Esports is a rapidly growing sports industry boasting 500 million passionate fans and even more active players worldwide.
With over 3 billion gamers worldwide, esports is expected to experience significant growth in the coming years. As a result, companies are increasingly turning to esports sponsorships to strengthen their brand and reputation for the next generation.
Esports fans are overwhelmingly young, which makes them especially vulnerable to misleading information and greenwashing by polluting companies.
Shell’s Shame
Concerns around esportswashing first emerged in 2023, when fossil fuel giant Shell partnered with Fortnite, one of the world’s most popular online games with a very young player base, to promote its new V-Power® NiTRO+ premium gasoline.
Players were invited to explore a Shell-branded island where they could refuel their virtual vehicles at an interactive Shell gas station and were encouraged to post screenshots online with the hashtag “#Shellroadtrips.”
Fortnite’s audience is significantly younger than other popular esports games, with about 53% of players between the ages of 10 and 25. This is a climate similar to that in which children were exploited and exposed to tobacco advertising and sponsorship.
eSports Washing
Now, carbon-intensive businesses such as fossil fuel companies, as well as oil-producing nations such as Qatar and Saudi Arabia, are increasingly turning to sport as a way to divert attention from environmentally and socially harmful practices.
As the public demands greater commitment to tackling climate change, sport has proven an effective vehicle for boosting reputation, gaining influence and promoting misleading environmental claims.
Ending this habit requires tobacco-like regulation of the promotion of high-carbon products and lifestyles.
Big oil companies, from Shell to BP, have stepped up their stance in recent months, backtracking on climate change pledges and signaling to investors that they are prioritizing their core business of extracting and selling fossil fuels.
Cheating and Griefing
Oil-producing countries are also showing no signs of aligning with climate goals, and some are eager to use their status as hosts of climate talks to grab more business. In gaming terms, this might be “camping” – maintaining a static position to gain an advantage.
Applying old techniques like sponsorship to a new market like esports can be an example of “craft.”
The act of sponsorship itself – putting your name and brand on a popular activity loved by millions and profiting from that association – is classic “cheesing” even if your product is a threat to the target fans and athletes.
Finally, polluters sponsoring esports is the most serious case of “griefing” imaginable, because the sponsors are ruining the game for everyone, not just now, but forever. That’s why all sports, including esports, need to quit dirty sponsors and stop promoting pollution.
This author
Andrew Sims: New Weather InstituteAssistant Director Scientists with global responsibilityCo-founder of Malicious advertising campaigns,coordinator Rapid Transition Allianceauthor of The New Green Economy and co-author of The Green New Deal. X: Follow Or Mastodon: @andrewsimms@indieweb.social.
