NEW YORK: Mastercard is all set to provide ‘priceless’ experiences to players and fans associated with professionally held competitions of the world’s largest eSport, the League of Legends. The financial services company was named as the first global sponsor of the League of Legends’ parent company, Riot Games on Wednesday.
“Esports is a phenomenon that continues to grow in popularity, with fans that can rival those at any major sporting event in their enthusiasm and energy,” Raja Rajamannar, Mastercard’s chief marketing and communications officer, said.
“Our Priceless platform is built around connecting with people through their passions. We are excited about the experiences and benefits we can bring to the world’s largest eSport – both in-game and to the millions of League of Legends fans that watch and attend the tournaments each year.”
“We’re thrilled to team up with Mastercard on this groundbreaking partnership that will provide meaningful and long-term value to our fans,” Naz Aletaha, head of eSports partnerships at Riot Games, said.
“Mastercard is among the first of world-class brands to take such a big step into eSports at the global level, and we’re proud to have them support League of Legends eSports events alongside their other premier sports and entertainment sponsorships.”
As the exclusive global payment services partner for all League of Legends events, Mastercard will focus on three annual global tournaments – the Mid-Season Invitational, the All-Star Event, and the pinnacle of all eSports events, the World Championship.
It will curate experiences and offers across onsite event activations, priceless.com and through other various promotions starting with the World Championship in South Korea this year. They include an opportunity to watch a game with a professional player from VIP seats, testing the gaming PCs they will compete on and an exclusive behind-the-scenes tour.
From Wednesday itself, Mastercard began offering cardholders in USA and Canada the chance to win the ultimate All-Star Event experience when they use and save their card information within the League of Legends gaming platform.
The company will also be working with its banking partners to offer League of Legends co-branded products in select markets, starting in 2019.
For more than two decades, it has been a sponsor of sports and entertainment. Besides the League of Legends, Mastercard’s roster of premier partners include Major League Baseball, the PGA TOUR, Tennis’ Australian Open and Roland-Garros, Rugby World Cup and UEFA Champions League, amongst others.
