Serie A football club AC Milan have officially entered the esports industry through a partnership with Italian organization QLASH.
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As expected, the club will initially compete in EA SPORTS’ FIFA — however, they will also field competitors in mobile game Brawl Stars for the World Finals later in November.
The team will be named AC MILAN QLASH for the foreseeable future, showing that this is a joint venture for both companies rather than a takeover or acquisition.
FIFA fans will be able to watch the Serie A giants compete in the esports equivalent of their domestic competition, titled eSerie A TIM, as well as in the wider FIFA Global Series.
Interestingly, Inter Milan entered esports in February 2020 through a very similar deal with QLASH. The partnership saw the co-branded team compete in both FIFA and eFootball PES.
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This isn’t a complete merger between AC Milan and QLASH. The Italian organization also houses teams outside of FIFA and Brawl Stars, including Fortnite and StarCraft II. Earlier this year, they exited both Call of Duty and League of Legends.
Beyond a partnership that sees QLASH’s players in FIFA and Brawl Stars represent AC Milan, terms of the agreement between the two parties have not been disclosed at the time of publication.
We can't wait to turn the Esports world Rossonero: we're #ReadyToQLASH ➡️ https://t.co/YNJbMsBJ83 🔴⚫ @TeamQLASH #SempreMilan pic.twitter.com/b5aT5gN3is
— AC Milan (@acmilan) November 2, 2020
“We’re happy to announce this brand-new partnership with QLASH, said Casper Stylsvig, AC Milan’s chief revenue officer. “This agreement is another important step in our Club’s modernization and innovation path.
“We are sure it will be an exciting and incredible experience, both for us and for our fans around the world, and we’re delighted to be embarking on this new adventure in the world of Esports in partnership with a leading company like QLASH.”
