Borussia Dortmund expands esports presence

German football club Borussia Dortmund has announced a partnership with esports platform Braune Digital, as part of a broadening of its presence in the esports industry.

Borussia Dortmund and Braune are working together on a platform that allows Dortmund fans to compete and win prizes in esports, initially starting with FIFA video games.

Braune Digital provides esports tournament and platform solutions for clients. The company is best-known for its work with game developer Electronic Arts (EA) on FIFA. Braune made the custom-made game covers for the FIFA game series, and is also behind ETHLETE, an esports tournament platform used by FIFA itself.

The partnership with Borussia Dortmund marks the next step for one of the best-performing football clubs in Germany. As a part of the partnership, Dortmund fans will be able to participate in tournaments on the ETHLETE platform and compete in special cups designed by the club itself.

The fist competition, called the SIGNAL IDUNA eFootball Cup, finished in April 2023. A second tournament series, called the Black Yellow FIFA23 Clash, is underway and will be a staple on the platform.

Borussia Dortmund has taken a cautious attempt at entering esports, first creating a roster for the Virtual Bundesliga Home Challenge. According to the club, its aim is to focus more on entertainment and less on professional competitive structures.

The club experienced growth on its official Twitch channel, and says the partnership with Braune is a way of further reaching out to younger audiences.

Alexander Mühl, Director Marketing & Digitalization BVB, said: “Braune Digital works agile, with a great focus on user experience and technologically advanced. The short timeframe from concept to go-live of the platform is impressive. I really like that Braune Digital works like a part of the BVB team.”