Ohio-based esports and competitive gaming platform eFuse announced Thursday that it has entered into a strategic partnership with North American collegiate esports league, the National Esports Collegiate Conference (NECC).
Financial terms and duration of the deal were not disclosed.
Through this new partnership, the NECC will license the Collegiate Carball Association (CCA) and College CoD League (CCL) IPs from eFuse, with three unnamed members of the eFuse staff transitioning to full-time roles within the NECC to support these efforts. The NECC will handle the operational aspects of the competitions and broadcasts going forward.
For its part, eFuse will “leverage its industry connections” to secure publisher support, including covering the costs of prize pools and promotional activities. eFuse will also lead marketing efforts and sponsorship acquisition efforts, and share any revenue generated from these efforts with the NECC.
It is unclear when NECC will officially “take over” these competitions.
On licensing these competitions to NECC, eFuse CEO Matthew Benson said in a release:
“Our vision has always been to elevate collegiate esports and change lives through gaming. By combining NECC’s operational excellence with eFuse’s IP and support, we are poised to offer unprecedented opportunities to collegiate athletes and fans across North America.”
Jacob VanRyn, the commissioner and CEO of the NECC added:
“Aligning with eFuse allows us to expand our reach and significantly improve and enhance our competitive offerings for our NECC community. eFuse’s resources and expertise in community engagement and sponsorships will contribute to the continued growth of the NECC.”
The NECC, a 501(c3) charity, currently organizes competitions with more than 500 colleges and collegiate-aligned gaming clubs in North America. The organization charges an annual fee to these clubs and colleges, though it waives those fees depending on the circumstances.