Japanese car brand Honda has signed as the exclusive automotive partner of League of Legends in North America.
The deal makes Honda a major sponsor of the North America League of Legends Championship Series (LCS) – the biggest League of Legends esports league in North America.
Honda will also sponsor the League MVP and the LCS Scouting Grounds, a platform that helps up-and-coming players get noticed by LCS teams.
The deal means Honda is now the first car brand in North America to sponsor both an esports league and one of its teams.
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In January this year, Honda signed a shirt sleeve partnership with US-based Team Liquid. The deal includes extensive player access, which Honda has already leveraged to produce online video commercials.
Honda also provides significant value in kind to Team Liquid in the form of co-branded Honda Civics and a Honda Odyssey minivan, which the team uses to travel to match-day events.
With LCS, Honda will produce similar co-branded commercial content, but steps will be taken to ensure each team in the league gets equal exposure.
Honda’s LCS partnership goes live at the Summer Split Playoffs in Los Angeles on August 10, and continues through the Finals in Detroit on August 24-25.
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