Games publisher Garena has signed a sponsorship deal with Brazilian retail giant Casas Bahia covering the rest of the 2022 season of the Brazilian Free Fire League (LBFF).
The deal will be officially announced to fans by Garena, Free Fire’s publisher, on April 16th during the finals of the tournament’s current split.
Image credit: Casas Bahia / LBFF
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After its introduction during the finals of the seventh season of the league, the Casas Bahia brand will also be featured during the Free Fire World Series (FFWS) in May and throughout the LBFF 8, which will be held in the second portion of this year.
Casas Bahia’s sponsorship comes as LBFF has expanded its reach and business model. The league had its matches cast live on Brazilian broadcast TV through the RedeTV! channel, and launched a sticker album featuring players from the league.
Additionally, the finals of the LBFF 7 on April 16th will be featured in selected Cinemark theatres in Brazil.
Casas Bahia joins the bank Santander as a sponsor of the LBFF.
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Garena’s deal with Casas Bahia was negotiated through the esports agency 3C Gaming, the same agency managing Bruno ‘Nobru’ Goes.
This is not the only move of retail chain Casas Bahia — one of the biggest in Brazil — in esports. In June 2021, the company appointed the Free Fire superstar and Esports Awards’ 2021 personality of the year Bruno “Nobru” Goes as its Creative Head of Gaming.
Shortly after, it closed deals to sponsor Nobru’s organization, Fluxo, and the Brazilian Counter-Strike Circuit (CBCS).
Esports Insider says: This deal is in tune with Casas Bahia’s goal of being popular and accessible, because that is what Free Fire and the LBFF represent in Brazil. It is also important to point out that there are two big retail companies fighting for market share in Brazil: Casas Bahia and Magalu. As Magalu expanded its reach in the esports market by buying the ecommerce KaBuM!, the parent company of KaBuM! Esports, in 2021, it was expected that Casas Bahia would respond somehow.