European esports organisation Fnatic has announced a partnership with the New York Institute of Technology (New York Tech).
According to the release, the collaboration will see both parties work together on research regarding esports performance wear.
Image credit: Fnatic / New York Tech
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New York Tech’s Center for Esports Medicine will work with Fnatic’s Performance Unit to research the benefits of upper and lower body compression sleeves for esports athletes. The cooperation will result in two studies; one for upper, and one for lower body research. The study is expected to last for six months.
Fnatic’s High Performance Unit was first launched in December 2020 and is dedicated to improving different aspects of elite gaming within the organisation. The main goal of the project is to improve Fnatic players by making marginal performance gains and improving results.
The first study, focusing on the upper body, will explore whether upper body compression sleeves positively increase the longevity of performance and improve recovery rates at esports players. The lower-body study will focus on whether the sleeves help to enhance blood flow and reduce the risk of lower body health risks for pro players.
Jens Hofer, Director of Fnatic’s High Performance Unit, commented: “At Fnatic, we’re dedicated to pushing the boundaries of esports performance to make marginal gains in the gaming arena. One way in which we are looking to improve performance is by conducting relevant research that can then be used to inform our decision-making.
“This particular collaboration with the New York Institute of Technology, a university that is pioneering esports and gaming-related research, will help us better understand the benefits of compression sleeves and in turn, use these insights to inform how to use the technology and develop our own products in the future.”
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New York Tech has a dedicated esports programme and offers different esports-based career paths. New York Tech also has its own esports team and a dedicated Center for Esports Medicine.
Esports Insider says: We’ve seen pro gamers wear sleeves that are supposed to help recovery and boost performance. The research Fnatic and New York Tech will undertake in the next six months will provide more evidence to support those claims and potentially enhance esports performance wear.