American esports organization, Version1, has partnered with the food brand, Pagoda Snacks, to generate exclusive Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II content in anticipation of the game’s release on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC on October 28.
Speaking on the partnership agreement, Blaise Butler, Partnerships Manager at Version1, had this to say: “The sheer volume of online discussion about Call of Duty games in the period before and after launch is nothing short of remarkable.
“If you look at the landscape of the gaming industry, large companies frequently try to insert themselves into milestone events like these, but they end up falling short because they aren’t actually providing anything of value to the audiences they’re trying to reach. The content portfolio we’re developing with Pagoda® Snacks around Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II is being carefully designed to make sure we are adding value to the community.”
As part of this agreement, Pagoda will be providing sponsorship for the livestreams of three Version1 content creators: Krissy, Almond, and Nosyy. In addition, Pagoda branding and promotional content will be displayed on their social media channels and throughout the streams themselves.
“Version1 has an engaged fanbase that is passionate about gaming,” says Sophie Kohl, Senior Marketing Associate at Schwan’s Consumer Brands, Inc., the owner of Pagoda Snacks “We want to authentically connect with Version1 fans and show them that our egg rolls make a great snack for gaming. By partnering with Version1, we’re able to spread the word about Pagoda in a way that resonates with this fanbase.”
The food brand enters into its first cooperation with an esports organization with the signing of this arrangement. Although, Pagoda Snacks has worked in the past to advertise its snacks on Twitch by forming partnerships with streamers. The brand has also carried out snack activations on the TikTok platform. It also has a Twitter account, which posts a lot of tweets about games and engages in conversation with gamers. Also, egg roll snacks have been handed off to fans in the past as part of Pagoda promotions at various times.
“Pagoda® Snacks has seen a ton of success when we double down on gaming. In 2021, Pagoda® Snacks received an Online Media and Marketing Advertising Award for partnering with Twitch gaming streamers to execute egg roll snack drops mid-stream. Pagoda® Snacks was named a Top 12 TikTok Partner after challenging TikTok creators to ‘Put The Egg Rolls In’ their own video concepts, and won an Effie Gold Award for media content partnerships,” says Kohl.
Version1 is not a newcomer when it comes to culinary partnerships. At the beginning of this month, Bush’s Beans entered into a sponsorship agreement with Version1. As a result of this partnership, Version1 will be going to host a college Rocket League tournament in September, with the proceeds going to the GENYOUth organization, which assists young people who are at risk of going hungry. In preparation for Version1 Rocket League‘s final push into the season playoffs, Midwest Dairy became the Official Nutrition Partner of the squad throughout the summer.
Due to the obvious tremendous financial success of 2019’s Modern Warfare reboot and accompanying Warzone free-to-play game, the next instalment in the Call of Duty series, titled Modern Warfare II, is one of the most anticipated games coming out in 2022. Not only does the release of Modern Warfare II guarantee a new game for the CDL, but it also promises that Warzone will receive major modifications around the same time that Modern Warfare II will be released.