Honda becomes the exclusive automobile partner of the LCS

Honda has strategically re-entered the competitive gaming landscape by securing the exclusive automotive partnership position with the League of Legends Championship Series. This move represents a significant commitment to the rapidly growing esports industry.

Starting with the Summer Split Playoffs, Honda’s sponsorship extends beyond the main league competition to include the LCS Scouting Grounds talent development program and the prestigious League MVP award. Riot Games’ head of esports partnerships Matthew Archambault emphasized that Honda’s comprehensive approach to supporting the entire competitive ecosystem was a key factor in the partnership decision.

“Their investment strategy demonstrates genuine commitment across all competitive tiers, from professional players to the developmental pipeline,” Archambault explained. “Honda shows authentic dedication to nurturing amateur talent pathways. We actively seek partners who demonstrate real investment in the space’s long-term growth.”

This landmark agreement establishes Honda as the pioneering automotive manufacturer to simultaneously sponsor both a major esports league and one of its franchise organizations within the North American market. This achievement builds upon their existing relationship with Team Liquid, originally revealed earlier this year.

The collaboration features extensive branded content creation alongside prominent Honda logo placement on team uniforms and official merchandise. Team Liquid’s transportation to competitive events includes customized Honda Odyssey minivans featuring the organization’s distinctive horsehead emblem. The organization also maintains a collection of specially branded Honda Civic vehicles for team operations.

Team Liquid co-CEO Steve Arhancet highlighted the strategic importance of social media content within the partnership framework. American Honda’s manager of media strategy Phil Hruska reported overwhelmingly positive audience reception to their collaborative social media initiatives with Team Liquid.

“We were developing our comprehensive gaming engagement strategy at the beginning of this calendar year, which aligned perfectly with the Team Liquid partnership development timeline,” Hruska noted.

According to Hruska, the corporation implemented a deliberate “crawl-walk-run” strategic framework for evaluating esports industry opportunities. He characterized the Riot Games league sponsorship as requiring extended development time but representing a logical progression from their Team Liquid organizational partnership.

“Simultaneously, we maintained this gradual strategic approach while exploring additional opportunities in parallel. The Riot agreement demanded more extensive negotiation but evolved naturally from our established foundation with Team Liquid,” Hruska elaborated.

Across Twitch, YouTube, Reddit, Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram platforms, Honda will debut 15-second spotlight videos featuring Team Liquid’s professional League of Legends competitors. The automotive brand will partner with Riot Games to produce comparable content featuring players from other LCS franchise organizations.

“Naturally, as league management, I maintain equal enthusiasm for all our partner teams,” Archambault commented.

Honda maintained involvement in competitive gaming prior to the Team Liquid collaboration. The automotive manufacturer previously collaborated with RedBull and Twitch in 2016, organizing a Hearthstone competitive tournament that demonstrated early recognition of esports marketing potential.

This strategic expansion reflects growing recognition among traditional brands of esports’ marketing effectiveness. The dual sponsorship approach provides comprehensive market coverage while minimizing investment risk through staggered commitment timing.

For gaming organizations considering similar partnerships, this case study demonstrates the value of starting with team-level collaborations before expanding to league-wide partnerships. This measured approach allows brands to test audience response and refine strategies before making larger commitments.

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