The video game company Riot Games and the esports data provider Bayes Esports have extended their exclusive data partnership for three more years. The expanded agreement is set to expire in 2024.

Riot and Bayes Extend Deal

The initial partnership was signed in 2019 when the two parties first vowed to work together. Bayes Esports became Riot’s official data distributor and the two collaborated to create more solutions that fit the needs of League of Legends fans and bettors.

The renewed agreement will give Bayes exclusive global distribution rights for almost all professional League of Legends events. This includes in-game and fixture data, as well as audiovisual rights for betting operators.

The chief operating officer of Bayes Esports, Amir Mirzaee, spoke on the deal extension. According to him, this is an important step to reinforcing the esports ecosystem and League of Legends esports’ sustainability.

Mirzaee pointed out that Riot and Bayes “jointly laid the groundwork” for data integrity and sustainability back in 2019 when they first shook hands. Because of this, he is excited to see the partnership move forward to “the next level.”

A Partnership That Goes Beyond Distribution of Data

Riot Games’ technical product manager, John Knauss, also spoke on the matter. He said that the initial deal was focused on the distribution and commercialization of data to third parties but since then has evolved. Knauss explained that the continuous work with Bayes Esports, the community and the teams taught Riot Games that this partnership has a much bigger potential.

Mirzaee agreed with Knauss’ statement and confirmed that the collaboration between Riot and Bayes has escalated into something of much greater industry value than “simply distributing data.”

“The complex ecosystems emerging across industries are creating a need for a collaborative and community approach where partners can co-create innovation and co-sell together,” Mirzaee explained.

He added that over the years, the collaboration between Riot Games and Bayes Esports has shifted from distributing data to engaging with the betting and media industry and to jointly “innovating the game tech stack from the ground up.”

Both parties understand the importance of their partnership and vow to continue working in the best interest of the League of Legends community. They aim to provide easily accessible data to both professional athletes and industry analysts. The tech teams of the companies have collaborated on a League of Legends community portal that allows everyone to check replace and scrimmage data.

Mirzaee believes that easy access to data for the use of pro athletes and industry analysts is crucial to making esports a truly professional form of competition.