To celebrate the 10th anniversary of Dota 2, Ballantine’s has announced a first-of-its-kind partnership that sees the iconic Scotch whisky come on board as the first spirits partner in Dota 2 history. Having launched fully in 2013, Dota 2 is one of the world’s most popular multiple online battle arena games welcoming millions of players worldwide each day. The partnership is the latest move by Ballantine’s in the gaming and esports space, following its debut partnership with Borderlands: The Game, and with BLAST.tv for the 10 year anniversary of the CS:GO Majors in Paris. Most recently, Ballantine’s teamed up with Tundra Esports as the Official Spirits Partner for the team’s title defence at The Dota 2 International 2023.
To kick off the partnership, Ballantine’s and Dota 2 will drop an exclusive short movie on 17th October. The film features appearances from some of the game’s iconic characters as they head on an epic quest to collect several lost runes needed to get their hands on a dram of Ballantine’s. Exclusive to China, Ballantine’s will also be dropping two limited-edition Ballantine’s Finest x Dota 2 bottles featuring iconic characters from the game’s universe including Juggernaut, Lina, Monkey King, Marci, and Brewmaster.
Chivas Brothers’ Global Marketing Director of Ballantine’s, Mathieu Deslandes comments:
“Ballantine’s has a storied history of collaborating with the unexpected, especially partners who have stayed true to their original vision. Dota 2 is a globally iconic game, with a particularly big influence within China’s gaming community, so it was a no-brainer for us to work together during this historic year for the game. Esports is not just the future of entertainment, but the present, and this partnership is an exciting venture into the arena as part of our broader ambition to open up to new fans to celebrate moments that matter and connect fans both virtually and in real life.”
To further reinforce Ballantine’s commitment to the Dota 2 universe, the brand has teamed up with The International’s defending champions, Tundra Esports, as their Official Spirit Partner for 2023. The partnership will see Ballantine’s launch a series of bespoke behind the scenes content that gets up close and personal with the players, alongside the brand’s debut on Tundra’s The International official 2023 jersey.
Fans of Dota 2 will also be able to bring some of their most-played heroes into their own home, via a series of bespoke cocktails that celebrate each character’s unique abilities. To stay up to date with Ballantine’s x Dota 2 activities, keep an eye out on Ballantines.com.
