• Kia continues main partnership with the League of Legends European Championship (LEC), for the third consecutive year since 2019
• Sponsorship video jointly produced with LEC organizer Riot Games, will open the season, featuring the newly revealed Kia logo
• Kia further strengthens its presence in global eSports marketing, following the recent naming partnership with DWG Kia

Kia Corporation announced today that the company will extend its main partnership with the League of Legends European Championship (LEC), building on its sponsorship of the popular eSports competition for the third consecutive year since 2019.

“We are humbled to see Kia coming back to the LEC for the third year in a row, and to see the LEC among its prestigious portfolio of partnership properties, such as the Australian Open and FIFA” said Alban Dechelotte, Head of Partnerships & Business Development EMEA at Riot Games. “Most notably, we are thankful for Kia’s trust in the LEC to be a springboard for their core values of change and innovation, especially in this pivotal year for the automotive manufacturer. We cannot wait to see how this new positioning will fuel the creativity of our on-air talent team”.

Throughout the season, Kia will offer various brand experiences to League of Legends fans around the world, with marketing initiatives that will include the company’s new branding and latest models.

“Through our renewed partnership with LEC, one of the world’s premier eSports tournaments, we look forward to actively engaging with and introducing the new Kia brand to global eSports fans. We are especially excited to see our recently revealed new corporate logo appear in the League of Legend’s in-game map, the Summoner’s Rift,” said Michael Choo, Head of Brand Experience Team at Kia.

Kia and LEC organizer Riot Games have teamed up to release a jointly produced sponsorship video, titled ‘Kia X LEC: The best idea’, announcing the start of the LEC 2021 season. The video features the newly revealed Kia logo, which was unveiled earlier this month. Last season’s opening music video ‘I Want the LEC Back!’, attracted over one million views, featuring the electric Kia Niro EV.

For this season, Kia will also serve as the presenting sponsor of three LEC awards, given to the most outstanding players of 2021: the Kia All-pro team, Kia Player of the Game, and the Kia MVP of the Split Award. Branded flags and drops will also be a new addition for in-game exposure this season.

Kia also signed a recent partnership with DWG Kia (former DAMWON Gaming), the winners of the 2020 League of Legends World Championship. Alongside the LEC and DWG Kia partnership, Kia will continue to engage with eSports fans by promoting eSports marketing initiatives that are in line with its future strategy Plan S, under which Kia will expand its EV business.

The 2021 LEC season is organized into a Spring Split and Summer Split, with the former starting on January 22 at Riot Games’ Berlin studio. Details on the date and venue for the Spring Split final will be disclosed in the future.

Since its first launch in 2009, League of Legends has become the world’s biggest and fastest growing eSports platform. The game is enjoyed by more than 100 million players every month, whereas the 12 official leagues have gained billions of viewers worldwide. LEC, the highest level competition in Europe, gained a peak viewership of over 800,000 views last season alone.