League of Legends
League of Legends
G2 Esports is suing Bondly over NFT partnership, here’s why
Nicholas James
G2 Esports is suing Bondly, its previous partner in a deal surrounding NFTs, for over $5,000,000. The European esports organization filed a lawsuit in the Los Angeles County Superior Court that alleges the blockchain-focused Bondly misled G2 and failed to deliver key portions of the work, including money. G2 Esports had partnered with Bondly in 2021 in order to produce a variety of NFTs involving G2’s ventures. In the lawsuit, …
League of Legends
How to get unlimited free Riot Points for LoL with Microsoft
Nicholas James
League of Legends has announced a way to earn unlimited Riot Points with Microsoft Rewards. League of Legends has been expanding ways for fans to obtain more cosmetic and exclusive rewards without having to pull out their wallets. Some options, like in-game chests and capsules, can be collected by just playing the game. Others, like Twitch’s Prime Gaming rewards, offer free rewards with a third-party subscription or service. This latest …
League of Legends
Is GG Olleh right to criticize LCS players in Champions Queue?
Nicholas James
Champions Queue was meant to be the solution to North America’s competitive woes, but according to Golden Guardian’s support Kim “Olleh” Joo-sung, that hasn’t been the case. In a recent stream, Olleh went over some of his issues with the current state of the high-skill private server known as Champions Queue. From player drop-off to inconsistencies in scheduling, the rank two player on Champions Queue seemed to have plenty to …
League of Legends
Everything you need to know about Viktor from Arcane and LoL
Nicholas James
Viktor the Machine Herald has taken center stage after the animated adaptation of League of Legends, Arcane, hit Netflix in a big way. Viktor was born and raised in the slums of Zaun, the lower portion of Piltover coated in the toxic smog known as the “Zaun Grey.” Here’s everything you need to know about Viktor, League of Legends’ hardest-working Zaunite academic turned augmented mastermind. When viewers first meet Viktor …
League of Legends
New Little Legends and arena arrive in TFT: Neon Nights
Nicholas James
A handful of new Little Legends and an arena are arriving in Teamfight Tactics with the Neon Nights battle pass. Highly anticipated Little Legend PROJECT Abyssia and an arena called The Toxictorium are being added with the new set, Neon Nights. Both will be available through the mid-set update’s new battle pass, alongside tons of new rewards. Little Legends have proven to be an excellent substitution for League of Legends’ …
League of Legends
Who is Sjokz, the most famous host in pro League of Legends?
Nicholas James
She’s one of the most recognizable and iconic esports hosts, but who really is Sjokz? Eefje “Sjokz” Deeportere is a Belgian host and presenter who has specialized in esports broadcasts. She is best known for her regular and long-time appearances in Europe’s pro League of Legends scene, from its early days of the EU LCS to the modern LEC. Sjokz began her career as a freelance journalist producing esports content …
League of Legends
MAD Lions vs. G2 Esports: 2022 LEC Spring betting analysis
William Davis
A new week in the 2022 LEC Spring Split is approaching and will include an important match between the two rivals in MAD Lions and G2 Esports. The two big esports organizations are currently tight in the standings, with G2 taking a slight lead with a 6-3 record ahead of MAD Lions’ 5-4 record. Having the teams this close in the standings means that a lot will be riding on …
League of Legends
How to see games on the Champions Queue super server
Nicholas James
Here’s how to see games being played on the Champions Queue super server in North America. The Champions Queue super server is North America’s response to complaints from professional players about various issues with solo queue and ranked play in the region. The super server went live on the morning of February 7 and games are already being played. With a massive prize pool of $400 000 for the players …
LoL Champions Queue gives North America a new super server
Nicholas James
League of Legends
Champions Queue, the previously announced high-ranked matchmaking experience for North American LoL players, is now set to launch in early February. With complaints from LCS players and Challenger players alike about high ping and the difficulties of matchmaking on the NA servers, Riot Games has brought a solution. Champions’ Queue is a west coast-based matchmaking server run through League of Legends’ new integration with Discord. The Champions Queue server will …
Skarner to receive a champion update after winning the 2022 poll
William Davis
League of Legends
League of Legends fans were able to vote for the next champion to get a visual update and it has been decided that a Skarner VGU update is needed. After winning the poll by a landslide, Skarner will be the next champion to get a VGU which will include a “massive reboot of his kit” and new visuals. The Crystal Vanguard won the poll with 33.4% of the votes, with …
New Shockblade skins announced for League of Legends
Nicholas James
League of Legends
A new line of Shockblade skins has been revealed for League of Legends, alongside a Qiyana Prestige skin and a new version of Firelight Ekko. Riot has revived an older skin line with the return of Shockblade, which originally debuted alongside Zed. Shockblade was one of many skin lines that suffered from a generic theming around elemental magic. The new skins for Qiyana, Shen, and Kassadin bring a more shocking …
Who is IWillDominate, the controversial League streamer?
