League of Legends
League of Legends
Svenskeren and Zeyzal to transfer to Evil Geniuses for LCS 2020
William Davis
According to a report by ESPN’s Jacob Wolf, Evil Geniuses and Cloud9 have reached an agreement that will see jungler Dennis “Svenskeren” Johnsen and support Tristan “Zeyzal” Stidam transferred to the new franchise. The move won’t be official until November 18 when the free agency period officially opens. After a disappointing end to its run at the 2019 League of Legends World Championship, Cloud9 is ready to make changes. The …
League of Legends
LoL Worlds 2019 finals betting to be allowed in New Jersey
gabhernandez
New Jersey has been given a one-time permit by the Division of Gaming Enforcement to allow bets to be placed on the 2019 League of Legends World Championship finals. It is still unclear exactly which venues, apps, and websites will have the ability to accept wagers on the event. As of this writing, only the Borgata is officially covering the match. Online sports betting is legal in New Jersey, with …
League of Legends
FunPlus Phoenix, the unlikely heroes of the LPL at Worlds 2019
William Davis
The LPL is a mystery for many western viewers. For the casual League of Legends enthusiast, China might as well be on another planet. They know LPL teams tend to fight aggressively and that Jian “Uzi” Zi-Hao is one of the best carry players in the world. Other aspects of the region, like its massive fan following and the players’ individual narratives, remain largely unknown. Even on the international stage, …
League of Legends
Twisted Treeline gone from League of Legends, rewards announced
Syed Mujtaba Naqvi
Ten years after its public release, Twisted Treeline is finally retiring from League of Legends. The 3v3 map will be available until the end of this season when it will be completely removed. It’s not news for League fans that Twisted Treeline will be getting removed, but now the date is set. Riot Games announced the game mode was getting pulled from the rotation so they can focus on larger …
League of Legends
How Perkz giving his lane to Caps took G2 to 2019 Worlds finals
Syed Mujtaba Naqvi
Just a few days are left until G2 Esports meets with Fun Plus Phoenix on the 2019 League of Legends Worlds final stage in Paris. This likely wouldn’t be possible for G2 if Luka “Perkz” Perković hadn’t stepped down from his position as mid laner and offered it to Ramus “Caps” Winther. G2 is the best European League of Legends team, but it hasn’t always been that way. Although consistently near …
League of Legends
China implements strict online video game curfew for minors
Olivia Richman
Ever since the World Health Organization deemed video game addiction real, some countries have been scrambling to find a solution. Earlier today, China announced that minors will now have a curfew when it comes to online gaming. The “Notice from Preventing Minors from Indulging in Online Games” outlines six initiatives for fighting gaming addiction in China. The rules state that anyone under the age of 18 will be banned from …
League of Legends
Fnatic shocks fans with Hello Kitty partnership, new countdown
Olivia Richman
Name a more iconic duo than Fnatic and Hello Kitty. We’lll wait. The mainstay esports organization announced a partnership with Sanrio’s Hello Kitty in a tweet. The reveal showed off some Hello Kitty wallpapers, where the famous white feline is sporting Fnatic gaming gear. While Fnatic urged players to collect them all, it was unclear what else the sponsorship entailed. When you click on the link, Hello Kitty appears in …
League of Legends
TFT Patch 9.22 brings Set 2 Rise of the Elements, many changes
William Davis
Patch 9.22 is coming to the live server with the new TFT Set 2: Rise of the Elements. Patch 9.22 will change TFT completely, as Set 2 includes new synergies and champions. Check the full TFT Set 2 guide here. The ranked system will be off during Patch 9.22 so players without access to the PBE can get used to Set 2. Players will be able to play ranked in …
Select European theaters to air LoL Worlds 2019 finals
Syed Mujtaba Naqvi
League of Legends
The 2019 League of Legends World Championship finals are almost here and European fans will have an interesting option for viewing them. Riot Games’ head of sponsorship and business development for EU esports Alban “Stilgar Fremen” Dechelotte shared that the company has partnered with over 200 cinemas across Europe to bring the finals closer to home for those that can’t attend in Paris. The Worlds 2019 viewing parties are organized …
LoL Patch 9.22 adds Senna, True Damage skins, nerfs power picks
William Davis
League of Legends
League of Legends Patch 9.22 is loaded and ready to go. Patch 9.22 is the final update before the end of the ranked season, currently scheduled for November 19. The most recent updates bring a new set of skins, changes to multiple champions, and the release of Senna. Senna the Redeemer is the newest champion in the League of Legends universe. Her release was announced through the 10 year celebration. …
Everything you need to know about TFT Set 2 in Patch 9.22
