AT&T explains why it built the Annihilator Cup instead of just sponsoring esports

Wasif Ahmed Published May 11, 2026

AT&T, one of the world’s largest telecommunications companies, recently announced its sixth annual Annihilator Cup with a $200,000 prize pool and an additional $70,000 in charitable donations.

The tournament features 20 popular creators including the likes of Ludwig, Tyler1, Adapt, Doublelift, Nadeshot, Emiru, Scump, Summit1G, LilyPichu, Myth, and more.

Most interestingly, the tournament will happen across four weeks throughout the month of May. Each Thursday this month features live action as creators compete in titles like Call of Duty: Black Ops 7, League of Legends, 2XKO, and Counter-Strike 2.

The tournament sets AT&T apart in the esports space. This is because unlike other brand partnerships, this time, the company is directly organizing esports tournaments. The initiative has seen enough success that the sixth edition features an expanded scope.

Furthermore, the AT&T Annihilator Cup 2026 began with a team draft. In this, the four team captains; Ludwig, TheBurntPeanut, Adapt, and Tyler1, selected their teams live.

We spoke with Mario Artesiano, the director of sponsorships at AT&T, to understand more about the unique format, how the telecommunications company understands gaming audiences, brand sponsorships, and more.

The Annihilator Cup is now in its sixth year. What has AT&T learned about gaming audiences that has changed how you build the event today compared to year one?

Artesiano: Over the past six years, one of the biggest things we have learned is that gaming audiences respond to brands that show up with consistency, authenticity, and purpose. They want to see that you understand the culture, the creators they follow and the way these communities connect with one another.

That has shaped the way we build the AT&T Annihilator Cup today. The competition is core to the event, but the experience around it is just as important. The creator chemistry, team storylines, watch parties and fan conversation all help turn the tournament into something people can follow and engage with week after week. Each year, we take what we have learned from fans and creators and use it to make the experience feel authentic, entertaining and connected to the gaming community.

A lot of brands enter gaming through one-off sponsorships. What made AT&T commit to building a recurring tournament IP instead?

For AT&T, gaming is a natural space because connection is at the center of the experience. Whether someone is competing, streaming, watching with friends or building a community online, reliable connectivity matters.

We also believe credibility in gaming is built over time. A one time sponsorship can create a moment, but a recurring tournament gives us the chance to keep listening, learning and improving the experience year after year. Six years in, the AT&T Annihilator Cup has become a platform that brings together competitive gaming, creator entertainment and fan engagement in a way that reflects AT&T’s role in keeping people connected.

Image credit: AT&T

This year brings together creators from different gaming communities across Call of Duty, League of Legends, 2XKO, and Counter-Strike 2. How do you balance competitive credibility with creator-led entertainment when designing the event?

We want the competition to feel real. The creators are competitive, the games have passionate communities and fans want to feel the stakes each week. At the same time, the Annihilator Cup is designed to be more than a traditional esports tournament.

A big part of what makes the event work is giving creators the structure to compete while still giving them the freedom to bring their own personalities and communities into the experience. The mix of titles helps us reach different corners of gaming, while the team format creates storylines that build across the month. That balance is what makes the Annihilator Cup feel competitive, entertaining and accessible at the same time.

For the first time, captains will draft their teams during a live pre-event draft. Why was it important to make team-building part of the content rather than keeping it behind the scenes?

The draft is where the story starts. It is where strategy, rivalries, chemistry and fan conversation begin, so it made sense to bring that moment into the live experience. By making the draft live, fans get to see how teams come together before the first match is played. They can follow how captains are thinking, who they want to team up with and what dynamics might shape the competition. It gives fans a reason to invest earlier and creates more moments to follow throughout the tournament.

Is the Annihilator Cup best understood as an esports event, a creator event, or a branded entertainment franchise, and where do you want it to go next?

The Annihilator Cup sits at the intersection of all three. It has the structure and stakes of a gaming competition, the personality and reach of a creator-led event and the consistency of a franchise AT&T has built over the past six years.

Looking ahead, our focus is on continuing to grow it into a gaming property that fans and creators are excited to return to each year. That means evolving the format, creating more ways for fans to engage and continuing to bring different gaming communities together. At its core, the Annihilator Cup is about the connection between creators, fans and communities.

• Read also: How ENC is becoming the ‘Olympics of Esports’ to unite fans

Featured image credit: AT&T