South Korean esports organisation T1 Entertainment & Sports, best known for its League of Legends team, has partnered with Universal Products & Experiences to release an official merchandise collection with Minions, the IP originally created by Illumination (a subsidiary of Universal Pictures) in the Despicable Me franchise.
Named T1 x Minions, the collection went on sale at 11:00 a.m. KST on October 13, 2026, and is available through T1’s official online store at shop-t1.gg, as well as the organisation’s physical retail locations.
According to T1, Universal granted what the organisation describes as a rare licensing exception, allowing its current starting League of Legends Champions Korea (LCK) roster to be depicted as yellow Minion characters for the collection. T1 says this is the first time Universal has approved this kind of character transformation as part of a brand partnership in esports.
The designs combine T1’s red-and-black team colours with the Minions’ visual style and are built around each player’s individual traits, signature poses, and playstyle. The players featured in the collection are the current LCK starting lineup: Choi “Doran“ Hyeon-jun, Mun “Oner“ Hyeon-jun, Lee “Faker“ Sang-hyeok, Kim “Peyz“ Su-hwan and Ryu “Keria“ Min-seok.
T1 CEO Joe Marsh said, “This collaboration represents a monumental moment where competitive esports culture collides with global entertainment royalty. Universal making an exclusive exception to depict our players as Minions highlights the unprecedented global impact of T1 and our roster. We cannot wait for fans around the world to get their hands on this unique collection.”
T1 has enjoyed a strong year of commercial growth in 2026, expanding its portfolio of partnerships and collaborations. Among its latest ventures is a collaboration with K-pop group SEVENTEEN to release a new track on Spotify. T1 also celebrated its sixth League of Legends World Championship (Worlds) title, won in 2025, by teaming up with Riot Games to launch a trading card collection. Around the same period, gaming peripherals brand SteelSeries extended its official partnership with T1 through a new multi-year agreement.
