As the holiday season approaches, the esports world pushes forward through the chill of winter, looking ahead to the promise of a warmer spring. Amid these shifting seasons, Razer is doubling down on its investments in the scene, strengthening existing partnerships while exploring new opportunities to solidify its position. In an exclusive interview, Sheep Esports spoke with Jeff "SuiJeneris" Chau, Razer's Director of Global Esports, to discuss how the company is shaping its future in tandem with the growing esports market.

But first, who is Jeff Chau?

Jeff Chau: "At Razer, I lead the global esports team, overseeing everything related to esports. I support various business units within Razer, including mobile, console—where we recently announced the Wolverine V3 Pro Controller—PC peripherals, and the chair division, among others. We also have a global esports team spanning key regions like North America, South America, China, Europe, and Asia Pacific. I manage all our assets and the teams responsible for them. Our goal is to partner with amazing teams, execute impactful activations, and run successful marketing campaigns. It’s an incredibly fun job if you’re passionate about esports.

Before joining Razer, I served as Head of Esports and Marketing at TSM. Before that, I worked with organizations like Team Liquid and Immortals, taking on roles such as coach, general manager, and even esports caster. One of the highlights of my career was hosting the 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta and Palembang, where esports debuted as a medal event. Fast forward to today, esports has been recognized by the International Olympic Committee, with the launch of the Olympic Esports Games. It’s an exciting time, and having been in the esports industry for quite a while, I’ve had the chance to wear many hats across different aspects of the field."

How did you approach transitioning into such a different role given your background?

Jeff Chau: "I grew up in South Korea, where StarCraft: Brood War shaped modern esports. Back in the early 2000s, Koreans were already filling stadiums to watch video games—something I thought would never catch on elsewhere. But in 2000, gaming wasn’t seen as a serious career, so I left it behind, attended Cornell, and worked at Apple, managing a $70 million business and over 200 people.

Later, I returned to esports as a streamer, Twitch partner, and pro player, especially during the rise of mobile gaming. About a decade ago, I predicted mobile esports would surpass PC and console in viewership, and now events like the Esports World Cup prove that true, especially in regions like Southeast Asia.

At Razer, I’ve drawn on my experiences from Apple, startups, and casting esports worldwide. I’ve worked across regions like Brazil, Asia, and the US, managing esports teams and assets. It’s all come full circle, and I’m grateful to now lead Razer’s global esports team."

Growing into a Billion-Dollar Business

With reported revenues of US$1.62 billion in 2021, Razer has firmly established itself as one of the leading giants in the gaming and esports peripherals market. Renowned for its iconic logo and designs, Razer is a brand instantly recognizable to gamers around the globe.

Jeff Chau: "There are so many people who even have Razer tattoos—it’s become such an iconic brand in gaming. Over a decade ago, when I was a player, I admired Razer for being a premium brand. Our products are premium-priced, and I remember always wanting to own something from Razer. The first time you buy a Razer mouse, it’s an amazing experience—the unboxing, the attention to detail, and even the little message from Min. It’s all part of what makes the brand special."

Min-Liang Tan said in 2017, "As long as esports is growing, we will be growing as well." Is Razer’s future still as closely tied to esports, especially with the recent economic challenges of the "esports winter"?

Jeff Chau: "Esports has never been more important. Our esports pro line is thriving, and global esports is stronger than ever. The Viper V3 Pro was one of our best launches, and the esports player base—especially hardcore gamers—is growing, expanding the Total Addressable Market (TAM). We’re seeing increasing viewership in certain games, and hardcore gaming is here to stay and will keep growing. Razer has always supported esports because it's grassroots and community-driven. We're closely involved with players, working with pros to develop products like the Viper V3 Pro, Wolverine V3 Pro, Huntsman V3 Pro keyboard, and Black Shark V2 Pro headset.

Bouncing back on what Min said, we’re doubling down on esports. You can see it in Team Razer's socials, in how much we’re activating and showcasing the faces of our players. Teams choose to work with us because they know we genuinely care about esports. Yes, there are negative "esports winter" narratives, but even when I returned to esports 10 years ago, the business was already struggling to find its footing back then. The hype-driven venture capital and experimental marketing budgets have disappeared, but the passion, community, and number of hardcore gamers have only grown.

Razer is more bullish on esports than ever. We continue to sign new teams and support esports while others pull back. We’ve launched our global esports campaign, which features our athletes. The tagline asks, “Is it time to stop comparing esports to traditional sports?” and concludes with, “Will sports ever be like esports?” The answer is no—it won’t. Esports is in its own category, and we’re pushing that narrative forward. We want to highlight the community, competitive spirit, and talent that make esports special. There are a lot of negative stories around the esports winter, and I get it, but we're seeing the end of it now. Soon, winter will turn into summer."

