Riot Games has expanded its global partnership with Mastercard to include the League of Legends Championship Series (LCS).

The extended deal will begin with this weekend’s LCS Summer Split Finals in Detroit, with Mastercard helping sponsoring the opening ceremonies. Backstage tours, VIP viewing with professional players, and meet-and-greets have been confirmed for cardholders too.

Cheryl Guerin, EVP of North America Marketing & Communications at Mastercard discussed the expanded deal in a release: “This expanded relationship represents the continued growth in popularity of esports as well as the success of the global partnership between Mastercard and Riot Games. We are also excited through the “Together Start Something Priceless” content series to not only demonstrate our support for this community, but also share some of the great stories and inspiring individuals we have encountered during our partnership.”

Moving forward, the payments and technology company will also sponsor LCS segment ‘Player of the Week Award,’ which highlights a player as selected by a committee of commentators and analysts based on weekly performance.

Matthew Archambault, Head of Esports Partnerships and Business Development for North America at Riot Games added: “Mastercard has already proven themselves to be true stewards of the League of Legends community. After launching our partnership last year, including global events and the curation of truly priceless moments at Worlds, we’re thrilled to be expanding the relationship and partnering with Mastercard to deliver additional unique experiences directly to LCS fans in North America.”

Mastercard has partnered with MOFILM to introduce ‘Together Start Something Priceless’, a community-driven content series that will showcase stories of League of Legends players around the world. There will be five films in total, starting with Stephen “Snoopeh” Ellis.

Mastercard entered a multi-year partnership with Riot Games in September last year, becoming League of Legends esports’ first global sponsor. The deal covered annual events like the Mid-Season Invitational, All-Star Event, and World Championship.

Esports Insider says: It’s clear to see that Mastercard believes itsinvestment in League of Legends esports is the way to go. This is good news for esports as it’s another example of big corporations continuing to support the industry after already being involved in it.

ESI London 2019 - Find out more