OPPO is the latest non-endemic brand to enter the esports domain. Riot Games has just announced its partnership with the Chinese smartphone company. This makes OPPO the first smartphone company to become a global partner of Riot Games in League of Legends Esports. No half-hearted, cooperation between the two companies will last until 2024. OPPO will sponsor three League of Legends global tournaments, namely Mid-Season Invitational, All-Star Event, and World Championship. This collaboration will begin at the 2019 World Championship, which will be held in three cities from 2 October. This marks the first time OPPO entered the realm of esports.
The aim of OPPO to sponsor is to introduce their brand to League of Legends fans. There are several things OPPO has done to achieve their goals. One of them is presenting the title of Most Valuable Player in the Mid-Season Invitational and World Championship. In addition, OPPO will also display behind-the-scene content from the World Championship, which is packaged under the name OPPO Cam. Through a program called Welcome to the Rift, OPPO will show a new team competing in the League of Legends World Championship. Finally, OPPO will hold promotions for consumers, enabling them to win the chance to see the behind-the-scenes of three League of Legends global tournaments.
“Esports is a sport that is growing very fast at a global level, and League of Legends has become a lifestyle for young people over the past few years,” Brian Shen, OPPO Vice President and President of Global Marketing, was quoted as saying on the Nexus League of website. Legends. “As a consumer-focused brand, OPPO continues to look for the right way to connect with young people, who are our target consumers. This is the right step for Riot and OPPO; this collaboration allows us to strengthen our relationship with the younger generation, accompanying them in celebrating every victory. “
With more and more non-endemic brands entering the esports industry, OPPO’s decision to sponsor a League of Legends tournament is not uncommon. Then why League of Legends? Of all the esports games available, OPPO chose to sponsor games made by Riot Games. Apparently, one of the things that underlies OPPO to choose League of Legends is popularity. This MOBA game is very popular in China. The League of Legends Pro League (LPL) tournament held in China is the largest League of Legends league in the world. Meanwhile, according to ESC, in 2018, the League of Legends tournament became the longest watched esports tournament with a watch time duration of 78.8 million hours.
Not only are League of Legends tournaments popular, but also the content of the game. This can be seen from the total duration of watch time on Twitch. In the first half of 2019, League of Legends became the game with the longest watched content with a duration of watch time reaching 512.3 million hours. That number rises when compared with the duration of watch in the first semester of 2018, which only reached 435.2 million hours. In semester one of 2018, Fortnite became the most popular game on Twitch, defeating League of Legends in second place. However, the popularity of Fortnite declined at the beginning of this year. In addition, when compared to Fortnite or Apex Legends – the duration of time content is fluctuated – the duration of watching League of Legends tends to be stable. League of Legends is so popular that luxury brands like Louis Vuitton are also interested in working with Riot Games.
“OPPO’s commitment to design and innovation is the foundation of everything they do and we are pleased to be able to bring their passion to our global gaming and fanbase,” said Naz Aletaha, Head of Global Esports Business Development and Partnerships, Rio Games. “Being the first Esports league to be sponsored by OPPO is strong evidence of the popularity of League of Legends.”