Grassroots and Elites, an Important Balance?

Spanning across various disciplines, regions, and tiers of competition, esports today boast one of the most diverse and vibrant ecosystems in modern entertainment. While the spotlight often shines on giants like T1, G2, or Team Liquid, the esports landscape encompasses far more. Different realities and variables come into play, demanding a thoughtful approach to determining worthwhile investments and effectively engaging with diverse communities. With all of this in mind, an important question arises...

How does Razer balance its support across different levels of the esports scene? What value does it place on supporting grassroots initiatives?

Jeff Chau: "If you look at all the Team Razer esports organizations, the tier 1 teams are the elite ones competing at the highest level. They serve as marketing proof points—teams that everyone watches, follows, and is influenced by. Supporting tier 1 is crucial because it provides the most visibility and is essential for our marketing success.

But we also support tier 2 teams like Team Flash in Vietnam and Fennel in Japan, which have passionate fanbases even though they don’t compete in the highest leagues. In a similar manner, we also have many sponsorships with smaller organizations that target specific markets like CGN and Mandatory, who still represent great partners despite not competing in tier 1. In the US, we support large organizations like Sentinels and Optic Gaming, but we also target smaller teams like DarkZero.

For grassroots and lower tiers, we focus on regional initiatives and one-time activations instead of long-term sponsorship agreements, offering value in kind, such as providing gear to collegiate teams or schools. For example, we’ve supported gaming centers in North America through education programs and equipped students in Singapore to reduce barriers to entry. While our resources primarily go to tier 1 and tier 2 globally, we constantly strive to expand.

While we support as many teams as possible, including tier 1 and tier 2, our bandwidth is limited. That’s why we’ve recently expanded our team, adding specialists in Asia Pacific and the US to better handle the growing commitments and activations. The esports ecosystem is inherently top-heavy, similar to platforms like Twitch or YouTube. Reaching tier 1 requires years of talent and dedication, and while this structure may evolve as leagues grow, the top-heavy nature is likely to persist across most esports titles."

How to Score a Sponsorship 101

While the elites of the scene are beginning to emerge from the cold of winter and stabilize their operations, many lower-tier and grassroots organizations in the ecosystem still find themselves wandering aimlessly in the harsh and unforgiving world of esports. Given these circumstances, many are looking to secure sponsorships, expand their operations, and stabilize their funding. This leads to a simple question:

How do small organizations capture Razer's attention and secure a sponsorship with the tech giant?

Jeff Chau: "For sponsorships, it’s about identifying areas where Razer has growth potential, such as new product launches like the Wolverine V3 Pro controller. We want professional players to showcase these products. For smaller teams, it’s crucial to provide Razer with a strong marketing proof point, especially if you’re competing in higher-tier events. Smaller tournaments with limited viewership don’t offer enough visibility to justify sponsorship, which is why many brands avoid sponsoring at that level. Sponsorship needs to align with viewership for it to be viable.

We’re paying for endorsements and proof points—players using our products and winning at the highest level. Once you reach A-tier and S-tier tournaments, that’s when you should talk to brands like Razer. Look at the categories we sponsor, such as mice, keyboards, and controllers, and find where there’s room for growth. If you’re in a growing category, your chances of securing sponsorship increase, which here is reflected in how we're looking for more controller athletes to represent us. Where there is growth or new products, there is also a budget.

Another key factor is showing how you can provide a return on investment. If we spend $10,000 on esports, can we turn that into $50,000 in marketing value? You need to ask yourself: How are you better than Google or Facebook? If you aren't, it won't be worth it for us because teams and players are inherently competing against these platforms which guarantee us returns. However, Google and Facebook can’t provide endorsements or testimonials—they can’t win tournaments for us. A lot of teams fail to grasp this notion, which leads to them struggling to find sponsorships.

Many teams don’t think about the bigger picture when it comes to the business side, which is why we sometimes can’t provide cash sponsorships, even if we support teams with products. For example, in India, we started by helping Revenant with product support, and once they became India’s number one team, we were able to provide more. Honestly, this is the least enjoyable part of my job; saying no. We receive many requests from talented esports teams worldwide, but we can’t approve any sponsorships

Finally, authenticity is key. We want teams that genuinely use Razer products. If a team isn’t using Razer, the marketing value is lost. It’s like claiming to wear Air Jordans while actually wearing Adidas. Authenticity is what makes a team worth sponsoring and adds significant value to the partnership. Most teams we’ve sponsored have that story, and it’s been a mutually beneficial relationship."

How does Razer determine a worthwhile investment when sponsoring organizations, and is it sustainable to support all these teams?

