China’s League of Legends Pro League (LPL) has added BYD as an official partner for the 2026 season, making the automaker the first Chinese automotive brand to sponsor the competition.
The partnership is tied to BYD Ocean Series, the company’s product and retail brand focused on new-energy vehicles, including electric and plug-in-hybrid models. Financial terms and the length of the agreement were not disclosed.
The deal fills one of the LPL’s most visible sponsorship categories after Mercedes-Benz ended its long-running partnership with the Chinese league. Mercedes-Benz had supported the LPL for more than eight years before exiting ahead of the 2026 season, according to previous reporting by The Esports Advocate.
For BYD, the agreement extends an esports marketing strategy already visible in China’s gaming sector. The company previously sponsored Wuhan eStarPro, the Honor of Kings team owned by NIP Group’s eStar brand. BYD also appeared in Blizzard Entertainment and NetEase’s 2025 China vs Europe showmatch, where the MVP received one-year driving rights to a BYD Yangwang U9 supercar rather than ownership of the vehicle.
The LPL deal gives BYD Ocean access to one of China’s most commercially developed esports audiences at a time when automakers are competing aggressively for younger consumers. The BYD Ocean Series has become a major part of the company’s domestic sales push, with Chinese media reporting cumulative sales of more than 6.2 million units since launch and more than 2.22 million units sold in 2025.