KPL Brings Sleep Tech Into Esports With Serta Partnership

Serta has become the King Pro League‘s official smart sleep partner for its 10th anniversary, placing the American mattress brand on the sponsor roster of China’s top Honor of Kings competition. The agreement, framed around player rest and recovery, was confirmed by KPL on Monday through its official account.

Deal Details

KPL named Serta’s AI DREAM X1 mattress as the partnership’s featured product, highlighting its ability to adjust its left and right halves independently in response to sleeping position and pressure. The league said further elements of the partnership would be released in stages, without specifying what those elements will include.

Financial terms were not disclosed, and neither party stated how long the arrangement runs, whether it extends past the anniversary year, or what inventory or activation rights it carries. Notably, this is Serta’s China business, operated under license by AI Dream Group, a Hillhouse Capital company that also holds the China operations of King Koil and Ruf Betten and serves as the exclusive sleep-solutions supplier to China’s national teams – a distinct entity from the Serta that supplies American hotels.

Key Details

• KPL thanked 10 brands at its summer season final on Sept. 12, including strategic partners iQOO, Meituan, SuperX, Dongpeng Special Drink and Wallace, industry partner Qualcomm Snapdragon, special partners TT Voice, Huaxia Bank, IHG and Tongcheng Travel, and jewelry partner Lukfook
• Serta is described separately as the league’s new official smart sleep partner
• KPL’s 2026 annual finals open Oct. 2 in Guangzhou and conclude Nov. 14 in Chengdu
• The finals carry a prize pool of ¥70 million CNY ($10.4 million USD)

A Growing Category

Sleep is a newer sponsorship category in esports than in traditional sport. G2 Esports opened a Red Bull-backed performance lab in June to formalize athlete development, as previously reported by The Esports Advocate, while KPL has sold sponsorships to Chinese consumer brands outside gaming before, including a 2024 deal with appliance maker Hisense Group. That sponsorship pattern sits alongside Honor of Kings’ broader international growth.

China’s hotel sector has already linked esports and bedding. Marriott’s Renaissance Shanghai Yu Garden Hotel sells “E-Sporting Gaming” king and twin rooms as standard inventory, while IHG, KPL’s own hotel partner, has used its One Rewards program to deepen its KPL tie-up with member perks timed to the summer season.

What’s Next?

KPL said further elements of the Serta partnership would be released in stages, though no timeline was given. The league’s 2026 annual finals, the closing event of its tenth year, open Oct. 2 in Guangzhou and conclude Nov. 14 in Chengdu, carrying a ¥70 million CNY ($10.4 million USD) prize pool.