William Davis
League of Legends
Teamfight Tactics Set 2: Rise of the Elements is coming to the live server with Patch 9.22. It will mark the end of the ranked season and a new beginning for TFT players. Rise of the Elements is changing the game completely, starting with a new board and new synergies. Rise of Elements also brings more flexibility to the game. In Patch 9.21, there were only three truly effective compositions …
cvMax signs with Kingzone DragonX amid Griffin controversy
Syed Mujtaba Naqvi
League of Legends
Griffin’s former League of Legends coach Kim “cvMax” Dae-ho has found a new spot in the scene with Kingzone DragonX. cvMax is the organization’s first League of Legends team member newly signed for the upcoming season. Kingzone DragonX announced on Twitter that cvMax is joining the team, saying he will be the one to guide the team to victory in 2020 and inviting their fans to support him on his new …
Only 3 players have a chance for perfect Worlds Pick’ems
Syed Mujtaba Naqvi
League of Legends
From over four million players that participated in Worlds Pick’ems, there are only three left that still have a chance for a perfect score. With their final picks different, it’s now assured that at least one player will grab the Worlds 2019 perfect pick cache. Over a month after the first League of Legends 2019 Worlds Championship match was played, the tournament is finally coming close to an end. Only …
Faker shaken after loss to G2, hints at changes coming to SKT
Olivia Richman
League of Legends
Many League of Legends fans were shocked when SK Telecom T1 were denied the chance to compete in the World Championship Grand Finals after a loss to G2 Esports. But perhaps the most shocked by this historic moment was SK’s own Lee “Faker” Sang-hyeok. In a post-match press conference, Faker said appeared to blame himself for SK not reaching the Grand Finals for the first time in League of Legends’ …
G2 Esports earn spot in LoL Worlds 2019 finals by beating SKT
William Davis
League of Legends
G2 Esports has the Summoner’s Cup within reach. The LEC champion took a decisive victory over SK Telecom T1 in the 2019 League of Legends World Championship. In the second match of the semifinals, G2 managed to repeatedly dig their way out of holes to earn their spot in the grand finals in Paris. The series was a hotly competitive one, with both teams posting some of their best performances …
League of Legends All-Star Event is returning in December
Syed Mujtaba Naqvi
League of Legends
Fans love the League of Legends All-Star Events, and they will not be left wanting in 2019. Riot Games announced that the 2019 All-Star Event will begin on December 5. The three-day tournament will include a number of festivities including All-Star one-on-one and five vs. five Summoner’s Rift tournaments. There will also be charity events, a TeamFight Tactics tournament, showmatches, and more. “We’re excited to celebrate an amazing year in …
Invictus Gaming knocked out of LoL Worlds by FunPlus Phoenix
William Davis
League of Legends
FunPlus Phoenix is headed to the 2019 League of Legends World Championship finals after knocking out defending champion Invictus Gaming. The clash between LPL giants didn’t disappoint. The four-games series was one of the bloodiest of the tournament, averaging one kill per minute. IG and FunPlus are two of the LPL’s most recognizable brands and yet the teams couldn’t be more different. IG relies on strong individual efforts from its players, while …
Pick’ems predict iG and SKT advancing to 2019 Worlds finals
Syed Mujtaba Naqvi
League of Legends
With the 2019 League of Legends World Championship coming to a close, only 34 Pick’ems still have a chance for perfect picks all-around. They predicted it will be Invictus Gaming and SK Telecom T1 that will be making it to the finals. The Worlds semifinals are here, and the four best teams in the world are left to fight for the Summoner’s Cup. Two LoL Pro League teams are first …
TSM Keane wins TFT Red Bull Rise of the Elements Invitational
William Davis
League of Legends
Team SoloMid’s Jang “Keane” Lae-young is the winner of the Red Bull Rise of the Elements Invitational. On October 31, TSM Keane became the champion of the first TFT invitational organized by developer Riot Games. The Korean player earned $15,000 and an exclusive commemorative jacket. The two-day tournament was the first official competition on TFT Set 2: Rise of the Elements, which included new origins and classes. The Red Bull …
LCS Scouting Grounds has rebranded as Honda Scouting Grounds
Syed Mujtaba Naqvi
League of Legends
North American amateur event LCS Scouting Grounds has been rebranded as Honda Scouting Grounds. Car manufacturer Honda has been investing in esports since 2016, with the biggest feather in its cap being a partnership with Riot Games surrounding North America’s top League of Legends circuit. Three months ago, Honda became the first automotive brand sponsoring both a team and esports league in North America, by becoming the partner of the LCS and a …
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.
