Zenni teams up with fighting game event Evo

American prescription glasses and sunglasses retailer Zenni Optical has been named the official eyewear partner of fighting game event Evo.

The partnership will see Evo and Zenni collaborate on a new series of custom merchandise which will be sold at its Las Vegas event and on the Zenni website.

Evo 2024 is being held at the Las Vegas Convention Center from July 19th – 21st and is set to feature a range of FGC esports tournaments. This includes competitions for Street Fighter 8, Mortal Kombat 1 and TEKKEN 8. From April 27th – 29th, Evo will also host its Japan event.

The announcement on Evo’s website states that it hopes the partnership with Zenni will help ‘educate the FGC about the importance of eye health’.

This is not the first time that Evo has secured a partnership with a mainstream American company. Last year, Evo partnered with fast food chain Chipotle which saw the company become the presenting partner for Evo 2023 and, after a successful event, Evo 2024.

Evo has previously secured other sponsors of a similar vein, including Bud Light NEXT, Crunchyroll and AT&T.

Founded in 2003, Zenni is no stranger to esports. The company is the ‘official eyewear’ of esports organisations Ghost Gaming and TSM and has teamed up with American sports teams such as the San Francisco 49ers, Boston Celtics and Chicago Bulls.

Rick Thiher, General Manager of Evo, commented: “Evo is thrilled to welcome Zenni Optical as our Official Eyewear Partner.

“Zenni’s mission of providing affordable eyewear coupled with their innovative technology like the Blokz+ Tints blue light protection will help Evo’s players get one step closer to the perfect matches they’re fighting for.”

Launched in 2002, Evo has grown into the largest fighting game tournament in the world. Evo 2023, in particular, recorded an 81% increase in total competitors compared to 2022.