Brisk Iced Tea, a division of PepsiCo, is doubling down in the video game market. Following its on-going partnership with eSports team Optic Gaming to promote its Brisk Mate drink, the beverage company is heading to E3 with Twitch and video game influencers N3RDFUSION.

On Tuesday, June 14, at the Twitch E3 stage at 5:15pm PST—and on the Twitch homepage—a costumed Beta Bull character from Brisk Strawberry Melon will battle N3RDFUSION in Ubisoft’s Eagle Flight game on Oculus Rift.

Mandy Mazzeo, brand manager at Brisk Iced Tea, explains to [a]listdaily what livestreaming, virtual reality, and E3 open up for the brand in this exclusive interview.

Where did this idea come from?

The partnership between Twitch and the Brisk brand started as a media content partnership. We explored how to bring our Beta Bull character to life in collaboration with Twitch.

Can you talk about this latest gaming activation?

Brisk Mate partnered with OpTic Gaming earlier this year, so this event continues to enhance the Brisk brand’s relationship with the gaming world. Strawberry Melon’s Beta Bull was created to be a video game fanatic, as his character resembles members of the gaming community. His character has played every game you’ve ever heard of, invented dozens of his own accord, and he is able to traverse gaming genres—saving princesses, beating the unbeatable, and climbing leaderboards around the globe.

What type of audience does Twitch open up outside of eSports?

We know a lot of our consumers are part of this eSports community, but this is another angle, or another way into that community, and a way to remain relevant. Twitch is a huge platform for gaming, bringing our campaign idea with a giant Beta Bull to E3 and partnering with a great group of influencers N3RDFUSION.

Who is N3RDFUSION?

N3RDFUSION is made up of four quirky influencers that create engaging content as a team. In addition to being life-long streamers, they’re passionate about gaming and are well-known and respected in the gaming community for their insights, expertise and charismatic personalities. N3RDFUSION’s audience is composed of mainstream gamers that enjoy many titles and genres. Fans watch them for entertainment and news, although they are valued for their behind-the-scenes access to the latest in gaming as well as their varied skills across gaming platforms. Similar to Brisk Iced Tea’s fans, N3RDFUSION encourages their fans to follow their passions, just as they pursue theirs.

What were some of the lessons learned from the OpTic Gaming partnership?

Optic Gaming’s audience are die-hard gamers. We know their fan base, and the reach they have is incredible. The interaction that these guys have directly with their fans is amazing, and the synergies of living their lives and being true to who they are and following passions is authentic. They do more than just gaming. The fact is, with OpTic as influencers, our Brisk fan base has taken on that same mentality. When the opportunity arose to be part of Twitch and this livestream, we wanted to be part of this because we were driving great engagement from our OpTic partnership.

Why did you choose N3RDFUSION from all of the influencers out there?

Knowing these guys have a following and have the same mantra and attitude as our consumers, it was a perfect fit. The Brisk brand is all about the pursuit of passion, being true to who you are, and blazing your own trail. OpTic really defined the realm of not just eSports gamers; they’re a lifestyle brand in and of themselves. And the streams that N3RDFUSION does; they do things in a non-conventional way. All of these guys are out there following their passions and doing what they love.

Who is the Brisk consumer?

Our demo is the 18-24-year-old male. Gaming is one of their passion points. They’re making their own music, playing street ball, creating digital art, or skateboarding. Gaming makes up a component of a lot of things that make up our consumer.

Can you detail the E3 activation?

We’re a media content partner with Twitch. Beta Bull from our Strawberry Melon flavor takes the character off the package and brings it to life through a series of videos live now on Twitch. We’ve built up the character by first introducing him and then showing him training for something. He’s an awesome gamer; the best of the best. Beta Bull challenged N3RDFUSION and they’ve accepted. The program will culminate at E3 on Tuesday June 14, where Twitch is doing a homepage takeover and streaming the challenge live during a 30-minute block.

What does being part of E3 open up to your brand?

What excited us about this program was bringing something new to E3 and for the Brisk brand to be part of the first time this VR game, Eagle Flight, is being streamed live on stage. What we love about this VR game is that it’s multiplayer, and it’s unique to have multiplayer in a VR game. Our consumer is very much focused on their passions, and sharing those passions with friends. This is the first time Twitch is streaming a VR experience. It’s a unique look at what a multiplayer VR experience can look like with Oculus Rift.

Will people be able to watch this in VR?

Twitch is currently available via Oculus Video on Samsung VR. Users will be able to watch Twitch’s live E3 stream in a 360-degree environment.

How can people who don’t tune in live watch this competition?

The video content will live on VOD on Twitch’s channel, Twitch.tv/Twitch, after the event.

What has the reception been like so far, with OpTic Gaming and now this?

So far, we’re feeling really good about the moves we’ve made in the gaming space. The reception from our fans has been good.

Is this the beginning of more Twitch gaming activations?

We’re looking forward to this activation and there’s potential for more.