Global esports brand Fnatic has launched a college partner programme – with Croydon College being one of the first in the country to take up the opportunity.
Take your marks. Get set. Study!: Croydon College gets a BTEC in esports underway this autumn
The course is going live in September, where Fnatic will be providing real-world industry insight and expertise for students studying the Pearson Esports BTEC course.
Esports is the term used for organised, competitive video gaming. Esports often takes the form of multiplayer competitions, now often involving professional players, individually or as teams. Esports has quickly become a significant factor in the video game industry, with many game developers actively designing and providing funding for tournaments and other events. There’s even talk of including esports in the Olympics, possibly as soon as 2028, when the Games are being held in Los Angeles.
Esports centre: Croydon College
Esports is booming – with global revenue in 2021 more than $1billion, expected to grow to $1.6billion by 2024. Viewership is growing year-on-year, with an estimated 234million esports enthusiasts globally, and the most-watched event having 5.4million viewers globally. By 2024, the total combined tournament winnings of the leading players is expected to be in excess of $500million.
And now, there’s to be a college course covering most aspects of this burgeoning industry, catering for young people investigating gaming careers – either playing professionally, designing and creating, reporting on, organising events, or in marketing and commercial.
Fnatic’s partnership with Croydon College will offer bespoke lectures, networking events and interactive learning, as well the chance to meet and learn from people already in the industry.
Fnatic has created the programme to ensure the course is widely available to those hoping to break into the industry. From producing an esports brand to managing tournaments, Fnatic’s objective is to provide students with direct access to a real-world gaming brand.
Fnatic employs more than 100 staff in offices around the globe, in Shenzhen, China, Berlin, Kuala Lumpur, Belgrade, Taipai and with its headquarters in Shoreditch. Founded in 2004 by Sam Mathews, Fnatic says that their teams have claimed more than 200 championships across 30 different games, making them one of the most successful esports brands of all time.
Fanatic: Sam Matthews, Fnatic’s CEO
Matthews said: “We are super passionate about bringing new talent into our world and this college partnership is our way of onboarding the next generation of gamers, whilst giving back to the community.
“We’re so appreciative of the college partners who share our vision in supporting the development of these upcoming esports hopefuls.”
For more details on the college courses, click here.
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This could be the future for Croydon – intellectually challenging work with great prospects. Looks a bit sedentary to be called a ‘sport’ but, hey, that’s Croydon today