South Korean esports organisation Gen.G has expanded its US-focused collaboration with fast food chain McDonald’s through the programme ‘Gaming Leaders of Tomorrow’.

The new programme aims to help students host esports events in the Eastern Shore region of the United States (D.C., Maryland and Virginia).

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According to the release, students will receive a fixed budget to cover all activities for the event, ranging from production, promotion, talent and more, with the guidance of experts from both Gen.G and McDonald’s. Coca-Cola and the baseball team Delmarva Shorebirds will join the programme as supporting partners. 

At the end of the event, students will receive a certificate of completion from the “Gaming Leaders of Tomorrow” programme, a stipend, and the possibility to add the event to their resume and portfolio.

Gen.G and McDonald’s have been long-term partners, having first joined forces in 2021 with the inaugural McDonald’s Gaming League in the United States. The partnership was renewed last year to expand in local markets. In the US, Gen.G has also launched various projects centred around the collegiate esports and gaming space.

Aside from McDonald’s, the Korean esports organisation has a long list of partners in its portfolio such as clothing brand PUMA, energy drink brand Monster Energy and Korean streaming platform AfreecaTV. Last month, Gen.G also renewed its partnership with hardware brand LG UltraGear to support its professional teams as well as the Gen.G Academy programme.

Martin Kim, Chief Revenue Officer at Gen.G, commented: “We are honoured that a brand like McDonald’s sees Gen.G’s longstanding commitment to the collegiate and education space.

“Real-life experience is a great teaching mechanism; we hope to give students the professional experience they need to get a leg up as they enter the workforce”.