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Team Liquid outsmarts TSM, gets first win of 2020 LCS Spring League of Legends Team Liquid outsmarts TSM, gets first win of 2020 LCS Spring By William Davis Deadly Elder Dragon bug may have returned to ruin Zac and Karthus League of Legends Deadly Elder Dragon bug may have returned to ruin Zac and Karthus By William Davis TSM disappoints in 2020 LCS Spring debut against Immortals League of Legends TSM disappoints in 2020 LCS Spring debut against Immortals By William Davis
Svenskeren on EG roster: “Jiizuke is able to play like a maniac” League of Legends
Svenskeren on EG roster: “Jiizuke is able to play like a maniac” Olivia Richman Evil Geniuses’ first match of the Spring Split wasn’t too great. Despite fans expecting them to easily defeat Dignitas, the new squad wasn’t able to live up to expectations. But the Spring Split has only just begun. Dennis “Svenskeren” Johnsen sat down with WIN.gg after Evil Geniuses’ unfortunate debut in the LCS since 2014  to discuss the EG brand and his new teammates. How were you feeling coming into the …
Aphromoo on leaving 100T: “Not being in a gaming house is a plus” League of Legends
Aphromoo on leaving 100T: “Not being in a gaming house is a plus” Olivia Richman Dignitas came back and dominated in their second match of the 2020 LCS Spring Split, easily beating Evil Geniuses. That advanced the team to 2-0 on the season and established Dignitas as a squad to watch out for.  Veteran support  Zaqueri “Aphromoo” Black was quick to point out how much cleaner their play has gotten since their previous game, and noted that it’s only getting better from here.  How do you …
Dignitas runs over Evil Geniuses in day 2 of 2020 LCS Spring League of Legends
Dignitas runs over Evil Geniuses in day 2 of 2020 LCS Spring Syed Mujtaba Naqvi The second day of the 2020 LCS Spring Split opened with a match between Dignitas and Evil Geniuses. Dignitas opened its season with a decisive win over Counter Logic Gaming on the first day, and has now secured a second win just as easily. Tahm Kench is shaping up to be a popular pick this season and Evil Geniuses locked him in alongside Aphelios for Bae “Bang” Jun-sik. Dignitas responded by …
Rating the 2020 LCS Spring Split jerseys from worst to best League of Legends
Rating the 2020 LCS Spring Split jerseys from worst to best Syed Mujtaba Naqvi The first day of the 2020 LCS 2020 Spring Split has concluded, and most of the teams have had an opportunity to showcase their new jerseys. LCS players proudly wear their respective team’s colors on stage. Likewise, the teams love promoting merchandise sales and sponsorships by having players look fierce in the jerseys. But not every jersey is equally creative or fashionable, and some make much more of a statement …
2020 LEC Spring debut fails to match last year’s viewership League of Legends 2020 LEC Spring debut fails to match last year’s viewership By Syed Mujtaba Naqvi Riot is testing different League of Legends shops in LoL client League of Legends Riot is testing different League of Legends shops in LoL client By Syed Mujtaba Naqvi Closer: Golden Guardians has proved it’s not a “10th-place team” League of Legends Closer: Golden Guardians has proved it’s not a “10th-place team” By Olivia Richman
Dignitas obliterates Counter Logic Gaming in 2020 LCS Spring debut League of Legends
Dignitas obliterates Counter Logic Gaming in 2020 LCS Spring debut William Davis Dignitas made its debut in the 2020 LCS Spring Split with a convincing victory over Counter Logic Gaming. The organization commemorated its official return to League of Legends in impressive fashion. After rebuilding its roster in the off-season, it was tough to predict how Dignitas would look in action. The team consists of veterans that are in very different stages of their careers and play different styles. That made Dignitas …
Huni on big Dignitas contract: “I proved myself, I’m worth it” League of Legends
Huni on big Dignitas contract: “I proved myself, I’m worth it” Olivia Richman The new Dignitas lineup entered their first 2020 LCS Spring Split match as underdogs, but had little trouble against Counter Logic Gaming. Despite their concerning off-season, the veteran squad proved they still have a lot to offer and Heo “Huni” Seung-hoon is here to bring it out of them.  The former Clutch Gaming top laner told WIN.gg all about that fateful off-season and how he plans to lead his new teammates to victory this …
TL Shernfire on C9: “I didn’t think much of [them] individually” League of Legends
TL Shernfire on C9: “I didn’t think much of [them] individually” Olivia Richman Despite Team Liquid’s confidence going into the LCS Spring Split, Cloud9 had a pretty convincing win over the four-time repeat LCS champions in the first game of the 2020 season.  Many fans were surprised to see Team Liquid Academy’s Australian jungler Shern “Shernfire” Cherng Tai filling in for Mads “Broxah” Brock-Pedersen instead of former teammate Eugene “Pobelter” Park. But assisant coach Kang “Dodo” Jun-hyeok was confident in the decision before the match began.  …
Cloud9 gets revenge on Team Liquid to open 2020 LCS Spring Split League of Legends
Cloud9 gets revenge on Team Liquid to open 2020 LCS Spring Split Syed Mujtaba Naqvi The first match of the 2020 LCS Spring Split belonged to Team Liquid and Cloud9, the best of the LCS in 2019. In a mostly one-sided match, Cloud9 took the first win of the LCS season. A rematch of the 2019 LCS Summer Final was a great way to open the year for North American League of Legends. Three of Cloud9’s new players had to prove their worth, while Liquid put …
