When Overwatch’s “Play Like Luka” event went live on Aug. 26, Luka Dončić became the first sports star to make a deal with Blizzard Entertainment for its 5-on-5 team shooter. He had a hand in designing a hero build for Season 18, along with being featured in a slew of themed items in the game.
But that deal happened so fast that Blizzard Entertainment CMO Monica Austin said the company wasn’t able to create themed merchandise, such as apparel, for it as well.
“I would’ve loved there to be [licensed Dončić Overwatch merchandise],” Austin said. “We moved so quickly, we did not have a chance to do any drops. … We’re talking about days and weeks as opposed to months, as these things typically take [to come together.]”
It’s an opportunity Blizzard could always re-engage with in the future. As for working more with star athletes, Austin emphasized the importance of it being a natural fit. “It’s really got to be something authentic and organic. It makes sense for players as well.”
The Dončić promotion was such a natural fit because he’s a big fan of the game, once ranking in the Top 500 among tank players in North America. With so many of today’s athletes growing up with video games — they play on the road, bringing consoles or laptops with them or pluggin’ away at their phones — we’re bound to see more high-profile tie-ups such as this in the future from other publishers and studios.
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‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.sportsbusinessjournal.com ’
