Chinese car manufacturer BYD has officially announced a new partnership deal with French esports organisation Team Vitality.
Under the agreement, announced jointly by BYD France and Team Vitality, the BYD Dolphin G DM-i, a plug-in hybrid (PHEV) supermini hatchback, will serve as the team’s official vehicle which means this specific vehicle will accompany players and teams on their travels.
The announcement also names BYD the “automotive supplier for the summer period,” and lists a wide range of Vitality’s competitive rosters as part of the partnership, spanning games including Rocket League, Teamfight Tactics, Tekken 8, Fortnite, Honor of Kings, Mobile Legends: Bang Bang, chess, and Trackmania.
As is common with sponsorship announcements of this kind, several details haven’t been made public. The financial terms of this partnership deal haven’t been publicly disclosed.
It’s also unclear how long the deal actually runs; the messaging points to “the summer period,” but no end date has been specified. And beyond the general strokes described above, neither company has published a detailed breakdown of each side’s obligations.
Car and vehicle brands teaming up with esports organisations isn’t a new phenomenon. Lamborghini has partnered with DreamHack, the esports and gaming festival organizer, while Chinese automaker OMODA has built sponsorship ties within VALORANT’s European (EMEA) competitive scene and London-based esports organisation Fnatic.
BYD itself already has a presence in China’s League of Legends esports ecosystem, separate from this new Team Vitality deal. And outside of cars altogether, Suzuki has expanded into esports too, securing a presence at the Evolution Championship Series (Evo), the long-running fighting game tournament.
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