every click, every flick, and every decision can define the outcome
In the competitive arena where milliseconds determine champions, ASUS Republic of Gamers and esports organization DRX have formalized a two-year alliance that places professional hardware directly in the hands of elite players across VALORANT and League of Legends. Announced in late January, the partnership reflects a broader truth about modern competitive gaming: that the tools of performance and the validation of excellence are increasingly inseparable. Hardware makers no longer simply sponsor athletes — they embed themselves within the pursuit itself, allowing champions to shape the instruments of the craft.
- The esports hardware market grows more competitive by the season, and ROG is staking its claim by anchoring its Ace Esports Collection to one of the most decorated organizations in global play.
- DRX's rosters — including teams that reached the pinnacle of League of Legends and the podium of VALORANT Champions — will now train and compete exclusively on ROG peripherals, raising the stakes for both brands.
- Beyond equipment supply, DRX players will serve as early testers and critics of unreleased ROG products, giving the hardware maker a direct feedback loop from athletes competing at the highest international level.
- Fan engagement is woven into the deal through behind-the-scenes content, global activations, and exclusive setup reveals — turning professional gear choices into a shared experience between competitors and their audiences.
- With a two-year runway, both organizations are betting that sustained collaboration across multiple competitive seasons will prove more valuable than a simple logo placement.
ASUS Republic of Gamers has secured a two-year hardware partnership with esports organization DRX, supplying all of its competitive rosters — most notably in VALORANT and League of Legends — with peripherals from the ROG Ace Esports Collection. Devices like the ROG Harpe II Ace mouse and ROG Falchion Ace 75 HE keyboard will be used in training and competition, built around the premise that at the elite level, precision and reliability are non-negotiable.
DRX is no ordinary partner. The organization claimed the League of Legends World Championship in 2022 and has twice finished third at VALORANT Champions, in 2022 and 2025, establishing a record of sustained excellence across multiple titles. That pedigree matters to ROG, whose brand identity is built on performance validated by the athletes who depend on it most.
The collaboration goes deeper than equipment supply. DRX players will participate in early testing of future ROG products, offering feedback that directly influences the next generation of competitive gear. Alongside this, both organizations will produce content together — behind-the-scenes features, fan activations, and setup reveals — designed to close the distance between professional competitors and the consumers who follow them.
ASUS gaming division head Kris Huang described the deal as an opportunity to refine products through world-class insight, while DRX CEO Sun Il Yang pointed to a shared philosophical commitment to challenge and innovation. Over two competitive seasons, both sides will have the space to test whether deep integration between a hardware maker and an elite esports organization can produce something more enduring than a sponsorship.
ASUS Republic of Gamers has locked in a two-year deal to supply all of DRX's competitive rosters with gaming hardware, marking a formal alignment between one of the world's largest gaming peripheral makers and one of esports' most decorated organizations. The partnership, announced in late January, puts ROG gear into the hands of DRX's VALORANT and League of Legends teams—the organization's flagship squads—as well as any other competitive rosters the organization fields.
At the center of the collaboration sits the ROG Ace Esports Collection, a line of peripherals engineered specifically for professional play. DRX competitors will train, compete, and produce content using mice like the ROG Harpe II Ace and keyboards such as the ROG Falchion Ace 75 HE, devices built around the principle that in elite esports, milliseconds and precision separate champions from contenders. The hardware is designed to withstand the physical and technical demands of top-tier competition, where reliability cannot be negotiable.
DRX brings substantial credentials to the partnership. The organization won the League of Legends World Championship in 2022 and has finished third at the VALORANT Champions tournament in both 2022 and 2025, establishing itself as a consistent force across multiple competitive titles. That track record of sustained excellence aligns with ROG's positioning as a brand built around performance validation through elite athletes. The partnership extends beyond simple equipment supply—DRX players will participate in early testing phases for future ROG products, offering direct feedback that shapes the next generation of competitive gear.
Kris Huang, who leads ASUS's gaming and workspace hardware division, framed the partnership as a chance to work directly with world-class competitors across multiple games, using their insights to refine products while creating authentic experiences for both professionals and the fans who follow them. DRX CEO Sun Il Yang emphasized the philosophical alignment, noting that both organizations share a commitment to what he called the "spirit of challenge"—a relentless pursuit of excellence and innovation.
The deal also includes a content and activation component. DRX and ROG will collaborate on behind-the-scenes features, global fan activations, and exclusive looks at how professional players configure and maintain their setups. These initiatives are designed to give fans closer access to the teams while simultaneously introducing consumers to the same gear used by competitors at the highest level. Updates will roll out across both organizations' social media channels throughout the partnership.
For ROG, the arrangement represents a continuation of its long-standing strategy of co-developing products alongside the athletes who depend on them most. By embedding itself within DRX's training and competition environment, the brand gains direct access to feedback from players competing for international titles. For DRX, the partnership ensures its rosters have access to cutting-edge hardware while creating additional revenue and content opportunities. The two-year term gives both sides time to deepen the collaboration and test the model's effectiveness across multiple competitive seasons.
Notable Quotes
Partnering with DRX allows us to work directly with world-class players across multiple titles, gaining invaluable feedback that helps us refine the ROG Ace Esports product lineup.— Kris Huang, General Manager of ASUS Gaming & Workspace Gear
By aligning with a brand that shares our relentless pursuit of excellence in performance and innovation, we are ensuring that our players have ROG's world-class peripherals to achieve success on the global stage.— Sun Il Yang, DRX CEO
The Hearth Conversation Another angle on the story
Why does a hardware company need to partner with a specific esports team rather than just sponsoring tournaments?
Because tournaments are one-off moments. A team partnership means your gear is in daily training, in scrims, in the moments where players actually discover what works. That feedback loop is gold—you're not guessing what pros need, they're telling you.
But couldn't DRX players just buy ROG gear on their own?
They could, but there's no incentive alignment. A partnership means ROG is invested in making sure the gear actually performs for that specific team, and DRX is committed to using it and promoting it. It's mutual accountability.
What's the fan angle here?
Fans want to know what their favorite players use. If you can show that DRX's VALORANT team trained on the Harpe II Ace and then won a major tournament, suddenly that mouse becomes desirable. It's authentic product validation.
Is this just marketing, or does the hardware actually get better?
Both. The players' feedback genuinely shapes product development—they'll catch things in testing that regular consumers never would. But yes, it's also marketing. The partnership wouldn't exist if ROG didn't believe it would drive sales.
Why DRX specifically?
They've won at the highest level across multiple games. That credibility matters. If you're ROG, you want your gear associated with organizations that deliver results, not just teams with big followings.