Chinese automobile company BYD announced on Tuesday that it had signed a global strategic partnership with global esports company Ninjas in Pyjamas (NIP Group), becoming its global strategic partner. NIP Group told The Esports Advocate that the BYD logo would be featured on the left shoulder of its League of Legends Pro League (LPL) team jerseys—excluding its Western divisions in Counter-Strike 2 and Rainbow Six Siege. It should be noted that BYD has served as the sponsor of NIP Group’s Honor of Kings team eStar.Pro since 2021, and the logo is also placed on the left shoulder of the team jerseys.
Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.
BYD is one of the biggest electric automobile brands in China, and has surpassed Tesla; it owned 22% of the global plug-in electric vehicle market share in 2023, according to Statista. NIP Group mentioned in its announcement that the partnership will further extend the international reach of BYD’s brand, products, and battery technology. The poster of the partnership also features BYD’s automobile sub-brands Denza, Yangwang, and Fang Cheng Bao. NIP Group confirmed to TEA that the sub-brands will not be featured on the team jerseys at the moment.
In 2023, Chinese esports company eStar Gaming Victory Five (ESV5) completed its merger with Sweden-based esports organization NIP through an equity swap. ESV5 CEO Mario Ho and NIP CEO Hicham Chahine currently serve as NIP Group’s co-CEOs.