Esports Foundation expands Sony tie-up for EWC 2026
Esports Foundation expanded its partnership with Sony for the Esports World Cup 2026 in Paris, naming PlayStation as official hardware and adding Crunchyroll and Sony media activations.
The Esports Foundation expanded its partnership with Sony Group Corporation for the Esports World Cup 2026 in Paris. The agreement names PlayStation consoles as the official hardware for tournaments where the platform applies and involves Sony Interactive Entertainment, Crunchyroll and Sony Pictures Television.
PlayStation hardware will be used for applicable competitions and in on-site public community zones. Crunchyroll will install an interactive, motion-responsive manga library at the live venue to showcase Japanese intellectual properties to attendees.
Sony Pictures Television’s production unit This Machine will produce a behind-the-scenes documentary series titled Esports World Cup: Level Up, directed by Emmy-winning filmmaker R.J. Cutler. The series will follow teams and players and will be distributed globally via streaming.
The Esports World Cup is scheduled for July 6 through August 23, 2026, relocating to Paris after its 2025 debut in Riyadh. Organizers cited regional conflicts in the Middle East as the reason for relocating the event.
Organizers project more than 2,000 professional players representing about 200 esports clubs will compete in 25 tournaments across a 24-game lineup, with a combined prize pool valued at more than $75 million. The festival will include competitive events, public community zones and media activations across seven weeks.
The expanded agreement builds on a founding partnership formed during the inaugural 2025 event in Riyadh. Organizers reported localized brand integrations in 2025 generated more than 168 million impressions and 116 million video views across global channels. For 2026, Sony’s involvement focuses on hardware provision, fan experiences in community areas and media storytelling.
Mohammad Al Nimer, the Esports Foundation’s chief commercial officer, noted: “Fans today don’t separate gaming, anime, film, and entertainment. They move between them every day.” Organizers plan to work with global clubs, game publishers and media distributors to stage the tournaments and activations in Paris.
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