Louis Vuitton will work with Riot Games to produce in-game costumes and a collection of actual clothingRIOT GAMES
Riot Games' League of Legends has signed a deal with French ultra luxury brand Louis Vuitton, which is "making its first foray into esports," according to Adam Stern of SPORTS BUSINESS JOURNAL. Terms of the multiyear deal are "not being disclosed," but it is "based around Louis Vuitton creating a special trophy case that will house the Summoner's Cup, the League of Legends hardware that is given out annually to its world champion." The company also will "work with Riot Games to produce in-game costumes -- called skins -- that players can use in the digital world, and a collection of actual clothing that people can wear in real life." Louis Vuitton "creates a similar trophy case for the FIFA World Cup in soccer" (SPORTS BUSINESS JOURNAL, 9/23 issue). Louis Vuitton Chair & CEO Michael Burke said, "It's the biggest trophy case we've ever designed in our 163 years. It will be impossible not to see it. It will be unveiled like no other unveiling has ever occurred. There is a real trophy, but everything surrounding it is, of course, intangible -- it's digital." Riot Games Head of Global Esports Partnerships Naz Aletaha said that the case "features the LV monogram pattern alongside 'high-tech elements and state-of-the-art technology that will be really compelling to fans'" (WWD.com, 9/23).
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