FlyQuest shows off new training facility, appoints new CEO William Davis League of Legends FlyQuest is starting the year with some major internal changes. The organization has appointed a new CEO and announced the opening of its new training facility. The team appointed esports veteran Tricia Sugita as the new CEO. Sugita first joined the organization back in 2018 and worked closely on initiatives within FlyQuest to support women and immigrants in esports. “I am honored and grateful to be the CEO of this …
LCS Spring Finals head to Frisco in surprise announcement Olivia Richman League of Legends The LCS Spring Finals are heading to Frisco, Texas this year.  “For the first time, after much demand from players and fans, the LCS Spring Finals are strapping on cowboy boots and heading south to Texas!” read the official press release.  The location was revealed for the first time during the pre-show broadcast on Saturday, January 25. The big show will be coming to the Ford Center at The Star …
G2 Esports looks shaky in 2020 LEC debut against MAD Lions William Davis League of Legends G2 Esports opened the 2020 LEC Spring season with a victory over MAD Lions. The 2019 World Championship finalist was in charge of welcoming the new organization to the league. MAD built an interesting roster in the off-season that includes mid laner Marek “Humanoid” Brázda and various talent from the regional circuit. G2 kept the same roster from 2019, but with a twist. Luka “Perkz” Perković is back in the …
Brazilian League teams want franchising, CBLoL to implement Syed Mujtaba Naqvi League of Legends Riot Games has decided to franchise CBLoL, the highest level of professional League of Legends in Brazil. On January 21, Riot Brazil announced the 2020 Campeonato Brasileiro de League of Legends is bringing new talents, new sponsors, and most importantly the beginning of its implementation of a franchise model. Since the LCS and LEC have moved to the model two seasons ago, more and more tournaments are noticing the benefits …
These are the five worst team jerseys in pro League of Legends Syed Mujtaba Naqvi League of Legends Professional esports teams show off their branding with jerseys worn by pro players and fans alike. Jerseys aren’t there just for comfort on a stage, as organizations also use them to promote their colors and sponsors, hoping to sell more merch along the way. Ahead of every season, most teams prepare new jerseys. Sometimes entirely new, sometimes just a little bit different. But not every such change is successful, and …
Riots scrubs bugs from new League of Legends official website Syed Mujtaba Naqvi League of Legends League of Legends’ new website is live and it features a cleaner design, new champion concept art, and a bunch of bugs. Once the new official LoL page is opened, the first thing to see is a video background with Riot showcasing many of its popular animations, including Jinx’s song, K/DA, cinematics, and more. The looped video is covered with the League logo, and a “play for free” button, since …
LPL players forced by Tencent to play on Chinese LoL server William Davis League of Legends Week 1 in the LPL has concluded and Tencent took the opportunity to announce some key changes in the LPL rulebook. The LPL, unlike the other major regions, is operated by Tencent. The Chinese conglomerate is at least a partial owner of some of the most popular game developers in the world, including Riot Games, Epic Games, Supercell, and Ubisoft. Legend of Legends is one of the most popular video …
Former 100 Thieves head coach pr0lly makes surprise LCS return Olivia Richman League of Legends Former 100 Thieves head coach Neil “pr0lly” Hammad is joining the LCS Spring Split on the analysts desk.  “After a long off-season I’m ready to announce that I’m joining the LCS analyst desk for Spring. So follow me on Saturday for the inaugural broadcast and let’s boogie!” pr0lly tweeted.  The response to pr0lly’s news was overwhelmingly positive. Shoutcaster Clayton Raines welcomed him to the talent squad with a “hell yeah,” saying it …
LEC broadcast separates from Riot Games with new Twitch channel William Davis League of Legends Starting this spring, the LEC will have its own Twitch channel, and the announcement came just before the start of the 2020 LEC Spring season. It’s a new year and the LEC is getting its own Twitch channel. This channel will be the home of the LEC broadcast and any future content specific for the region. In 2019, the EU LCS adopted the franchised model and rebranded to LEC. The …
LEC announces new locations for the 2020 LEC Roadshow Syed Mujtaba Naqvi News The LEC announced where this year’s roadshows are heading to. The 2020 LEC Spring Finals are going to Budapest, Hungary, with the Summer Split wrapping up in Malmö, Sweden. The League of Legends European Championship started to collaborate with major cities in Europe for the split finals when it rebranded last year. For the 2019 season, Riot Games picked Rotterdam, Netherlands for the 2019 LEC Spring Final, with the Summer …
Chovy hints at a surprising role swap coming to DragonX William Davis League of Legends DragonX mid laner Jeong “Chovy” Ji-hoon recently hinted the possibility of a surprising role swap in the spring. DragonX, previously known as Kingzone DragonX, is taking a page out of G2 Esports’ book and is experimenting with a role swap. In a recent interview with Korean website Daily Esports, Chovy revealed that the team could go for the swap in the first game of the 2020 LCK Spring season. “For …
Legends of Runeterra patch brings big card changes, ranked mode Olivia Richman League of Legends With Legends of Runeterra’s open beta launching tomorrow, Riot has released the full open beta patch notes.  Riot’s new card game will have a lot of updates since last year’s preview patches, including changes to some of the cards, new features, and even new boards and guardians.  Since last year’s preview patch, Riot has reset all account progression for the last time. Anyone who plays in the open beta will …

