Iconic eyewear brand Oakley has announced a wide-ranging partnership with esports and entertainment organization, Envy Gaming. The deal represents Oakleyâs first sponsorship of an esports team and helps the brand cement itself into the ever-growing gaming space.
Envy and OpTic Gaming, which merged in late 2021, are two of the most-storied brands in esports, and a driving force in the rapid growth of fan culture around esports and gaming-as-entertainment over the last 15 years.
The teams and talent under the OpTic brands will wear Oakley Authentic Prescription during competitive play online and at major LAN events as well as outside the arena including Oakleyâs first eyeglass designed specifically for adult gamers, NXTLVL.
NXTLVL are available with the brandâs first optical solution developed specifically for gaming – Prizm⢠Gaming Lens Technology. The lenses are engineered to enhance visual contrast and provide sharp vision, featuring blue-light filtering technology without compromising on aesthetic. The unique temple architecture is crafted to provide comfortable, long-lasting fit while wearing headsets and features a larger square lens shape designed to provide an unobstructed field-of-view for a best-in-class gaming experience.
âThe world of esports is continuing to grow and Itâs key that we continue to level up our commitment to the world of gaming,â said Corey Hill, Head of Global Sports Marketing at Oakley. âNew athletes are showing up in the scene every day and we pride ourselves in making sure we provide advanced eyewear for gamers of every level. Teaming up with a partner like Envy Gaming allows Oakley to reach talent and build on our offerings in the space.â
For OpTic player Seth âScumpâ Abner, arguably the most popular Call of Duty player of all time, the deal builds on Oakleyâs commitment to partner and develop products for the worldâs best. In 2021, Oakley made a bold claim on esports by signing Scump as the brandâs first and only professional esports player to the roster of Team Oakley elite athletes that includes trailblazers Patrick Mahomes, Lamar Jackson, Derwin James, Kylian MbappĂŠ, and Olympians Mikaela Shiffrin and Chloe Kim. Scump went on to be named a Forbes 30U30 honoree and the two-time X Games gold medalist now counts more than 30 esports championships to his name.
âIâm excited to see that Oakley continues to expand and support the gaming and esports community with their recent partnership with OpTic,â said Scump.
As part of the partnership, Oakley is now a jersey sponsor for top-ranked OpTic Halo and OpTic Valorant teams, as well as OpTic Texas in the Call of Duty League.
âOakleyâs commitment to creating positive change, disruption, and the innovative spirit they bring to their products and partnerships is a great fit for what we embody,â said Adam Rymer, CEO at Envy Gaming. âAs more and more athletes, celebrities, musicians, and entertainers â look no further than Oakleyâs roster of athletes â turn to gaming as a pastime and competitive outlet, we see an endless runway of opportunities for our partnership.â
Oakley will become the exclusive eyewear partner for the OpTic brand professional players in the organization during all competitive matches and streams.