Chinese organisation Royal Never Give Up (RNG) has appointed smartphone brand Hongmo as its global strategic partner.
The partnership was first revealed at a celebratory ceremony held at the RNG Beijing Esports Center on December 28th.
It’s said that the deal will involve a RNG-branded smartphone being made available for purchase from January 8th, each will feature autographs from the team’s League of Legends players.
Royal Never Give Up has a whole host of partners, including the likes of Lynx, HP, Logitech G, DouyuTV, and Yili Guliduo. In June last year, it was revealed that the organisation had received sponsorship from Mercedes-Benz – this included a jersey sponsorship and advertisements during the LPL broadcast featuring RNG’s players.
The following September, it was announced that the organisation had entered a one-year sponsorship deal with fast food giant KFC. Details of the sponsorship include KFC’s branding being placed on RNG’s jerseys and around its esports venue, the production of RNG toys and special meals, and an RNG-exclusive store.
Jian “Uzi” Zihao, a player for RNG, signed an endorsement deal with Nike in October of the same year. Appearing in the “Dribble &” campaign alongside basketball star LeBron James and actor Bai Jingting, financial details of Uzi’s inclusion weren’t disclosed.
Esports Insider says: RNG and Uzi are showing just how mainstream esports can be when interest in the industry is massive in a particular region, and this deal is further proof. Being able to buy a RNG-branded phone – with autographs from the players – is a big step providing that it sells well, which it undoubtedly will. Further details of the strategic partnership being unknown at this time doesn’t help when judging the deal as a whole, however.