Rivalry Partners With Valorant Pro Matthew ”Wardell” Yu

Canadian sports & esports betting and media company Rivalry announced Monday that it has signed a partnership deal with professional Valorant player Matthew ”Wardell” Yu.

Financial terms and duration of the deal were not disclosed.

Under the terms of this new deal, Wardell will work with Rivalry on a series of content campaigns across his social media channels including one where he will provide Valorant pro tips to fans of the game and another in which he will offer insights on the latest matchups on the pro circuit.

Rivalry said in a release that it chose Wardell because it wants to tap into his community and the Valorant community at large, which saw a “264% year-over-year increase in betting volume and was the 4th most bet-on esport on Rivalry in 2022.”

Wardell currently plays on the Valorant Challengers team The Nation, alongside Jake “Stewie2K” Yip, Braxton “Brax” Pierce, Daniel “Rossy” Abedrabbo, Tanner “TiGG” Spanu, and coach Kyle “minikerr” Ker.

Wardell joins Rivalry’s network of more than 100 gaming influencers that are part of the company’s partnership program. Rivalry most recently announced a partnership with Brazilian esports organization RED Canids in January, joining existing partners Boom Esports and the Blacklist Rivalry-joint venture with Tier One Entertainment.

Editor’s note: full disclosure – the author edits a weekly newsletter called Sharpr, which is owned by an employee of Rivalry. This article was updated with changes after publication to address how we referred to Matthew ”Wardell” Yu.