Bud Light All-Stars Returns to Esports in 2017 with New Players and Games

NEW YORK, NY May 25, 2017 Bud Light today announced the 2017 Bud Light All-Star nominees, consisting of 16 top North American esports players. Esports fans can vote for their favorite players from four different games – Call of Duty, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, Hearthstone and Street Fighter V to become a Bud Light All-Star. Voting begins today and fans are able to choose one player from each of the four games, who will ultimately make up the Bud Light All-Stars roster that will be announced in late June.

Bud Light All-Stars has been revamped for its second year to focus more centrally on engaging esports fans digitally. Every Thursday, beginning June 29 and running through December, a different Bud Light All-Star will stream from Bud Light’s Twitch channel during the Bud Light Happy Hour and fans will get to watch unique content while also having a chance to win exclusive prizes. This marks a significant, two month expansion in the program’s length this year. Additionally, a documentary-style film will be produced for each of the Bud Light All-Stars that will explore their journey to esports stardom.

"We took a big first step last year when we introduced Bud Light All-Stars, and through our live and digital programming we learned a lot about what esports fans want to see from brands," said Eelco van der Noll, vice president of experiential marketing at Anheuser-Busch. "We listened to both fans and players, and this year they’ll see a stronger focus on enhanced digital experiences that consistently bring them and their friends closer to their favorite top players in North America."

Bud Light All-Stars will live primarily in the digital space, but Bud Light will continue to engage esports fans through live experiences as well. It will be introducing a trial program this year to work with bars and restaurants to deliver experiences tailored specifically to esports fans, and it recently expanded its relationship with DreamHack to feature a Bud Light Lounge at both DreamHack Austin and DreamHack Atlanta.

A full list of Bud Light All-Star nominees can be found at below and at www.budlightallstars.com, and fans 21 and over can head there to submit their votes through June 8.

For more information about Bud Light, visit www.BudLight.com or follow the conversation on social media with @BudLightesports.