PriceWaterhouseCoopers (PwC Germany) is the host of an innovative and award winning recruitment event format called the PwC Gaming Masters. PwC Gaming Masters uses esports, short for electronic sports, played as an online video game with competitors which spectators can watch for entertainment. The PwC Gaming Masters was founded in 2017 by Gian Luca Vitale, Gaming & Esports Advisory, Lead Business Development Gaming & Esports at PwC Germany, who also holds the naming rights for this event. This novel concept for recruitment, talent attraction and retention connects PwC with new and ambitious talent and invites them to compete in online gaming and develop skills that are important in the workplace: teamwork, strategic thinking, collaboration, flexibility and decision-making, among others, and also other corporates can join the competition and experience corporate esports.

Esports is growing rapidly and attracting the attention of big brands to its tournaments, livestreams and athlete sponsorships. This competitive video gaming format strongly appeals to Generation Z (born from 1997 to 2012), a younger demographic which is difficult to reach with traditional advertising and that’s one of the reasons why brands are paying close attention to the growing esports industry. In this interview with Gian Luca Vitale, he explains the importance of esports, who are the stakeholders in this industry, what the future looks like, what is corporate esports and how to attract more female players to this industry. 

The interview took place in April in Interlaken at the Congress Kursaal Interlaken and Gian Luca joined remotely from Dusseldorf.