SEOUL & INCHEON, South Korea--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Mastercard’s first activation of the World Championship comes to life through The Mastercard® Nexus, a League of Legends-themed experiential pop-up in the Gangnam Gu neighborhood of Seoul. The 2018 World Championship Finals will kick off in Incheon with the “Finals Opening Ceremony presented by Mastercard,” which will include a performance of the 2018 Worlds anthem ‘RISE’ featuring The Glitch Mob, Mako, The Word Alive, and Bobby of iKON. There will also be a special performance debut of a new Riot produced song featuring Madison Beer, Miyeon and Soyeon of (G)I-DLE, and Jaira Burns.
“The Mastercard Nexus is a result of passionate, creative collaboration designed to bring the League to life for fans in new and exciting ways,” said Raja Rajamannar, chief marketing and communications officer, Mastercard. “From the Mastercard Nexus to the Finals Opening Ceremony, we are thrilled to be on the ground for our first World Championship. Our promise to create unforgettable Priceless experiences for the community is only beginning. ”
“We’re excited to debut our partnership in such an engaging way at Worlds. Through the immersive Mastercard Nexus, the highly anticipated opening ceremony performances, and a variety of Priceless experiences, Mastercard is delivering the kinds of fan-first touchpoints that enhance the overall Worlds experience,” said Naz Aletaha, head of global esports partnerships at Riot Games. “We look forward to continuing our collaboration with Mastercard over the next few years to further evolve and define what Priceless means for League of Legends esports fans all over the world.”
Mastercard Nexus, Kunsthalle 97-22 Nonhyeon-Dong, Gangnam Gu
The Mastercard Nexus will be open November 1st & 2nd from 11:00am – 8:00pm, and November 3rd from 2:00pm (doors closing at 5:00pm), and will feature a number of ways for League of Legends fans to get closer to the esport they love, including:
Experiences
- “Become a Champion” through social, shareable Augmented Reality experience
- Play on high-performance gaming PCs and experience Riot Game’s Snowdown Showdown 1v1 game mode that is used exclusively at the All-Star Event
Education
- Learn “how to stream” – from basics to advanced - at Twitch’s Creator Camp
- Listen to panel discussions with shoutcasters and players
Inspiration
- Meet pro-players and teams
- Interact with League of Legends cosplayers
Finals Opening Ceremony, Incheon
In the lead-up to the finals, Mastercard has curated special Priceless experiences for fans including the opportunity to view the opening ceremony rehearsal and get a behind-the-scenes tour, or to play test the gaming PCs the pros will compete on during the World Championship Final. These experiences are quickly selling out, visit priceless.com for the latest available opportunities.
For those not in attendance, this year’s ceremony can be viewed at watch.lolesports.com at 3:30AM ET on November 3. Follow and join on social using hashtags #Priceless and #Worlds2018.
For more information on Mastercard’s partnership with League of Legends Esports, please view our Digital Press Kit.
About League of Legends Esports Leagues
League of Legends is a premiere global sport with 14 professional esports leagues, 113 professional teams, and over 850 salaried athletes worldwide, overseen and operated by Riot Games. League of Legends esports games are broadcast live to millions of fans in 18 different languages across the globe, with viewership of the regular season averaging 90 million hours-watched live, week-over-week worldwide.
The League of Legends World Championship tournament consistently reaches new viewership milestones each year, easily rivaling those of major traditional sporting event finals; for example, Worlds 2017 reached a total of 1.2 billion hours watched over the course of the 21-day competition, with the most-watched match pulling in over 80 million live unique viewers.
About Mastercard
Mastercard (NYSE:MA), www.mastercard.com, is a technology company in the global payments industry. Our global payments processing network connects consumers, financial institutions, merchants, governments and businesses in more than 210 countries and territories. Mastercard products and solutions make everyday commerce activities – such as shopping, traveling, running a business and managing finances – easier, more secure and more efficient for everyone. Follow us on Twitter @MastercardNews, join the discussion on the Beyond the Transaction Blog and subscribe for the latest news on the Engagement Bureau.
