Gfinity enlists Barry Davies to lend an iconic voice to FIFA 19 in social media video

The Gfinity Elite Series Grand Final took place at the London esports venue on Friday night. Won by Roma Fnatic, this was the fourth season of the tournament and the first alongside new sponsor Domino’s.

The sponsorship element to the event shows how esports are growing to become big business, with recognisable worldwide brands taking headline spots: of which McDonald’s and La Liga’s esports league is another example. FIFA 19 tournaments are now big enough to attract non-endemic brands, showing the faith they have that this is a sound investment.

That might have to do with the fact that FIFA 19 tournaments attract a young, yet, football-mad audience. These games are seen as one of the catalysts for the modern football fan’s desire to look beyond their own country’s league and learn more about players, cultures and rivalries in other places.

Ahead of the final this weekend, Gfinity’s Twitter account showed that FIFA 19 esports tournaments possess a cultural footballing hinterland beyond the names of the players.

Legendary BBC commentator Barry Davies – who is still to many, the voice of football – was enlisted to lend some of the highlights of this season’s tournament an iconic commentary backing. And it works: it lends an air of nostalgia to a FIFA tournament, which doesn’t happen very often.

So, ok, it’s only one Twitter video, but the more that FIFA 19 tournaments can channel football’s history and culture the better.

Football fans and esports fans are mutually exclusive groups of course, but there’s bound to be some crossover. With the biggest leagues now getting involved with esports there’s a chance that more football fans become followers of FIFA 19 esports too.

About author

Chris McMullan
Chris McMullan 831 posts

Chris is a sports journalist and editor of Digital Sport - follow him on Twitter @CJMcMullan_

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