Max Verstappen Takes to the Gaming Arena for Heineken’s Player 0.0 Final

Last weekend, Dutch beer brand Heineken hosted the final of its 2024 Player 0.0 global gaming competition. Held at Madrid’s annual GAMERGY festival, the esport event united the most dedicated sim racers as they battled for the title.

Heineken’s Player 0.0 comes as the cherry on top of its recent activations in the gaming world. Back in 2023, the brand collaborated with Le Pub Brazil on a “Beer Matchmaking” service that connected gamers on a dedicated platform, before launching the “TH3 G4M1NG FR1DG3” – a unique device that dually cooled down PCs and bottles of beer.

Continuing to engage gaming fans, the Player 0.0 competition took away the theatrics and instead, focused on skill and performance. Over the course of a year, gamers across 20 countries came face-to-face on a special mobile game that qualified them for a round of local heats in which, gameplay stepped up with the introduction of racing simulators. A group of the highest-scoring gamers were then invited to Madrid for the grand final where they got to meet longtime brand ambassador Max Verstappen.

Coming from Japan, Brazil, and beyond, the gamers connected through their mutual love of sim racing on a simulation of the Zandvoort circuit, famously hosting the Formula 1 Heineken Dutch Grand Prix. After the intense gaming, Slovenian sim racer Jernej Dovžan came out on top and was crowned the winner by the four-time world champion. “It’s incredible to see the passion and dedication of these racers,” said Verstappen. Honing in on Heineken’s banner initiative, When You Drive, Never Drink, he added, “Player 0.0 continues to showcase the importance of skill, focus, and making the right choices—not just in racing, but in life.”

Take a look back at the Player 0.0 global gaming competition in the gallery above.

To stay up to date on the latest from Player 0.0, head to Heineken’s website.

DISCLAIMER: We discourage irresponsible and/or underage drinking. Drink responsibly and legally.

Click here to view full gallery at Hypebeast