Six months after the launch of AC Sailing, the America’s Cup e-Series reached its crescendo. The Grand Final took place at the heart of the America’s Cup Race Village in Barcelona, bringing together eight elite players from seven countries in a head-to-head battle for the first-ever e-Series championship title and a share of the 50,000 euro prize pool.
The success of the inaugural season was significant: over 100,000 game downloads, 1.25 million tournament views, more than 877 million media impressions, and an audience community where 65 percent of followers were under 44. The Grand Final itself drew over 2,000 attendees to a live show that blended virtual racing with live entertainment, light shows and a closing DJ set.
In an unprecedented move, the top two finalists, champion eSailingCentral and runner-up Booshify, embarked on the ‘Gamer to Sailor’ experience: three days of intensive simulator and on-water training under the guidance of Emirates Team New Zealand, culminating in a real race aboard an AC40 against a UniCredit Youth America’s Cup team.
TEAMMATE conceived, designed and executed the full e-Series programme alongside agencies Experientia and Burson, from the esports league architecture to the Grand Final show event in Barcelona. The project was a full expression of the Think-Build-Grow model: a bold strategic concept translated into a complete phygital event ecosystem, and amplified into a global sports-esports moment that reached entirely new audiences for the America’s Cup.