Jeff Chau: "First and foremost, it’s all about activation—creatively engaging a fanbase through marketing. Too many organizations still rely on old methods like putting a logo on a stream or counting impressions, but impressions alone don’t matter to us. They can be a useful metric for reach, but at the end of the day, Razer is already a well-known brand. What matters is how we activate our brand through events, player interactions, and team engagements.

Take the Wolverine V3 Pro Controller, for example. We’re planning activations around it as part of a broader content strategy, not just slapping a logo on something. A great example of a successful activation was Optic’s use of Razer chairs at the Call of Duty World Championships. The tournament took place entirely on Razer chairs, creating a memorable experience. That’s the kind of activation that works.

Unfortunately, many brands still overvalue logo placements. What matters is full brand activation, and when agencies bring us cost-effective ideas that resonate with the gaming community, that’s when the best collaborations happen. However, when teams expect us to dictate every step of the process, it creates friction and isn’t ideal. It's like hiring someone to do something and then having to teach them how to do it. Esports is a digital space that allows for creative, tailored activations, and that’s what we’re focusing on for next year.

For example, when we partnered with Snip3down, we flew him to Singapore, shot behind-the-scenes content, and activated his persona meaningfully. It’s about connecting players with their fans. We’ve done the same for Zekken, with activations across Razer stores, Best Buy, and online, as well as a major push with Faker for our global esports campaign. In that campaign, we’re emphasizing that esports is unique and shouldn’t be compared to traditional sports. We’re actively flipping the narrative and pushing the boundaries with our activations.

To improve ROI and move the industry forward, we need better activations that create excitement and deeper connections with fans. This will make the ROI from activations speak for itself, reducing the need to spend money on platforms like Apple, Google, and Facebook."

Different Regions, Different Markets

Still, the realities of esports remain quite different in each given region, especially when it comes to Eastern versus Western markets. To this end, Razer must then adapt its strategies and tailor its approach to the demands of these different markets, including the popularity of different platforms such as consoles, computers, or even mobile gaming.

So how exactly does Razer adapt its strategies between North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and other regions?

Jeff Chau: "Razer’s approach is highly localized, which is crucial for managing esports across diverse markets. I collaborate closely with regional teams, like Peter in Korea and Yuta in Japan, who provide insights into local gaming cultures and community preferences. Every country has its nuances, and even I need experts to assist me in better understanding each of them. For example, while consoles are a focus in North America and Europe, the Wolverine V3 controller, which is only Xbox-compatible, is less relevant in Japan, where PlayStation dominates.

We’re also fully invested in content creators. With the growing creator economy on platforms like TikTok, YouTube, and Twitch, and the rise of AI in gaming, creators have more opportunities than ever to innovate. We support ambitious individuals and organizations, like Gentle Mates, Mandatory, Disguised, and Ludwig, whose events have garnered huge viewership, as did their founders and creators. These creator-led organizations know how to activate their fan bases and use content to deepen connections with their audiences.

Creator-led organizations are the future—they know how to engage their communities and create greater value. The best ones turn a dollar into five or ten through effective fan engagement. However, many traditional esports organizations struggle with sustainability, particularly those that don’t do activations effectively. Creator-led organizations, though sometimes operating at a loss, remain relevant and grow by engaging their fans. It’ll be interesting to see which organizations can balance passion with profitability sustainably in the future."

The Middle East market is growing, especially with the EWC, but it also comes with challenges due to ongoing controversies. Does Razer view the Middle East as a sustainable market?

Jeff Chau: "We were in talks to sponsor the EWC but were outcompeted. However, Razer worked with them on Gamers8’s first and second editions when I was still at TSM. Razer isn’t just a game company; we’re a gamer company. We provide a full range of products and services, from hardware to Razer Gold, a payment system, to support the gamer ecosystem. If any partners are looking to work with or invest in the gamer ecosystem, we're here to support that.

A lot of investment is flowing into the Middle East, but sustainability is still uncertain. However, the region’s PR, exposure, and long-term investments, like Qiddiya, show they’re positioning themselves for the future. With advancements in energy, like solar power, they’re planning for long-term growth, which is exciting for us because it's shaping the future of esports entertainment. In the short term, sustainability is debatable, but the future looks promising.

Razer is at the center of this movement because the gamer is at the heart of everything we do. We’re going to stay engaged in these conversations. There are a lot of exciting things happening in the Middle East, and I think, in the long term, it will pay off. The money being invested into esports may be small compared to industries like soccer or golf, but with Gen Z’s growing gaming interest, we expect long-term returns. A recent survey by the ESA (Electronic Software Association) found that 63% of Gen Z prefer gaming over watching movies. Razer will always support gamers, no matter where they go or what they play."