Sarah Curran
Head of Commercial
In brief, what does Feenix do and what is your approach to sponsorship and partnerships?
Feenix transforms gaming into an engagement engine for global brands.
We help brands, sports organisations and entertainment properties show up inside the environments where audiences already spend their time.
This isn’t a single format or channel. We operate across the full gaming ecosystem, from building immersive worlds and original experiences to in-game advertising and creator-led activation. Everything is designed to work together, not in isolation.
Crucially, we build with the community, not just for it. That means working closely with players, creators and developers to shape experiences that reflect how people actually engage and build lasting connection over time.
What approach differentiates Feenix and makes your sponsorship strategy unique?
Traditional sponsorship has largely been built around exposure. Gaming changes that dynamic.
At Feenix, we focus on building ecosystems rather than one-off campaigns. That means combining immersive environments, creator activation and in-game media into a connected model that allows brands to engage audiences in a more meaningful and measurable way.
Creators play a central role in this. In gaming, community is not an extension of the experience, it is the experience. By integrating creators into how brands show up, we ensure that engagement feels authentic and rooted in how audiences already interact.
With this comes responsibility, too. Especially in youth-focused environments, brands need to show up in ways that are appropriate, additive and safe. The most effective experiences are those that contribute to the environment in some way, whether through positive entertainment, creativity or learning, rather than interrupting it.
This pushes marketing teams to think differently. Not just about visibility, but about how they can genuinely add value to the experience and truly speak to the community.
What do you see as current trends within sponsorship, and how are they affecting how you work and how you deliver on strategy?
The biggest shift we’re seeing is the move from passive exposure to active participation.
Audiences are no longer just consuming content, they are spending time inside environments, shaping them, socialising and engaging with others. Platforms like Roblox have become social ecosystems, not just games.
At the same time, even social media is evolving. Younger audiences are spending less time scrolling traditional feeds and more time watching, playing and interacting across platforms like YouTube and Roblox.
This is changing the role of sponsorship. It’s no longer about being present in a moment, but about being part of an environment. Gaming offers a space where brands can do this in a way that feels native, continuous and engaging.
How has sponsorship changed for Feenix over the past five years, and what predictions can you make about how it’s going to change in the next five years?
Over the past five years, we’ve seen gaming move from an experimental channel to a strategic priority for brands looking to reach younger audiences.
Early activations were often short-term and campaign-led. Now there is a clear shift towards building longer-term presence within gaming ecosystems, where brands can engage audiences over time rather than through one-off moments.
We’ve also seen the role of gaming expand beyond entertainment. It can be cultural, social and even educational. For example, we’ve worked on projects like the first Irish-language Roblox experience, bringing culture and language to younger audiences in a format that feels relevant and engaging.
Looking ahead, we expect brands to invest more in owned and evolving experiences, supported by creators and community, rather than relying solely on traditional sponsorship models.
Is there anything else you would like to add?
We’re already seeing this evolution play out in partnerships like Formula E.
Traditionally, access to a global sports property like this would require significant investment and often result in passive brand exposure. Through gaming, brands can now show up inside these environments in a more accessible and flexible way.
Within Formula E, this can take the form of interactive racing experiences, branded environments and creator-led engagement that allows audiences to explore and interact with the sport in new ways. It also opens up opportunities to communicate more complex topics, such as sustainability and electric innovation, through gameplay.
More broadly, this model applies across entertainment. Whether it’s sport, film or culture, brands and properties need to show up where audiences already are. Gaming provides a way to do that in a format that is participatory, scalable and measurable.
As this continues to evolve, we see gaming becoming an essential layer within the broader sponsorship landscape.
If any of our fellow ESA community members are interested in exploring activating in our Formula E game or engaging new audiences through gaming in general, they are very welcome to reach out!
