UA's Zips Esports program is establishing new partnerships and extending an existing relationship to continue making the program a national leader in competitive video gaming.
Intel has become the official processor provider for the Zips Esports program by providing additional warranties for most of its computers across its three locations on the UA campus. Additionally, Samsung is providing 100 870 QVO SSD external storage devices for the esports gaming machines, providing faster, additional storage for game footage, extra games and other tools, becoming the official storage provider of the program.
“Bringing in Intel and Samsung as official partners will be beneficial for collegiate competitors in Akron Esports, our varsity program,” says Nate Meeker, director of esports at UA. “We have been using Intel’s processors for the past three years, and they have been rock solid for our performance needs. Plus, Samsung’s additional storage devices will give our teams and clubs the upper edge against their competitors. I know that our students are excited to see these organizations jump aboard with the program so that we can continue the excellent work that we started.”
Gravity Gaming by ByteSpeed was re-signed to continue providing two additional years of warranty for the esports PCs on campus, splitting the cost with Intel. The PC specs include GTX 1080 Ti graphics cards, Intel’s Core I7 8700 central processing units and Samsung 860 EVO SSDs, among other high-end features, logo customization and LED lights.
“During the last three years, the Zips Esports program has been extremely successful, both nationally and locally,” says Meeker. “It has been fantastic to work with Gravity Gaming, and I am thrilled to continue working with them. The PCs that they have provided to the program have certainly helped our success in a variety of ways.”
All three organizations will be recognized on the physical spaces on campus, team jerseys, social media and Twitch during the live competition streams. These partnerships, which will continue for two years, impact 88 machines housed in the esports arena in InfoCision Stadium, the esports center in the Jean Hower Taber Student Union designated for various esports club teams and a recreational gaming café attached to the Williams Honors College.
Media contact: Alex Knisely, 330-972-6477 or aknisely@uakron.edu.