Crunchyroll Partners with Esports World Cup 2025

• Crunchyroll partners with EWC 2025, hosting anime booths and giveaways in Riyadh.

• Exclusive activations include Gachiakuta previews, Kaiju No. 8 game demos, and trivia nights.

• Partnership expands Crunchyroll’s esports presence after past collabs with EVO, TSM, and Team Liquid.

Crunchyroll has announced a strategic activation partnership with the Esports World Cup (EWC), scheduled for July 8 to August 24, 2025, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The anime streaming service will operate booths and offer merchandise giveaways during the massive four-week-long esports event.

Crunchyroll plans to offer photo opportunities in the EWC, highlighting its upcoming anime Gachiakuta, as well as a game centered on Kaiju No. 8. There will be anime trivia sessions in the evenings for in-person attendees, where collectibles, including merchandise from Demon Slayer and One Piece, will be up for grabs.

This collaboration follows Crunchyroll’s prior esports-related partnerships, including event sponsorships with EVO in 2023 and merchandise drops with esports organizations like Team Liquid and TSM. The partnerships are part of Crunchyroll's expansion into competitive gaming and expanding its reach outside traditional streaming platforms.

EWC offers a $70 million prize pool spread across 25 different games. The event expects to attract large audiences both in-person and online. This means rather than spreading advertising dollars across multiple smaller campaigns, Crunchyroll can make a big splash at one major event.

The Saudi Arabian location is particularly interesting. The kingdom has been aggressively investing in entertainment infrastructure as part of its Vision 2030 economic diversification plan. Getting in early on this market could pay dividends as the region's entertainment spending grows.

The EWC, administered by the Esports World Cup Foundation and backed by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, is expanding its scale in 2025. Along with the prize pool, it has secured major partners across gaming, music, culture, and even traditional sports. Currently, EWC partners include stc Group, Post Malone, DJ Alesso, and have appointed Cristiano Ronaldo as a global ambassador.

The Saudi Arabian location is particularly interesting. The kingdom has been aggressively investing in entertainment infrastructure as part of its Vision 2030 economic diversification plan. Getting in early on this market could pay dividends as the region's entertainment spending grows.

The EWC, administered by the Esports World Cup Foundation and backed by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, is expanding its scale in 2025. Along with the prize pool, it has secured major partners across gaming, music, culture, and even traditional sports. Currently, EWC partners include stc Group, Post Malone, DJ Alesso, and have appointed Cristiano Ronaldo as a global ambassador.

From an operational perspective, Crunchyroll’s deployment of booth activations and branded giveaways presents measurable ROI opportunities through impressions, on-site engagements, and social media amplification. Foot traffic, dwell time, and user-generated content frequency will be key metrics to quantify the partnership’s immediate and long-term impact.

All things considered, Crunchyroll’s partnership with the EWC represents a strategic bid to converge the anime and esports markets through experiential marketing and IP-driven content. The move amplifies Crunchyroll’s brand presence in a high-profile, globally streamed event. Long-term success will hinge on the effective translation of on-site interactions into broader subscriber acquisition and merch sales.