League Of Legends Competition Sponsored By Saudi Megacity Draws Backlash, Partnership Ends

A sponsorship deal that the "League of Legends" European Championship (LEC) entered into with controversial Saudi Arabian megacity Neom has generated significant fan backlash against developer Riot.

LEC is one of the most popular esports leagues in the world and Riot just announced that Neom will be one of the league’s main sponsors alongside Kit Kat and Kia.

Given the Saudi government’s long history of human rights abuses, this sponsorship deal immediately drew criticism online, The Verge reports. Neom, pitched as a futuristic playground, “will be championing the development of esports across the world,” Riot explained.

As fans expressed their anger on Twitter, it’s worth noting that the LEC’s Twitter avatar is currently a pride flag. Yet in Saudi Arabia, homosexuality remains illegal.

Several LEC broadcasters voiced their displeasure on Twitter. “The league I cover is now promoting a country that would kill me just for existing,” said James “Stress” O’Leary. “Feels great.” Commentator Indiana “Froskurinn” Black echoed those thoughts in a statement.

“This is disappointing because this is the LEC,” she said. “It’s my team, my product, my managers, my office. My family. My home. This isn’t someone far away in HQ that I don’t know. This is devastating because I know who made these choices and I feel silenced.”

Other Riot staff spoke up as well, including Mark Yetter, lead gameplay designer on "League of Legends." “I can’t and do not personally support this partnership,” he said. “Sponsors are essential for the esport to thrive, but not at the cost of human life and freedoms.”

Riot recently unveiled a major rebrand of "League of Legends" esports in an attempt to bring all of its leagues across the world — including the LEC — closer together.

In the wake of the controversy, LEC stunningly announced on Twitter that it was ending the partnership with Neom.

Quoting Alberto Guerrero, LEC Director of Esports, EMEA, the following statement was released:

“As a company and as a league, we know that it’s important to recognize when we make mistakes and quickly work to correct them. After further reflection, while we remain steadfastly committed to all of our players and fans worldwide including those living in Saudi Arabia and the Middle East, the LEC has ended its partnership with NEOM, effective immediately. In an effort to expand our esports ecosystem, we moved too quickly to cement this partnership and caused rifts in the very community we seek to grow. While we missed our own expectations in this instance, we’re committed to reexamining our internal structures to ensure this doesn't happen again.”

The Neom project had just recently announced a sponsorship deal with Blast Premier, a popular “Counter-Strike: Global Offensive” competition, says The Verge. “This is a record deal for Blast and testament to our recent growth and standing in the industry right now,” CEO Robbie Douek said in a statement.