Riot Games is years ahead of other games in their MOBA League of Legends. Their remarkable achievement: They stage players from LoL, who, for all their worth, lack charisma and articulation, as heroic stars and idols to their fans. The best example, once again, is the 28-year-old Lee “Faker” Sang-hyeok.
Who is Faker?
- Faker began his professional career in League of Legends at the age of 16 and soon won his first world championship. He became world champion in LoL in 2013, 2015, and 2016. Always with the same team; T1.
- 2017 was actually the fourth world championship firmly planned, but Faker lost the final. This was followed by “7 years of doubt” whether he was still good enough for the fourth world championship or now “washed up”. The discussion ended definitively in 2023 when he became world champion again, still with T1.
- Faker has been an exceptional player since the first season. He has won the most titles – 10 in South Korea, plus 4 internationally. He gets the most attention; he is the biggest star of LoL.
Faker: A Star Who Doesn’t Act Like a Star at All
Is Faker suitable as a star? By usual sports standards: Not at all. Faker is a quiet, serious guy, introverted, almost shy.
You notice: The few interviews and appearances he gives do not correspond to his nature – he has just grown accustomed over the years to people wanting something from him and talking to him.
When he speaks, he talks about sports, success, and his fans. He subordinates everything to sporting success, wanting to give the best for his fans, his teammates, and his club.
He reveals little personal information, he is not a person of great emotions.
Only very rarely do you get a glimpse of what goes on inside him: The great defeat in 2017, when he broke into tears. Especially against his rival Ambition, who, unlike him, has a wife. Or the moment in 2019 when he made a mistake in the decisive game against the Europeans of G2 and then trembled.
But Faker is not a classic sports star like the wide-legged Cristiano Ronaldo.
His achievements over so many years and his countless titles make him a star, his great plays in the mid lane, shared in YouTube compilations for more than a decade, make him a hero. And what he means to his fans makes him an idol.
LoL Stages a Hero Who Doesn’t Behave Like One at All
How does Riot celebrate him? Riot Games knows all this very well. But they need heroes that players can look up to and want to cheer for.
When they usually want to stage their players as heroes, they do so through their Worlds trailers, where players deliver battles like superheroes or gods to epic soundtracks as comic characters.
In 2024, Riot Games decided that LoL has now existed long enough and has such a rich history that it can be officially celebrated. They will open a Hall of Fame and induct Faker as the first.
They honor the “Invincible Demon King” with a trailer. And how do they do that?
Faker says no word. Only others talk about him. You can watch the result here:
Riot has perfectly understood how Faker and his stardom work.
Faker will receive a special honor in a few weeks. He will be inducted into the Hall of Legends of LoL, and also receive a skin and a custom Mercedes for a lot of money from the sponsor. He will also be honored in the game, a big event will take place: LoL opens Hall of Fame for a player – Gifts him an incredibly expensive Mercedes
