RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil – We've just dropped a hot new marketing campaign for the League of Legends World Championship, the marquee tournament which generated 40% of our total sportsbook handle during the period it was running last year.

The campaign stars ex-professional Brazilian esports player and influencer Gustavo "Baiano" Gomes as he searches for a way to help native team LOUD survive the high-stakes tournament.

In the video, Baiano is seen phoning a friend for help, a half-human, half-goat representing Rivalry – a character that was initially introduced when he signed his initial “blood pact” with the company in January 2022. The goat leader provides Baiano with a briefcase of voodoo dolls featuring pro players competing in the month-long event.

Throughout the course of the campaign, we'll be teaming up with Baiano to perform various forms of dark magic on the effigies throughout the tournament on social media to “influence” match results and tap into Brazilian fans and their religious-like passion for national teams. We performed our first curse on Monday on GAM Esports ahead of their match against LOUD, resulting in a 2-0 win for the Brazilian team.

“Rivalry’s creative marketing has been core to our brand position at the intersection of esports, gaming, and internet culture,” said Grant Flannery, Global Head of Marketing, Rivalry. “Our campaign with Baiano is the latest example of our ability to build rapport with next generation fans and drive engagement through entertainment and humor.”