Oakley is a recognized industry leader that consistently seeks out ways to further innovate their products to meet current trends and demands. Although Oakley gained popularity for their sports performance eyewear geared towards athletes, they have since ventured into other industries that have a demand for specs. This currently includes the gaming industry; as the United Nations reports, there are more than three billion active video game players globally.
With the popularity of gaming as a hobby, there has been an increase in the demand for gaming glasses-which Oakley widely offers. One of the ways Oakley has successfully launched their line of gaming glasses is by working with prominent figures in the gaming and esports scene, with gaming content creator Hector 'Repullze' Torres being their latest partner.
Oakley's Gaming Glasses
Considering the growth of the gaming industry, gamers and esports participants have also risen in popularity. With this in mind, Oakley introduced their own line of gaming glasses. With the intention of aiding gamers' performance and bringing them visual comfort as they spend hours in front of a screen, Oakley glasses are carefully designed with gamer nuances in mind. Their glasses come with a variety of frames made with the signature Lightweight O Matter, which provides durability and all-day comfort. Additionally, gamers can benefit from the Adjustable Ace Fit feature that makes it easier to personalize the fit of their glasses and be more compatible with headphone users.
The first iteration of their gaming glasses was launched in 2020 and featured the Prizm gaming lenses that were designed to reduce eye fatigue during long hours of screen time. These lenses could easily be fitted with a variety of Oakley's glasses, including the popular Holbrook and Fuller frames.
Latest Partnership With Repullze
More recently, their partnership with gaming streamer Repullze has been the latest highlight for the brand. Aside from being a popular Twitch streamer, the gamer is known as one of the best Call of Duty players around the world. With Torres as a brand ambassador, Oakley decided to focus on promoting their Prizm Gaming 2.0 lens filters. These lenses are recognized for enhancing color contrast and field of view while gaming, while the amber tint filters harsh light emitted by screens to increase comfort for gamers. Additionally, these lenses can be fitted with Oakley's newest gaming-inspired eyewear, which is the Helux frames. These frames are built with the signature Lightweight O Matter that the brand is known for but feature an extra-large frame that increases the field of protection for gamers.
While the partnership with Torres prioritizes the promotion of the lenses, it is believed that this means the gamer will be sporting Oakley frames throughout his public appearances. This is significant exposure for Torres, as being a brand ambassador for Oakley could increase his platform of 260,000 Twitch followers while being able to showcase the vision benefits of using gaming glasses.
Oakley's partnership with Torres is a continuation of the brand's recent history with prominent gaming personalities. The earliest Oakley gaming campaign was back in 2021, with an article from Ad Age showing that the popular Call of Duty player and streamer Seth 'Scump' Abner was chosen as the brand's first esports partner. Since then, Oakley has forged more partnerships with other notable esports players. Earlier in 2023, the brand also announced a partnership with the popular Edwards Gaming players Meiko and NingZhi, which underscores their global reach.
The Future of Oakley's Gaming Initiatives
With Oakley's efforts to allow gamers to collaborate and further innovate gaming glasses, those interested in seeing more products from them can expect significant releases in the near future, along with strategic ambassadorships. These partnerships promote their products and help the brand stay updated with the kind of technology gamers are looking for in their glasses. This essentially helps them address any weaknesses and target potential pain points to avoid encountering any ill-fated failures, such as the case with Google Glass lenses.
Aside from working with individual gamers like Torres, Oakley is also the current jersey sponsor for various OpTic teams and is set to continue on as an official partner of the Esports Awards.
