Posted in: eSports, Games, Video Games | Tagged: Mobile, Patrick “Chief Pat” Carney, Tribe Gaming

Chatting With Chief Pat About Tribe Gaming & Mobile Esports

While PAX West was happening, we chatted with Chief Pat of Tribe Gaming about their latest partnership with AT&T and mobile esports.

During PAX West this year, AT&T set up a special activation booth where they were showing off more aspects of their mobile gaming front, especially in the esports department. Among the people there to talk about it was Patrick "Chief Pat" Carney, as Tribe Gaming has partnered with the company as one of their latest sponsors. We had a chance to chat with Pat about the team and the deal, as well as his thoughts on mobile esports at the moment.

BC: Hey Patrick! First off, how have things been going for you this year?

CP: Great! I've been soaking in the sun down in Austin, Texas, and enjoying the summer with my wife and two cats. Shoutout to Chief Cat.

How have things been going for Tribe Gaming this year in terms of mobile competition?

We're really happy with our competitive results this year. In both 2021 and 2022, every single one of our competitive esports teams qualified for their respective World Championships, and 2023 is tracking to the same. Funny enough, our Call of Duty: Mobile team actually just secured their qualification for Worlds by competing at PAX West!

What's it been like for you balancing out all of the different teams you have these days across the four titles you compete in?

Compared to the earlier days of Tribe, it's a breeze. We're a few years into mobile esports at this point, so by now, we've been able to build a successful support staff and figure out what it takes to be successful in each respective title.

A big part of your rise last year was the new partnership you made with Samsung. How did that opportunity come about?

Partnering with Samsung has been a blast. A huge ethos of Tribe is being 'aspirational' and leading via performance in both competition and content and partnering with Samsung, and AT&T, for that matter, is true to that ethos. With both Samsung and AT&T being leaders in their respective fields, they're truly additive partners to Tribe in a unique way for what we're building in the mobile gaming space.

Speaking of partnerships, you recently penned another major one with AT&T. What was it like connecting with them and having them sponsor you?

Honestly, on a personal level, partnering with AT&T has been a full-circle moment for me. I've been an AT&T customer for over a decade now, which means that I've literally built my entire content career and company by playing mobile games across the world on a phone that was powered by AT&T… fast forward to 2023, and the company I've helped build is now partnered with AT&T. How crazy is that, ha! Being backed by AT&T on both a personal and performance level is a dream come true.

As part of that partnership, you were at PAX West this year as part of their booth and activation. What was that experience like for you and the teams?

Ah, it was an absolute blast. The AT&T activation area was one of the most clever that I've been to in my decade-long year in content creation with the loot-drop setup that they'd put together. The $60,000 in prizes they gave away was a big winner, obviously, as well – I even had the chance to personally give away some Tribe jerseys and take pictures with fans at the booth!

Branching off that a little bit, how do you feel 5G has impacted the way you play and on mobile esports as a whole?

5G has been massive for mobile esports. When competition is so fierce at the top, every single advantage you can find is crucial – and being backed by a powerful 5G network almost becomes a necessity to be able to compete at the highest level. It's why our partnership with AT&T has been so fluid: the leading mobile esports organization partners with the leading 5G network. It's like peanut butter and jelly!

We've seen some rough changes over the past couple of years coming out of the pandemic. What do you think about the state of the current esports scene in general?

Unique to mobile gaming, you can play literally anywhere at any time, which has led to an explosion in the mobile gaming playerbase and content consumption over the last decade. Seeing that most major developers and IP have really started to pour into mobile gaming and mobile esports over the last 24 months, I'd say it's never been more exciting to be a part of the mobile gaming esports and content community.

What are you and the rest of Tribe Gaming looking forward to over the rest of 2023?

The end of the year is our favorite time of year at Tribe – it's finally World Championship season in esports. Stay tuned for our teams competing on the biggest global stages in mobile esports where we're hoping to take home our fourth World Championship in Tribe history.

Aside from the obvious, is there anything you'd like to promote or plug?

I'll make it simple by saying AT&T is the best, and I'm proud to be both a partner of theirs and a long-time customer.

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