ESL FACEIT Group partners with Kick for DreamHack activations

Esports tournament organiser ESL FACEIT Group has partnered with streaming platform Kick for its DreamHack series of gaming and esports events.

The one-year deal will Kick host in-person and on-site activations during DreamHack Melbourne, Dallas, Atlanta, and Stockholm which will focus on streamers and creators.

DreamHack is one of the oldest gaming and esports event companies in the space, known for its large LAN parties and festival atmosphere. The brand is owned by ESL FACEIT Group and organises events all around the world. For 2024, there are several events planned, with DreamHack Melbourne being the first one in late April.

The partnership with Kick will allow the streaming platform to “create opportunities for much-needed face time between the platform and its creators”, according to the company. On-site, Kick content creators will socialise with fans through meet and greets, panel discussions, and booth competitions where fans can earn rewards.

This partnership also marks the first-ever time that Kick is organising similar activations in person. Interestingly, DreamHack Summer, set to take place in Sweden in June 2024, has not been listed as part of this partnership, but the remaining four DreamHack events are.

Akhil Sarin, the Chief Marketing Officer at Kick, commented: “Kick is a creator-first platform, making it natural for us to team up with the DreamHack experience in four major cities worldwide. The Kick team thanks ESL/EFG for recognizing us as a brand that strives to lead the live-streaming industry. Together, in 2024, DreamHack and Kick will create unforgettable IRL experiences that will last a lifetime”.

Streaming platform Kick is one of the main competitors of Twitch and YouTube Gaming, known for being backed by Stake.com co-owners. Kick did however come under fire from critics in 2023 for being too open to gambling and encouraging said behaviour.