Lexus has been steadily building out its presence into the world of gaming and esports to register with new, younger audiences. Now, it’s making what the luxury auto brand calls its biggest step to-date.
The car manufacturer announced Friday that it is now the official luxury automotive partner of Los Angeles-based 100 Thieves, an esports organization and lifestyle brand that operates several teams competing in video games tournaments, attracting investors such as rapper Drake and Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff. The company, which was founded by former “Call of Duty” World Champion and YouTube star Matthew “Nadeshot” Haag, has been dubbed “the Supreme of esports” for merging apparel drops with the virtual sport.
As part of the partnership, 100 Thieves’ LA-based Content House, home to the organizations’ creators, is being renamed the Lexus Content House, which will now include a build out of a Lexus Lounge. As such, 100 Thieves YouTube and Twitch streamers Rachell “Valkyrae” Hofstetter (3.4 million YouTube followers and 35,000 Twitch followers) and Leslie “Fuslie” Fu (983,000 Twitch followers and 503,000 YouTube followers), have been named Lexus ambassadors and will be collaborating with the brand on a range of content.
The esports brand gave a tour of the Content House in a YouTube video when it opened in March 2020. The multi-storied 7,000-square house comes with a pool, pin pong table, fully-stocked bar, home theatre and multiple bedrooms. Lexus did not reveal an financial terms behind the partnership.