Riot Games has announced a partnership with gaming chair manufacturer AKRacing for the 2020 League of Legends European Championship (LEC) season. AKRacing will join as the Official Chair Supplier and provide the seats used onstage in live competitions for esports players.
AKRacing, LEC partnership
“We are beyond ecstatic to be making our entry into the world that is League of Legends via our 2020 LEC Season partnership,” said Chris Katzer, Partnership Manager at AKRacing, in a release. “Together with Riot Games, we’re able to share our passion for gaming and comfort as we bring our premium chairs to the players of the European Championship.”
The partnership will see a special edition gaming chair released with LEC branding. AKRacing began as a real racing seat manufacturer, with its roots in automotive sports seats. It later expanded to gaming and office chairs, providing the same ergonomic designs to professional esports players who needed to sit in a chair for over 12 hours a day. Some of the adjustable features include seat height, angle, backrest recline, armrest position, headrest location, and lumbar support.
AKRacing last partnered with the H1Z1 Pro League, the first professional battle royale esports league of its kind. The league emphasized a $50,000 a year minimum salary for players, along with a $400,000 stipend for player salaries and content production. In addition, the H1Z1 Pro League announced a 50,000 square foot facility that would host all of the action.
However, it ended up shutting down in the middle of the inaugural season – only six months after starting. This was attributed mostly to delayed payments, due to an extremely low viewership and declining player base.
The AKRacing partnership joins others like gaming peripheral brand Logitech, Chinese live streaming platform HUYA, computer hardware company Alienware, and automobile manufacturer Kia Motors. These will all serve as sponsors for the 2020 LEC season.
