League of Legends world champion DAMWON Gaming has named automobile company Kia Motors as its naming sponsor, Ashley Kang reported yesterday.
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From 2021, DAMWON Gaming will officially become ‘DWG KIA’, as well as introducing a new team logo and uniform for the upcoming LCK season.
According to Kang, a DAMWON spokesperson said on the agreement: “After a long consideration process, we are glad [DWG] has come to a sponsorship agreement. The fact our new sponsorship partner already has a track record of reaching out to international fans through esports sponsorship should fill the DWG KIA fans with excitement.”
This will be KIA’s second foray into franchised LoL competition; the company has been the official automotive partner of the LEC — Europe’s top LoL league — since 2019, showcasing activations like ‘Kia Player of the Game’, ‘Kia Split MVP’, and ‘Kia Team of the Season’.
“We will contribute to the revitalisation of e-sports globally and actively communicate with fans through the naming sponsorship with DAMWON Gaming,” commented Hyugho Kwon, Head of Korea Business Division at Kia Motors. “In particular, we are aiming to promote the young and dynamic Kia brand to e-sports fans around the world through this new partnership.”
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DAMWON came into Worlds 2020 as one of the tournament favourites. They exacted revenge on G2 Esports in the semi-final before beating Chinese team Suning Gaming in the final. According to Esports Charts, Worlds 2020 achieved an average concurrent viewership of 1,113,702.
Esports Insider says: Being the best team in the world in the biggest esport in the world certainly has its perks. Kia clearly sees esports and gaming as an avenue through which to access younger people, as evidenced by its previous LoL-related marketing campaigns with the LEC, Fnatic, and Rogue.