Yesterday, the popular Mexican eatery Chipotle announced a partnership with Team SoloMid (TSM)’s Fortnite division. Chipotle joins other TSM Fortnite patrons such as Geico, Gillette, and Logitech. This decision is described as a “content-focused partnership,” seemingly involving a multi-step process with surprises alongside the standard streaming exposure. In the news release, TSM CEO Andy Dinh stated:
It’s a privilege to partner with an amazing brand that’s leading my generation to better eating habits. I can’t wait to see what TSM and Chipotle can achieve together.
The members of TSM Fortnite benefiting from the partnership certainly seem to agree. In the video below, they share their affinity for the restaurant’s cuisine via a blind taste test. If nothing else, at least we now know professional Fortnite players can successfully identify corn.
The faces behind TSM Fortnite
Though TSM has been competing in other games for years now, their Fortnite team was only recently completed. On February 3, 2018, TSM revealed their final rosters of players. One team is competitive, while the other is focused on streaming and producing content. Popular streamer Ali “Myth” Kabbani leads the competitive team as their captain. He is backed by players Darryle “Hamlinz” Hamlin, “CaMiLLs,” and “Daequan.” Meanwhile, the streaming team started with “Dakotaz” and “HighDistortion.” Shane “OPscT” Turnbull joined as part of the February 3 announcement. Many of these members have routinely played and streamed together prior to joining TSM.
Each member of the competitive team is a logical choice for TSM. For most, their résumés extend beyond Fortnite and include other titles by Epic Games. For starters, Myth led Paragon leaderboards and streams, switching to Fortnite as the former fizzled out. His popularity continues to spread, and among other accomplishments, he was the first player to achieve 1,000 solo wins on PC. Meanwhile, Hamlinz is currently rank #2 for solo play in Fornite, and Daequan is the self-professed originator of the former double pump meta. CaMills rounds the team off with a history of competition in Gears of War, and he once held Fortnite’s record for longest win streak, playing alongside Dakotaz and HighDistortion.
Future challenges and opportunities
This decision comes only a few weeks before the first major Fortnite tournament, the PRO AM 2018. Scheduled for June 12, this is a special celebrity tournament which will pair a variety of popular pro gamers with pop culture icons. Among the other big names, TSM’s leader Myth will be paired with NBA star Paul George. Hopefully Myth will be able to avoid a repeat of his unfortunate loss at the Las Vegas tournament earlier this year. Despite killing popular streamer Tyler “Ninja” Blevins in one match, Myth later died from fall damage in another round. Fortunately for Chipotle, Myth and the rest of TSM are known for gracefully owning mistakes, so at least the restaurant’s brand will be represented with dignity.
It’s always exciting to see new brands venture into the esports arena, and TSM is a logical choice for a company interested in Fortnite. With the popularity of each of these players, many more eyes will be exposed to Chipotle. As for TSM, between this and their Dr. Pepper endorsement, they’ve got the fine dining corner covered. What are your thoughts on the match up? What big brand will be next to back this burgeoning battle royale?
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