This Esports brand is going out of its way to ensure female streamers get as much support as men
Lyxalia & Stapus. (Fnatic)
Esports brand Fnatic are championing diversity with a 50/50 gender split in its content creators.
In April 2020, Fnatic Network was launched to support content creators, with those in the programme receiving an average increase of 150 per cent in their Twitch following.
Fnatic are proud to be putting an emphasis on ensuring female streamers are supported and uplifted in the programme, leading to its industry first 50/50 gender split.
“Our ambitions for the esports and gaming industry is to see a more diverse and inclusive audience on and off the screen. I believe this change must start from within, and education and development are key to creating this change,” says Fnatic’s Head of Creator Management, Soraya Sobh.
“A key goal of Fnatic Network is to seek out and level up the very best talent regardless of gender, race or ethnicity and give them equal opportunity to succeed.
“Whilst Fnatic is only at the start of this journey, we want to make a difference at every level of the creator pool. If we can’t find enough creators at a top tier level which represent as diverse an audience as we know gaming attracts, then we have to build those talents from the ground up.
“Our message to underrepresented, up and coming talent is clear: your career starts at Fnatic. Regardless of where creators end up, we’re here to give them the tools, training and development they need to succeed. We want to provide opportunities which in turn make the industry a more diverse and better represented place.”
Supporting female streamers
Female streamers are too often subject to harassment and abuse online, and while Sobh admits that Fnatic can’t solve that issue, they support women – and men – in learning how to deal with online abuse.
“When it comes to streaming and content creation, toxicity and abuse from online users is unfortunately a common occurrence. For women, it’s often a matter of when, not if, as they frequently have to deal with targeted, misogynistic abuse from anonymous users. As much as we want to tackle it head on, online abuse is a far greater issue than Fnatic can solve alone,” says Sobh.
“With Fnatic Network, we knew it was imperative to provide necessary support for creators to ensure they’re better equipped to deal with online abuse and trolling behaviour when it happens.”
That includes mental health and mentoring workshops, with Fnatic recognising that supporting creators goes beyond metrics.
“While we know we can’t solve the wider issue of online abuse, we can make a difference to creators at the beginning of their careers by supporting their growth, beyond follower counts or viewership.”
The multinational esports organisation now offers diverse brand building workshops, monthly Q&A sessions with coaches, and inclusion in Fnatic and partner campaigns as part of its Fnatic Network.
Creators of all backgrounds can apply to join the network at Silver level and gain access to Fnatic assets and stream under the brand. Rising to Platinum level – a six month accelerator programme – creators receive a monthly salary and a chance to be signed as a Fnatic content creator.
Success stories include streamers such as Valorant player PilotCeeBee and Twitch superstars Moonryde and Rhobalas who have seen their viewership rise significantly through the programme.
Fnatic also run esports teams and have products available on their store.
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