German esports and gaming marketing agency Freaks 4U Gaming announced Thursday that Hamburg, Germany based insurance group HanseMerkur will serve as the official naming partner for the VALORANT Challengers DACH. HanseMerkur, who has been a supporter of the VALORANT League and the DACH scene since 2020, has renewed and expanded its commitment to this esports scene for another year.
Financial terms of this partnership were not disclosed.
Under the terms of this new deal, the league operated by Freaks 4U has been renamed to “HanseMerkur Challengers DACH: Evolution.”
“Esports has experienced an impressive boom in recent years with its young target audience. As a long-time partner of the innovative VALORANT community, we are convinced that this trend will continue in the future and want to set a sign of continuity and reliability with the expansion of our sponsorship,” said Board Member of Sales and Marketing Eric Bussert, in a release.
HanseMerkur will also help with the organization of the league and provide giveaways for the community. In addition, the company’s logo will continue to be visible across the league’s social media channels and during live streams, and this year will have a sponsored “HanseMerkur Instant Replay” segment. Competitions in the HanseMerkur Challengers DACH: Evolution begin on Feb. 10th.
This news follows an announcement on Jan. 31 that India-based esports and gaming company NODWIN Gaming would make an equity investment of €8M EUR ($8.67M USD), and take a 13.51% stake in the Freaks 4U. That investment includes a previously announced loan agreement (now converted into equity) of €3.6M ($3.9M) and the purchase of additional Freaks 4U shares with a contribution of €4.4M ($4.77M).