On March 11, Wizards of the Coast announced that Hewlett-Packard’s OMEN line of gaming PCs would be a presenting sponsor for this weekend’s Mythic Invitational at PAX East. As part of their sponsorship, HP will be providing OMEN computers for for the Mythic Invitational that the competitors will play on, as well as awarding a full OMEN system to the Invitational winner in additional to the $250,000 prize.
Hipsters of the Coast caught up with Shaun Roe, Esports Relationship Manager at Wizards, to talk about HP’s involvement and what it means for the future of competitive Magic.
Hipsters of the Coast: Will HP sponsor or provide hardware for future MTG Arena Mythic Championships?
Shaun Roe: We’re very excited to be working with a partner like OMEN by HP for the Mythic Invitational, and we’re actively discussing what our future opportunities to work together could look like.
Hipsters: Will HP sponsor future tabletop Mythic Championships? Or will Wizards seek out other corporate sponsorships for tabletop Mythic Championships?
Roe: We are currently in talks with many different sponsors for the entire Mythic Championship ecosystem, which would include both MTG Arena and Magic tabletop. Partner interest in Magic has grown rapidly since MTG Arena’s Beta went live, and the focus on the Mythic Invitational will likely further increase Magic’s appeal to third parties.
Hipsters: What makes HP a good sponsor/partner for the Mythic Invitational?
Roe: OMEN by HP has been a mainstay of tradeshows and gaming conventions, supporting a number of unique esports activations. (Editor’s Note: They sponsor Overwatch League and various professional esports teams, the like Counter Logic Gaming and Excel Esports.) Our goal is to guarantee the highest quality experience for our competitors, and as a premium hardware vendor, OMEN was a natural fit for the Mythic Invitational.
Hipsters: What kind of HP branding can we expect to see on coverage? Commercials, logos on players’ jerseys, etc.
Roe: Both the physical PAX East Arena experience and the online broadcast of the Mythic Invitational will highlight our partnership with OMEN by HP. In fact, the OMEN booth is directly adjacent to the Magic Arena booth, featuring high-powered OMEN machines running Magic Arena demos. Both the MTG Arena and OMEN teams will be giving out tons of great products over the weekend, so if you’re a Magic fan, be sure to stop by and play an MTG Arena demo at the OMEN booth and soak in a few matches as you explore PAX East!
The Mythic Invitational starts Thursday, March 28 at 10am Eastern on twitch.tv/magic.