Honkai Star Rail is sponsoring two Dota 2 teams, LGD Gaming and Azure Ray, for the upcoming Dota 2 The International 12 in Seattle.
For the first time at a Dota 2 International, two teams are being sponsored by a game. MiHoYo, the creators of Honkai Star Rail, announced this sponsorship for TI12. LGD Gaming and Azure Ray, both Chinese organizations, shared this exciting news on their Weibo accounts with the tagline “May this journey lead us starward!”
Honkai Star Rail is a fantasy RPG created by MiHoYo, and it has more than 25 million daily players. MiHoYo is also known for the popular mobile game, Genshin Impact, which is now in its fourth year.
This isn’t Honkai Star Rail’s first time collaborating with others. They’ve joined forces with tea shops like Happy Lemon, KOI, and Gong Cha in 14 different countries for a global event called Cosmic Refreshment Supply. They also recently announced a collaboration with the UK fried chicken chain Miss Millie.
The details of the sponsorship for LGD Gaming and Azure Ray haven’t been revealed yet. But it’s a smart move, especially considering how dedicated Chinese fans are to their teams at The International.
LGD Gaming recently ended a 5-year sponsorship with Paris Saint-Germain (PSG). They’re heading to Seattle with their captain Zhang “Y” Yiping, who won TI6 with Wings Gaming and was a runner-up at TI10. LGD Gaming also won Division 1 of the final DPC China Tour 3.
Azure Ray, on the other hand, is a relatively new team formed in May. It includes well-known players like TI4 winner Xu “fy” Linsen, TI8 runners-up Lu “Somnus” Yao, and Yang “Chalice” Shenyi. Somnus and Chalice were also part of China’s winning team at the Dota 2 Asian Games.
While the exact details of the sponsorship are unknown, it’s worth noting that version 1.4 of Honkai Star Rail is launching around the same time as TI12. This could be a factor. LGD Gaming typically features sponsors on their jerseys, so we can expect to see the Honkai Star Rail logo there. With the end of the PSG partnership, there might be a special Honkai Star Rail design on LGD Gaming’s jerseys specifically for TI12.
