Shaping Porsche: the gaming and Esports manager
Gaming and Esports is big business – just ask world champion gamer, Niklas Krellenberg, who’s helping lead the way at Porsche
Composite CGI image of a Porsche employee working in Esports
From Rocket League to Overwatch 2, Gran Turismo to Fortnite, as Project Manager for games and Esports partnerships at Porsche, former world champion gamer Niklas Krellenberg looks after brand partnerships with some of the biggest titles in the industry
The job insight series, Shaping Porsche, features Porsche employees talking about their work at the company and what it means to them. A former world champion Esports racer, Niklas Krellenberg now works in the Games and Esports Partnerships division at Porsche. If you’ve spotted Porsche in some of the world’s best-known games, then Niklas and his team were responsible for securing this presence. Find out more about his passion for Porsche and his role.What do you do at Porsche, Niklas?“My official job title is Project Manager, Games and Esports Partnerships. We speak to the biggest gaming publishers in the world to put Porsche in the most important games out there. Some of the titles that we’ve helped feature Porsche in include Fortnite, Overwatch, Rocket League, Gran Turismo and Forza Motorsport.“It’s a great way of helping bring Porsche digitally alive, whether it be for people who are already a fan of the brand or for those who experience Porsche for the first time. Today, gaming is such a big part of the entertainment industry – sharing the top spots with film and music just in terms of revenue, which is incredible.”
Former Esports gamer, now Porsche employee, Niklas Krellenberg
Niklas Krellenberg is a former world champion Esports racer. Today he is Project Manager Games and Esports Partnerships at Porsche, working with some of the biggest names in the gaming and Esports industry Photo: Porsche
Why is working at Porsche your dream job? “I’d say it’s because Porsche gives me the opportunity to work on these amazing topics that I love. Topics I can really relate to. I used to be a professional Esports racer myself. Starting at the age of 15, I played games like Forza Motorsport, Project Gotham Racing and WRC. I became a world champion and a five-time German champion in some of these games.“Back in 2017, I participated in a Porsche-sponsored Forza Motorsport Esports event and now I’m working on the same topics – just from the other side. So, this is a dream job as it helps bring them both together – Porsche, a brand that I’ve always loved, and gaming. It’s something that’s so cool.”What’s the best thing about working at Porsche?“It’s the opportunity to work in this huge global ecosystem for a brand that’s so iconic, with such great heritage, who fully enables us to connect with the gaming world. That feels like a very cool job to me. I also work in an amazing team who really understand gaming and that makes it super fun. Even 10 years ago, the industry was very different, I can tell you.“Seeing the work that we’ve done getting Porsche into these games come to life is really motivating. We have secured licensing deals with so many racing games I’ve almost lost count! I think we are now in every relevant racing game that you can play. It’s also so exciting to see things like the Porsche spaceship from the forthcoming game Intergalactic, from one of the biggest game studios, Naughty Dog, which was teased at the end of 2024.“The same goes for the mech [a gaming term for a piloted humanoid vehicle or robot] in Overwatch 2 that we created together with Blizzard Entertainment, the game’s developer, as well as our appearance in Cyberpunk, another huge game. You need to understand the game, its audience, the publisher, but also your own brand, in order to bring everything together. That’s a massive part of the role.”
Niklas Krellenberg, Project Manager, games and Esports partnerships at Porsche
Niklas says that his job helps bring Porsche even more alive for people who don’t own a Porsche but who love the brand Photo: Porsche
What does a typical day at Porsche look like for you?“I’m really lucky to do a job where every day is different. One of the best things about working in our department and on this topic is that the gaming world is always changing. Which means that the things we are working on are always changing. I organised the approach to Esports racing at Porsche, but now I’m focusing more on our global partnerships and on our gaming strategy itself. And that’s awesome. We’ve made so much progress.“Every day is different because sometimes it’s about communication topics, sometimes you are working on partnerships and sometimes I’m even shooting social media content myself too. I had my own YouTube channel before I started working at Porsche, when I was a professional Esports racer. It means that I know how social media works, the best ways to communicate with players and all about the games. This is what makes it exciting. Because I was a professional player, I have this competitive mindset which I can bring to the role in order to get the most satisfying results.”Where does your Porsche passion come from?“I’d say Need for Speed: Porsche Unleashed, a Porsche-specific game from back in the day. I think that was the first time I really remember falling in love – or, let's say, respecting – the Porsche brand. I quickly realised that it was a cool brand and, over the years, I always loved using Porsche cars when I was gaming.“When you think about it, these people really did their job, right? The people taking care of gaming partnerships back then made me a fan – and now I do the same, trying to make new fans. Looking back, I couldn’t have imagined that 15 years or so later I would be doing this job.”Discover how Niklas shapes the future of Porsche
Consumption and emission information Taycan Turbo S (WLTP): Electric energy consumption combined: 19.9 – 17.8 kWh/100 km; CO₂ emissions combined: 0 g/km; CO₂ class: .
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