Mentioned in this article Games: Dota 2

Mercedes-Benz is the latest from the automotive industry to jump into the esports space. The Stuttgart manufacturer and brand has announced that it will partner with ESL, and sponsor several tournaments, starting with the ESL One Hamburg Dota 2 competition.

[perfectpullquote align=”right” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]ESL One Hamburg will be the first third-party Dota 2 Major sponsored by Valve.[/perfectpullquote]

Dr Jens Thiemer, Vice President Marketing Mercedes-Benz Passenger Cars said in a statement:

“Our wide-ranging international commitment to sport allows us to accommodate the interests of our diverse target groups. As a brand, we maintain close contact with our customers, are able to build up empathy and to become an accepted part of their world. We have been following the extremely fast-growing eSports segment for some time now and are firmly of the opinion that this new involvement will complement our existing sports sponsoring activities with an eye on the future and allow us to make contact with a very interesting, new target group.”

Mercedes-Benz now joins Audi, Sabaru and Honda among the several car brands active in the space. Mercedes-Benz has for years inserted its car models in racing games, ranging from Gran Turismo to Mario Kart, and also announced the Mercedes-AMG Motorsport eRacing competiton for 2017, but this is their first major activation within the heart of esports.

ESL One Hamburg is also a notable competition, as it will be the first third-party Dota 2 Major sponsored by Valve. The sponsorship of a highly valued car brand is certainly a strong way for ESL to add even more gravitas and legitimacy towards its $1 million prize pool competition.