Sennheiser/Realtime deal

November 2009

With a well-established reputation for quality in headphones and microphones, Sennheiser's range of gaming products is about to consolidate its position as the premier choice in gaming, with the appointment of Realtime Distribution, one of the gaming industry's biggest names, as exclusive UK distributor.

Although the common perception of 'gaming' is that it is console-based, the majority of 'gamers' in the UK actually use PCs. Recognising this, Sennheiser manufactures a range of PC gaming headphones and headsets (which can also be adapted for console use), from budget models for the occasional home player to top-of-the-range headsets for professional gamers who earn their living from the activity.

Spearheaded by managing director Mark Reed, specialist gaming company Realtime Distribution represents all the leading brands of accessories in the UK market, which makes the addition of the partnership with Sennheiser a natural fit.

Mark Reed, MD of Realtime commented;

"PC gaming is a huge industry,". "Some players spend as much as 28 hours per week gaming and an enduring myth is that it's a solo activity."

Many of the most popular games are team activities and the eSports competitive gameplay element brings prizes of up to a million pounds to the best players. Team members can be anywhere - from in the same room to each person being on a different continent - and that, coupled with the very nature of games such as World of Warcraft, Counterstrike and Call of Duty, means that clear communication is absolutely vital.

"PC is the only platform that can competently handle multiple teams playing other multiple teams in a tournament or ladder based system," continues Reed. "Communicating with your other team members is what makes the involvement and strategy of the game so much more immersive. Therefore, to be as effective as possible, you need a really good quality headset and microphone.

"From our perspective, Sennheiser is a key manufacturer". "While it is well established in other market sectors, so far its relatively recent expansion into the gaming market has only been picked up on by professional eSports teams."

"What Realtime aims to do is bring Sennheiser much more into this side of the consumer market, taking its excellent brand values and existing use at the professional level of eSports to mass-market online gamers who want to use the technology, but may not necessarily be aware of Sennheiser as a brand."

Mark Andrews, Product Manager for Sennheiser Communications agrees, adding, "Brands that are high profile in professional circles aren't always as well-known in all areas at consumer level, despite being at the cutting edge of their respective technologies. By appointing Realtime Distribution as the sole UK distributor of our gaming headsets and headphones, we believe that Sennheiser will soon be as familiar a name to gamers as it is to musicians and audio professionals.

"We very much look forward to working with Mark and his team, in what we are sure will be a long and highly beneficial relationship for both companies."

For more information about Sennheiser gaming products, please visit www.sennheisergaming.co.uk