 5 SEA qualifier.
- Have high rankings in previous tournaments such as Dota 2 Asian Championship for Fnatic to present to the sponsors.
- Massive fanbase who are very vocal worldwide.
- Similar to Team Malaysia, sponsoring Rave could increase Fnatic's brand awareness in the South East Asian region. Rave has a huge social media following on both Facebook that are pre-dominantly the South East Asian community.
- Stable roster considering they have not made a player switch for more than a year now.
- The level of commitment is high in the team considering that they were willing to take the big risk to play in South Korea without any sponsors.
- At the moment, Rave players Cast and Jeyo do stream on Twitch but only sporadically. Securing Rave would increase Fnatic's value for Twitch considering they would have to stream more on Twitch.
Complications:
- Regardless that they are the favourite, Rave could potentially lose in the qualifier and not make it to The International 5. Assuming this is the case, Fnatic brand will have no representative at The International 5.
- Consist of three players with passport from the Philippines. Obtaining visas to travel overseas may be an ongoing issue for these three members.
- Apart from Jeyo, the other team members of Rave do not have much experience promoting sponsors (could be fixed).
These are who we think Fnatic is likely to sponsor. Did we miss anyone? Tell us what you think below!
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