Aix-Marseille-Provence, pioneer in e-sport

Aix-Marseille-Provence gets started e-sport. In October, the AMP Metropole hosts the final of l’Ascension, in Marseille, and two virtual sailing races just ended in June.

While the success of virtual reality and video games no longer needs to be proven, The city decided to put all the chances on his side in order to make your territory attractive. And what better way to do this than to brandish the weapon of new technologies.

Although e-sport is a relatively recent practice, it quickly attracted the French. League of Legends or Fortnite have become real must-haves. Locally, the Metropolis is holding its own. After opening its doors to e-sport, Marseille is launching into virtual reality. While theOlympic Games are approaching and water sportsare in the spotlight, the Metropolis is organizing a virtual sailing competition. All these innovations are used by Aix-Marseille-Provence to strengthen theattractiveness of the territory.

The final of the second edition of international e-sports tournament will take place at Marseille Sports Palace on October 26. Called Ascensionthis mass event will bring together more than 5,000 spectators. This year it’s the game Fortnite which is in the spotlight. Booming sector, le gaming constitutes a strong center of interest for the population and particularly young people. And the Metropolis has understood this well: it is banking on these international events to change your image.

The success of the first edition is unanimous. Repeating the experience was almost obvious. Taking place over several months, the tournament welcomes the big names in video games. With 1.5 million subscribers on the platform Twitch, Zerator, a real public figure in the field, is behind the organization of the event. Of the English-, Hispanic-, and German-speaking commentators are expected, a sign of the international scale of the event.

The Metropolis is riding the wave of a growing economic sector. “There are more and more e-gaming players“, assures LionelFlasseur, general director at One Provence, territorial marketing agency. Sailing has also been gaining notoriety in recent years, notably thanks to major races likethe Route du Rhum. At the same time, the phenomenon around at e-voile is growing more and more. “On certain targets, the virtual world becomes almost as attractive as the real world. It’s a new way of communicating that we must rely on to reach new audiences.“, he adds. Furthermore, organizing this type of event in the real world is much more restrictive than online.

One Provence a organized two virtual sailing competitions this month of June: One Provence Challenge and One Provence Méditerranée. If the first is intended for a rather initiated public on the subject, the second is open to allsailing enthusiasts without exception.

To do this, it contacted the company Virtual Regatta created in 2006. It offers races for brands, in particular to promote their communication through e-sport and more particularly e-sailing. With aadvanced technology, the company reproduces the actual conditions of the body of water (winds, etc.). Some champions use it for their training. The Virtual Regatta company also made another asset available to One Provence, its community. It is made up of approximately 300,000 initiates. The objective is to offer international visibility of the metropolitan landscapes.

The One Provence Challenge was not suitable for the general public. L’agence de marketing territorial decided to launch the other race, One Provence Méditerranée, more accessible for young people or seniors. This race consisted of circumnavigating the Mediterranean over an average duration of 30 days. “The metropolis was highlighted thanks to content delivered during the passage of certain milestones which explained the links which attached them to Marseille“, explains Lionel Flasseur.

Approaching the Olympic sailing eventit was necessary to prepare the ground. One Provence is the first to use generative AI in terms of territorial marketing. Through these virtual regattas announcing the arrival of the Games, it highlights the scenery of the region. “We anticipate the legacy of the Olympic Games“, says the general director. Create the appetite for sailing in physics was also a positive feedback from the experience. “The objective is to ensure that the inhabitants of this metropolis are even more turned towards the sea, particularly through practices such as sailing.“, encourages Lionel Flasseur.

Successful bet. The figures are encouraging. More than 28,000 players participated in both events combined: 15,000 for the One Provence Méditerranée and 13,000 for the One Provence Challenge.