A Spanish eSports team will be the first pro-gaming group sponsored by a porn site; what this means is still unknown. What is known is that the eSports club known as Play2Win will be forming Team YP to take part in Dota 2 competitions, taking on the initials of its new sponsor.
The team is relatively new and is preparing to compete in the Gamergy Dota 2 tournament in Madrid, Spain this weekend. None of the members of the team are particularly noteworthy, and the sponsorship appears to be a small time deal to get exposure in the increasingly lucrative eSports scene. Currently the team comprises Ragabash, LoLQoP, SolmyR, Lawliet_91, and Mengue.
It is unknown if sponsorship from a company specialising in pornography will affect the team. Many pro-gaming tournaments do not allow banners bearing this kind of content to appear. Riot Games, developer of League of Legends, actively prevents teams bearing questionable sponsorship from participating in the professional leagues. Admittedly, Team YP does not actually wear anything indicating that they are getting money from pornographu, but the connection alone could be enough to keep them out of quite a few competitions.
More companies are seeing eSports as a way to reach out to a younger audience and sponsorship for teams has increased substantially. Samsung alone had two teams in the recent League of Legends World Championship held in South Korea. Prize money has similarly increased tremendously, with top teams now competing to win prize money in the millions.
[Source: Play2Win]
