Riot Games names Verizon a founding partner for Wild Rift esports North America

The gaming behemoth Riot has joined forces to name one of the largest network providers Verizon as a founding partner of League of Legends Wild Rift in the North American region.

This isn't the first time Verizon and Riot Games have collaborated; they've previously worked together on other Riot titles such as Valorant and League of Legends.

The forthcoming Wild Rift North American Series, the inaugural season of a brand new LAN esports tournament set to take place at Mall of America in Bloomington, Minnesota from April 29 to May 1, will have Verizon as its official 5G network and cellular service provider. Furthermore, Verizon will collaborate with Riot Games to create a variety of "immersive fan experiences" for the event, and Verizon will be a major presence at a number of Wild Rift events scheduled for 2022.

Matt Archambault, Head of Esports Partnerships and Business Development for Riot Games North America and Oceania, said: “After such a passionate response to the Wild Rift game, launching season one of the esport was a natural next step for the title.

“When assessing elite partners for the launch, it was clear that Verizon’s category recognition for speed, scale, reliability and technology sophistication across mobile seamlessly align with the expectations of the Wild Rift community.”

The network provider has gained the rights to use Wild Rift's IP in its marketing and social media activities, as well as any original content it generates. Moreover, the firm will employ a 'Founding Partner logo' that will appear on both platforms.