League of Legends is among the most popular widely-played video games in the world. It has been a consistent trendsetter in the gaming industry, whether as a model for other free-to-play titles looking to monetize their players or as a guiding light for how professional esports can be both successful and sustainable.

It hasn’t always been so though. League of Legends was released in 2009 as an uncertain new project, a game with large aspirations but little proven. In the years since, it has developed into the dominant title that it is today, and one of the biggest games on the planet.

League of Legends drives success of MOBA genre

League of Legends stands out in part because it may arguably be the very first original game released to truly fit into what we now understand to be the increasingly popular MOBA genre. Multiplayer Online Battle Arenas are a very particular type of game genre that carry out competition between two opposing teams of players on a map. These games test a mix of competition, tactics, and quick reactions, a potent combination that has proven equal parts popular and durable over the years.

While League of Legends was certainly among the first full releases to focus on the genre and its new ideas, it wasn’t actually the origin point for any of it. That distinction belongs to Blizzard release WarCraft 3, and more specifically a modified game mode titled Defense of the Ancients.

WarCraft 3 was a real-time strategy game that featured prominent hero units who could gain in power as they accrued experience points to level up their abilities, and gold to purchase powerful items. Defense of the Ancients was a user-made game mode which emphasized these heroes by giving each player control over one such character and teaming them up against an opposing squad of players. It was a dynamite success, inspiring myriad clones and, eventually, an entire genre of games.

But while League of Legends wasn’t the first to bring about these concepts, it was certainly effective in executing on them. Early developers at publisher Riot Games had a clear idea of what they wanted to accomplish with the creation of League of Legends, and it would be hard to argue against their success given the runaway popularity achieved by their iteration on the MOBA formula.

LoL incorporates esports sustainably

Just as impressive as the long-term success of League of Legends as a game is the continued success of the title’s esports scene. While esports has known multiple peaks and valleys over the years, Riot Games has consistently managed to maintain the prominence of LoL esports. This has been accomplished through an emphasis on regular regional play and sustainability.

Most esports and competitive games at the time used a circuits system, scattering major tournaments for the best teams across the year. Instead, Riot divided the world into separate playing regions. Each region has its own competitive league in which the best professional teams play weekly. The best teams in each league are then brought together for an annual World Championship event at the end of the competitive year. This allowed for domestic fan followings to develop across such regions as Korea, China, Europe, and North and South America. Fans would closely follow the teams in their region, and from that familiarity would feel invested in cheering them on when they clashed with teams from other regions at the game’s biggest international event.

This basic blueprint has continued to prove successful for Riot Games over the years, though it has expanded and been modified with time. In response to the success of the World Championship, Riot introduced a second international tournament in 2015, the prestigious Mid-Season Invitational. In 2025, First Stand was added to bring LoL esports to three international events per year. Once again the scene was enhanced and this indirectly expanded the opportunities for League of Legends esports betting. In the meantime, the regional leagues have spread out to include more regions and lower levels, solidifying their identity.

The basic formula remains the same, however. Encourage fan support on a domestic level, and then carry that support and interest over to the global stage. It’s a formula that continues to power League of Legends esports, and looks set to enable it for many years yet to come.

At Win.gg, our coverage of LoL esports spans from the broader competitive updates and their impact on the scene to in-depth high-profile match previews with team analysis, head-to-head analysis, LoL betting odds sense-makers and predictions. All of these based on the insights of our experienced esports journalists.