SeolHaeOne Prince parent company Absolute Power eSports (APE) has entered a partnership with North American organisation Pittsburgh Knights.
The multi-year deal will see Pittsburgh Knights and APE “establish operations in South Korea and United States,” with the teams looking to acquire a spot in the new LCK.
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APE aims to execute its global expansion strategies, including “global marketing and sales, tournaments and events, online and offline fan engagement activities, and celebrity marketing.”
OJ Kim, Owner of Absolute Power eSports, discussed the agreement in a release: “I believe the future of LCK and APE lies in globalization, and our partnership with the Pittsburgh Knights is the first step in the right direction. The Knights can help us to connect to the vast pool of extensive knowledge and experience in both esports and traditional sports with the Pittsburgh Steelers and other relevant sports-industry stakeholders.
“We will continue to grow our synergy from the partnership through joint development of global sponsorships, and we will show you the esports team that continues to grow together with LCK.”
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Should SeolHaeOne Prince end up being one of the teams to enter a long-term partnership with Riot Games for the LCK, Pittsburgh Knights would look to increase its investment in years to come.
James O’Connor, President of Pittsburgh Knights, also spoke on the deal: “On behalf of our investment group and our team, we are excited to complete the strategic partnership and shareholder participation agreement with APE. We would like to express our sincere enthusiasm for the LCK and its global expansion. The Knights have wanted to participate in the LCK from the moment we launched, and this partnership between APE and the Knights will serve as a best practice example of global strategic partnerships.
“We will do our best to help the league by sharing the methodologies we’ve adopted with the LCK and APE. Our goals are for the Knights to become actively involved in Korea’s champion-making esports ecosystem, and ultimately to share the intensity, excitement, and culture of APE and the LCK with North and South American audiences. We are committed to giving our full support, now and with future opportunities.”
Esports Insider says: After expressing its intent to join the league earlier in the year, Pittsburgh Knights’ move here is interesting – to say the least. Considering its traditional sports and music industry links, we do not doubt that they will be utilised massively when promoting SeolHaeOne Prince in the West.