The League of Legends World Championships are currently taking place. With enough promotion and a high prize pool, it is one of the eSport tournaments of the last few years. A stadium from the 2002 FIFA World Cup has been booked for the finals. It’s time to take a closer look at the buzz surrounding LoL and the eSport industry.
The Development of League of Legends
Now in Season 4, Riot has already held 3 championships. In 2011, this took place as part of DreamHack in Sweden. The audience could be counted on one hand and the total prize money was “only” 99,500 dollars. In 2012 and 2013, it was already 2 million dollars that were awarded as prize money. Also noteworthy was the location chosen for the championship in 2013. Nothing less than the Staples Center in Los Angeles was rented for Worlds 2013. For the finals, 32 million viewers tuned in via stream. Here, Riot already showed where the journey would go.
This year, the preliminary rounds of the World Championship are taking place in Taipei and Singapore. The finals will be contested at the Seoul World Cup Stadium, which accommodates around 65,000 spectators. With 2.1 million dollars, the prize money has slightly increased again.
Riot – Establishing a Brand
Riot has long made it clear that League of Legends is more than just a bit of eSports and a pastime on Sunday afternoons. Through professional videos, both about the history of LoL and for promotion, Riot aims to establish a brand. A fan culture is to emerge, teams are elevated, and, as in professional sports, there are feuds between individual regions, teams, or players. Before the Worlds, Riot released a three-part documentary – “Road to the Worlds” – which stands up to professional coverage from the sports world. With Imagine Dragons, an original soundtrack was even created.
Additionally, it was announced that the lore, that is, the story surrounding League of Legends, will be polished and filled with new content. This is intended to create a stronger bond between the player and the game. Riot is doing everything to ensure that League of Legends continues to define the tone in the eSport industry for years to come. Not entirely selfless, as this will allow new players and thus paying customers to be generated.
Professional Casting with Experts
What continually surprises me is the pre-reporting before the league or world championship games: adult men discussing the tactics of a computer game for hours. And very professionally, without saying “lol”, “wtf” or “rofl”. No nerds, but at the level of a sports journalist, recruited among others from the participating teams themselves.
This year’s expert team includes Mitch Voorspoels, alias Krepo. The Belgian usually plays for the team Evil Geniuses, which, however, did not qualify for the Worlds. He now shares his opinions on certain game moves with other professionals like Doublelift, gives insights into the world of a pro player, and is happy when former teammates win. It’s enjoyable to listen to the expert team and the commentators during the games, and it shows that eSport has also made significant advances in this area.
Creating a Fan Culture
Of course, loyal fans are also part of the sport, who cheer even in defeat. Some of the teams competing at a professional level in League of Legends have existed for quite some time. Fnatic, for example, has been around since 2004 and established its LoL team in 2011. Thus, a certain fan base already existed. With epic game moves, teams or individual players gain significant reputation and thereby attract new fans.
During the league games, which are divided across the continents, one follows a team with excitement and hopes that it qualifies for the LoL World Championship. During the Worlds, I must admit that I am more excited when a European team shows the Koreans what’s what. Individual players are also in the spotlight of the coverage and become prominent figures on the top, mid, or bot lane and in the jungle, who often earn 600,000 euros a year – thanks to merchandise and Twitch streaming.
Excited for the Future
I look forward to the further development of the LoL scene in the eSport sector, as there is still more potential here. Season after season, the game is improved, and more players are pushing into the professional level, which ensures even more competition. Also, the sponsorship of individual teams is reaching new heights, as impressively shown by Samsung Blue or Samsung White. Other brands will follow suit and also invest in this area of eSports. This can only be positive and other games like Dota 2, Starcraft 2, and the shooter genre can benefit from League of Legends’ professionalization. Unfortunately, MMOs are still struggling with implementation.
