Gaming App Loco in Content Partnership Deal with Global Esports Firm Fnatic

Gaming app Loco has announced it has signed a long-term partnership deal with global esports organisation Fnatic.

Loco is a live game streaming app, while Fnatic has created online games for over 10 years, including popular titles League of Legends, Counter-Strike, and Dota 2.

The new partnership will see Loco onboard Fnatic India's entire portfolio of games and other content - including some of the country's leading streamers and gamers, who will create exclusive content on Loco.

Other plans include the firms working together to produce tournaments and unique media, such as non-fiction shows.

Anirudh Pandita and Ashwin Suresh, founders of umbrella brand Pocket Aces, who own Loco, said: "Fnatic and Pocket Aces share a common vision of building a sustainable esports ecosystem in India. We want to provide Indian esports and gaming fans, world-class gaming entertainment across formats and this partnership will ensure that this shared vision is realised very soon. Fnatic has made a strong commitment to Indian gaming and as the home of Indian gaming, we are delighted to welcome them."

Nimish Raut of Fnatic added: "At Fnatic, we are dedicated to entertain our fans through content and new formats of gaming. We believe that esports has the potential to be the top form of entertainment in this country and these shared thoughts make Pocket Aces and Loco the perfect partner as we seek to level-up the content play in India. As a pioneer in the digital content space, Pocket Aces has a history of building entertainment channels from scratch and working with one of the best talents. We are thrilled to be working with Loco to build the future of esports and entertainment together."

No doubt helped by the lockdown, Loco claims that it has seen a surge in streamer signups which has been 50 times higher than expected.

The association between Fnatic and Loco started in April this year, with a PUBG Mobile charity tournament called #GamingForGood that witnessed a total viewership of 5.8 million and raised money for those affected by COVID-19.

This is the second big tie-up of the last week after Nazara announced it had become the major stakeholder in Halaplay on Friday.