Royal Never Give Up (RNG) has announced via their Weibo that they have entered into a sponsorship agreement with German car manufacturer, Mercedes-Benz.
Mercedes becomes RNG's official sponsor.https://t.co/dLvUDlEdN5 pic.twitter.com/118uiGHtTQ
— Shengyi (@Marco_YS35) June 17, 2018
The deal was shared on Twitter by @Marco_YS35
The deal will include a jersey sponsorship from Mercedes, while players from RNG will feature in advertisements geared towards League of Legends fans during the LPL broadcast.
Mercedes-Benz has sponsored the Chinese League of Legends scene in the past, having a deal with the LPL directly. The deal was, however, cut short after Mercedes shared an image with a Dalai Lama quote, Mercedes was quickly removed from LPL broadcasts and their deal with the league was cut short. The Dalai Lama has been considered a fugitive by China since he fled China-controlled Tibet to India back in 1959.
That controversy obviously didn’t put Mercedes-Benz off esports or the Chinese market, however, with them returning to both the scene and the region of their controversial past.
Royal Never Give Up currently sit 1-1 in the LPL, with a victory against LGD and a week one defeat to JDG, they will face up against 3-0 side Suning Gaming on the 20th of June in their next fixture. The Chinese side recently won the LoL Mid-Season Invitational in Paris, after finishing first in a tough LPL Spring Split.
Esports Insider says: It’s good to see past issues have not put Mercedes off pushing more into esports partnerships, though we would assume it’s hard to pass up such a huge market, especially one that targets a demographic that is full of potential future buyers of Mercedes cars.