League of Legends
League of Legends
A leaked Pantheon cinematic may show League’s new void jungler
Nicholas James
A new Season 12 Pantheon cinematic has been leaked by Riot Games’ Youtube channel. The cinematic will be the Season 12 ranked cinematic, similar to previous years’ “The Climb,” “Ruination” and “Awaken” cinematics that preclude the new season’s beginning. The cinematic will release at 7 PST on January 7th. These annual cinematics generally depict champions from certain regions doing battle with various enemies. The thumbnail depicts Atreus, the chosen of …
League of Legends
Every team’s roster for the upcoming 2022 LPL Spring Split
William Davis
The best League of Legends league in China, the LPL, is revving up for the 2022 Spring Split and it will once again feature 17 stacked rosters. The 2022 LPL Spring Split will feature a slew of roster changes, and also changes to the teams. For 2022, several teams have rebranded and will play under new names. Furthermore, a brand new competitor will be ready to debut with Weibo Gaming …
League of Legends
League of Legends fan makes Teemo-themed boba tea
Nicholas James
Many top lane players have enjoyed getting fed off a Teemo, but a League of Legends fan has given that phrase new meaning with Teemo boba tea.A YouTube video of a fan-made boba tea themed around Teemo, complete with mushroom-shaped bobas, is making the rounds and has people talking. Turning one of the game’s most notorious champions’ abilities into an adorable edible bead went over swimmingly with fans. The YouTube …
League of Legends
Doublelift doubles down on Chemtech Drake criticisms
Nicholas James
Ex-LCS marksman player Peng “Doublelift” Yilang recently explained his thoughts about the latest dragon to sweep down onto Summoner’s Rift, the Chemtech Drake. Doublelift said that the Chemtech Drake’s region of camouflage feels like League of Legends developer Riot Games was more occupied with making a unique feature than a fun or balanced one. Doublelift is the latest of many professional players to criticize Chemtech Drake’s rift effect. On a …
League of Legends
Why is Zven not playing for Cloud9 in the LCS?
Nicholas James
Jesper “Zven” Svenningsen, the former superstar European AD carry player, is signed to Cloud9 but won’t be playing any games at the LCS or Academy levels. Zven has been officially announced as a part of the Cloud9 Academy team, but is conspicuously missing from the roster that was later shown. Why is Zven going to be playing all of Cloud9 Academy’s scrims, but none of their stage games? The answer …
League of Legends
How to claim the LoL January Prime Gaming rewards
Nicholas James
Prime Gaming’s monthly rewards for League of Legends players have come around yet again, with free skins, Riot Points, and more for those that have an Amazon Prime account. Here’s what January’s Prime Gaming rewards will get you and how to claim them to ring in the new year with some new cosmetics. January’s Prime Gaming rewards include 650 Riot Points, one 1350 Riot Point Skin Permanent, 200 Orange Essence, …
League of Legends
LPL 2022 Spring Split schedule revealed with Uzi’s return date
Nicholas James
China’s LPL has become League of Legends’ best region in recent years, ending Korea’s dominance with victories from Invictus Gaming, FunPlus Phoenix, and EDward Gaming. The LPL will return to play in January, with some absolutely massive changes. Legendary players return, franchise names depart their organizations, and it promises to be as bloody as ever. The LPL will resume play in 2022 beginning on January 10th, as it announced on …
League of Legends
NEACE responds to coaching criticism from G2 Nelson
Nicholas James
League of Legends content creator, Challenger player, and coach NEACE has responded to criticisms of his coaching pricing from professional coaches and community figures. G2 Esports’ LEC strategic Coach Sng “Nelson” Yi-Wei took to Twitter to criticize the pricing of Neace’s coaching rates. While some community members agreed with Nelson, others have come to NEACE’s defense against the accusations of improper pricing. NEACE made a video addressing Nelson and other …
Study shows League, Dota 2 players are smarter than FPS players
Steven Rondina
League of Legends
Skills in certain video game genres can be indicative of intelligence, a proof of concept study suggests. Ethan Mollick, a professor at the University of Pennsylvania, recently researched how video game skills in business students align with performance in classes. To test this, he used the game Sid Meier’s Civilization V, a competitive game where players look to conquer the world in one of a variety of different ways. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f_4oiDQ5b9Y …
Here are the rosters for the 2022 LCS Spring Split
William Davis
League of Legends
A new season in the LCS is about to unfold, starting with the 2021 LCS Lock-In tournament which kicks off on January 14. In the LCS Lock In, and the two splits following that, the 10 best League of Legends teams from North America will duke it out for glory. Just as any other new season, a lot of changes have been made over the course of the offseason months …
