Coinbase sponsors Riot Games’ League of Legends, Valorant esports

The exchange sees a way to reach gamers through the deal

article-image

Riot Games/League of Legends and Coinbase modified by Blockworks

share

This is a segment from The Drop newsletter. To read full editions, subscribe.


Coinbase is now sponsoring Riot Games for the studio’s League of Legends and Valorant Esports global gaming events.

The deal officially starts next month with two esports events in Canada. The first is the Valorant Masters event in Toronto June 7. Coinbase will also be part of the MSI 2025 esports tournament in Vancouver that runs June 27 until July 12.

David Mulhall, Riot Games’ global head of esports partnerships and business development, called Coinbase a “perfect addition” to its list of brand partners and said the crypto firm can bring “engagement touchpoints and features that our global esports community appreciates.”

Crypto, however, remains a polarizing and controversial topic among gamers, including League of Legends fans. Some gamers like it and some are open to it, while others absolutely despise it, as we’ve seen time and time again when non-crypto video games toy with the idea of crypto integrations or add NFTs to their titles.

Coinbase is planning event activations, promotions, awards and other perks in the Riot deal, but the financial terms have not been disclosed. 

We do know that both parties are heavy hitters in their respective industries: Coinbase made $6.6 billion in revenue last year, while Riot made over $376 million in 2024.

Coinbase has sponsored the NBA since 2021. The US exchange also sponsored esports organization Team Liquid (which itself struck a deal with Sui).

Other crypto firms have sponsored sports or esports, like Kraken with Williams Racing. Bybit struck a deal with the Brazilian esports organization Made in Brazil (MIBR) in 2022, and Crypto.com signed a five-year partnership with Fnatic in a $15 million deal in 2021, to name a few. 

But some deals have seen much bigger numbers. FTX struck a $210 million deal with the esports org TSM, but that fell apart in 2022 when the exchange collapsed.

The esports industry more broadly has struggled in recent years, spurring an increasing reliance on brand sponsorships and corporate investment to generate revenue.


Get the news in your inbox. Explore Blockworks newsletters:

Tags

Decoding crypto and the markets. Daily, with Byron Gilliam.

Upcoming Events

Old Billingsgate

Mon - Wed, October 13 - 15, 2025

Blockworks’ Digital Asset Summit (DAS) will feature conversations between the builders, allocators, and legislators who will shape the trajectory of the digital asset ecosystem in the US and abroad.

recent research

Unlocked by Template (11).png

Research

Union’s technical design brings measured improvements to crosschain interoperability. By combining a consensus-verified hub with novel constructs like state lenses and ZK proofs for client updates, Union achieves an interoperability protocol that is highly performant, trust-minimized, and scalable.

article-image

The US regulator will use Nasdaq’s system to detect manipulation across derivatives and prediction markets

by Blockworks /
article-image

SOL and HYPE have rebounded, dYdX course corrects (again)

article-image

Over 100 crypto firms and advocates urge Congress to shield open-source builders and non-custodial providers

by Blockworks /
article-image

The probabilities app is finding mainstream success

article-image

A stock by any other name — even “token” — is still a security

article-image

“Diverse opportunities emerge alongside macroeconomic tailwinds,” zondacrypto CEO says