Olivia Richman
League of Legends
League of Legends streamer Christian “IWillDominate” Rivera is well known on Twitch thanks to his former career as a pro League of Legends player for Team Liquid. Ever since then, IWillDominate has been known for his impressive in-game skills and his outspoken nature when chatting with his fans. But who is IWillDominate, really? While IWillDominate has become a top League of Legends content creator over the years, some viewers and …
Misfits Gaming vs. MAD Lions: 2022 LEC Spring betting analysis
William Davis
League of Legends
An important match will unfold during week 3 of the 2022 LEC Spring Split, as MAD Lions and Misfits Gaming will fight for a spot in the top three. The two teams will enter this week completely even in the standings, with a 3-2 record on each side. Going up against each other, this is a match that can decide a lot as the winner will get a big step …
Who is Thebausffs, the LoL player who found a new way to use Sion
Nicholas James
League of Legends
Who is Thebausffs, the European streamer and League of Legends personality? Simon “Thebausffs” Hofverberg is a Swedish League of Legends Challenger player, streamer, and personality. Thebausffs is best known for his full attack damage Sion play, and his liberal use of Sion’s passive. Here is everything you need to know about Thebausffs Twitch history. Thebausffs made his way onto the scene as a high ELO player who would be signed …
Faker sets new record playing over 70 champions in pro games
Tokoni Uti
League of Legends
Legendary mid laner Lee “Faker” Sang-hyeok has now used a total of 70 diffferent champions throughout his LCK career, and 74 across his entire career after locking in Tryndamere during T1’s latest series. He also showed how effective the hero is as a counter to Corki. Up against DRX in T1’s third match of the split, Faker pulled out the unexpected pick as an answer to Corki, who is firmly …
G2 Esports announces NFT drop and fans are very angry over it
Nicholas James
League of Legends
G2 Esports NFTs are here and fans of the LEC franchise are very angry about it. The European esports organization announced the SamuraiArmyNFT in collaboration with Metaplex, a fan club hosted on Solana, the blockchain platform. The effort follows TSM FTX a blockbuster partnership between esports organization TSM and cryptocurrency platform FTX. G2 Esports fans are frustrated about the NFT drop due to distrust in NFTs as a whole due …
Who owns League of Legends and Riot Games? We break it down
Nicholas James
League of Legends
With recent discussion of Activision-Blizzard being acquired by Microsoft, some fans are left wondering who exactly owns popular MOBA League of Legends. Riot Games, the League of Legends developer and publisher, is 100% owned by Tencent, a Chinese technology and entertainment conglomerate of colossal size. However, recent developments have made it possible for Tencent to begin selling back its ownership shares to Riot Games employees, opening the possibility for a …
Here’s how to get 3-star 5-cost units in Teamfight Tactics
Nicholas James
League of Legends
In Gadgets and Gizmos, the latest Teamfight Tactics set, 3-star 5-cost units are incredibly powerful and can win games on their own against entire nine-unit teams. How quickly can a player theoretically assemble a 3-star 5-cost piece, and what’s are some of the fastest examples of these game-ending carries? Thanks to the new set, it’s possible to assemble the most powerful units in the game faster than ever. Getting one …
How to vote now for which LoL champion should be updated
Nicholas James
League of Legends
Riot Games has revealed the champions who are candidates for its yearly rework update to the most poorly-aged members of the League of Legends roster ahead of Season 12. The candidates for 2022’s poll are Tryndamere, Skarner, Shyvana, Kog’maw, and Nocturne. Each of these has its own issues that have developed over the years, but some are in more dire need of an update than others. Votes can be made …
What is the League of Legends player count in 2022?
Nicholas James
League of Legends
League of Legends is the world’s single largest video game title when measured by number of players. But exactly how many people are playing League of Legends each month in 2022? The player count for League of Legends in 2022 sees tens of millions of players scattered across its many geographic regions, ranging from North America to China. The Chinese player base dwarfs every other region, with exponentially more servers …
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.