All rosters for the 2022 LEC Spring Split
William Davis
League of Legends
The upcoming 2022 LEC Spring Split is only a few weeks away and a lot of prominent rosters will be hitting the Rift. After a well-deserved break, the best European League of Legends league will return on January 14. The LEC will once again host the 10 best teams that Europe has to offer, this time with new blood in the mix. For the first time, Team BDS will be …
League of Legends fan makes custom Tyler1 Doctor Mundo skin
Nicholas James
League of Legends
Tyler “Tyler1” Steinkamp has already been called the face of League of Legends streaming many times before, but a fan’s new Tyler1 Doctor Mundo skin takes that title to a new level. Youtuber “A Wild Udyr” released a video showing Tyler1 as League of Legends’ resident insane self-labeled physician, Doctor Mundo. From his signature tank top to a fanny pack full of Bloodrush, this adaptation of Tyler1 is equal parts …
LCK 2022 spring split schedule, DWG and T1 highlight
Nicholas James
League of Legends
The schedule for the LCK’s 2022 spring split has been released, with a full itinerary of matches already scheduled. The first matches will take place on January 1st, 2022 with both DragonX and T1 playing on that first day. From there, the schedule remains relatively normal throughout 2022 and will be familiar to long-time LCK fans. During regular play the LCK will run from Wednesdays to Sundays of any given …
Former world champion FPX GimGoon retires
Nicholas James
League of Legends
Former Worlds winner Kim “GimGoon” Han-saem has announced his retirement from professional League of Legends. GimGoon was a member of the first LPL team to win Worlds, playing top lane as a South Korean import for the Chinese organization FunPlus Phoenix. GimGoon was known as the “Weak Side King” for his ability to play top lane with nearly no attention from his teammates. GimGoon was sadly unable to find another …
Top tips for preseason 2022 in League of Legends
Nicholas James
League of Legends
Preseason 2022 has brought a ton of changes to League of Legends, and a few simple tips will help you navigate the new environment on Summoner’s Rift. There are brand new dragons with the addition of Chemtech and Hextech drakes, new items, and a new bounty system. What’s working in the 2022 preseason, and how can you best use it to your advantage? There are two new drakes floating into …
Riot Games settles gender discrimination lawsuit for $100 million
Nicholas James
League of Legends
Riot Games has settled its high-profile class-action gender discrimination lawsuit to the tune of $100 million, $80 million of which will be split among women who worked at Riot Games between 2014 and today. The lawsuit against Riot Games that alleged a hostile workplace for women, harassment, and potentially toxic elements resulted in part from a 2018 investigative effort by Kotaku to expose the League of Legends developers’ unhealthy workplace …
How to play Evelynn in League of Legends
Nicholas James
League of Legends
Evelynn is the original Ability Power-focused assassin jungler in League of Legends, and she’s doing well heading into next season. Ever since her rework she has had the potential to be exactly the demon she is in the lore, stalking from the shadows and demolishing her prey in mere seconds. Here’s how to play Evelynn in League of Legends heading into preseason 2022. Evelynn has been dominating the preseason, with …
When does Season 12 start in League of Legends?
Nicholas James
League of Legends
The 2022 preseason is passing by quickly, and League of Legends fans already have their eyes set on the coming year and the next season of ranked play. Season 12 promises tons of changes for players with new dragons, items, and more. When does Season 12’s ranked play start, and when can fans expect patches in 2022? Season 12’s start date for ranked doesn’t have a specific day just yet, …
Excel’s Nukeduck, Finn, Markoon talk preseason 2022 changes
Nicholas James
League of Legends
During a training camp in London, Excel’s new LEC roster took time to chat with WIN.gg about preseason 2022 game changes, the current state of League of Legends, and the potential ramifications for professional play. Preseason 2022 has been met with a mixed reception, with praise and criticism given to different aspects of the new experience. We spoke with Finn “Finn” Wiestål, Erlend “Nukeduck” Holm, and Mark “Markoon” van Woensel …
Who is Johnsun and how did he move from TSM to FlyQuest?
Nicholas James
League of Legends
Johnson “Johnsun” Nguyen is one of few native North American marksman players who has managed to climb into the LCS from lower levels of play in recent years. Starting in Academy in 2019, Johnsun has proven himself as a talent able to stand toe-to-toe with some of North America’s best players when at his best. Johnsun spent the latter portion of 2021 in Academy and seems to be on an …
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.
