League of Legends
League of Legends
When does Season 12 start in League of Legends?
Nicholas James
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, …
League of Legends
Excel’s Nukeduck, Finn, Markoon talk preseason 2022 changes
Nicholas James
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 …
League of Legends
Who is Johnsun and how did he move from TSM to FlyQuest?
Nicholas James
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
This Chemtech Drake bug turns Sylas into Volibear permanently
Nicholas James
Resurrection effects in League of Legends have often led to a laundry list of bugs and unintended interactions over the MOBA’s many years. One of the preseason additions, Chemtech Drake, is the latest of these abilities that causes an assuredly unintended outcome. Thanks to the new dragon, Sylas can permanently assume Volibear’s form if the stars align. This bug involves a couple of specific elements and requires exact timing in …
League of Legends
Team BDS confirms debut roster for 2022 LEC season
William Davis
The 2022 LEC season is right around the corner and for Team BDS that means the debut of the organization and its new team to the biggest league in Europe. After buying the LEC franchise slot of FC Schalke 04 earlier this year, Team BDS has finally revealed its roster, which contains several familiar names. Meanwhile, Team BDS will also field two rookies in this upcoming split who will both …
League of Legends
Behind the scenes of the “What Could Have Been” song in Arcane
Nicholas James
Arcane, League of Legends’ hit animated adaptation on Netflix, got heaps of praise for its soundtrack and the original compositions made for it. Artist Alex “Mako” Seaver took fans behind the scenes on the creation of the ninth episode’s chilling finale song “What Could Have Been” and explained what it took to create it. In a video on his official Youtube channel, Mako breaks down the long and complicated creative …
League of Legends
Here’s what Faker looks like in Arcane, and how you can join him
Nicholas James
Riot Games’ hit animated series, Arcane, debuted on Netflix in November to rave reviews and fans have created a new filter that emulates its distinctive style. The art style of Fortiche Productions’ gritty Piltover and Zaun was a subject of much praise from fans and critics. Fans have made a program that can show Faker’s Arcane incarnation, and you can transport yourself into the world of Arcane as well. ArcaneGAN …
League of Legends
The best Christmas presents for League of Legends players
Nicholas James
The holiday seasons are nearly here and last-minute shopping for presents is a tradition as time-honored as a Christmas tree or a Menorah. If you’re looking for the best gifts to provide your League of Legends-playing loved ones, look no further. Here are some of the best gifts for the League of Legends fan in your life in time for the holidays. If you’re buying a present for a friend …
These are the 3 most-watched esports events of 2021
Steven Rondina
League of Legends
While 2020 was a breakout year for esports, 2021 was even bigger. Major esports titles such as Dota 2 and Counter-Strike: Global Offensive both enjoyed record-breaking events, but they weren’t alone. Despite being big, they weren’t even among the most-watched events of the year as they gave away space and watch time to a mix of newer and better-established games. These are the three most-watched esports events of 2021, as …
Elon Musk posts about Arcane again, this time with Coachella?
Nicholas James
League of Legends
Elon Musk caught League of Legends fans’ attention last week by posting art to Arcane’s protagonist, Jinx, without any context. For a Twitter post clearly meant to capitalize on the popularity of the show, it had a surprisingly volatile reaction from different aspects of the League of Legends fandom. The Tesla CEO has now doubled down, sharing yet another cryptic tweet involving Jinx and Arcane antagonist Silco. The tweet may …
Arcane lead says Season 2 has been in production for months
Nicholas James
League of Legends
Arcane’s first season was a smash hit with League of Legends fans, critics, and new viewers alike. The second season was announced shortly after the first concluded, but a recent interview has revealed that Arcane Season Two was in production months before the first season even came out. In an interview with iAnimate.net, Animation Lead for Fortiche Studios Alexis Wanneroy says that the timeline of Arcane’s production varied wildly. The …
Is there too much burst damage in LoL? Riot looking into damage issues
Nicholas James
League of Legends
Riot Games has released its latest gameplay thoughts and larger processes headed into 2022. From Chemtech Drake to burst damage, there’s a lot that Riot wants to address. The last Quick Gameplay Thoughts article for 2021 has Riot’s sights set on several key issues with League of Legends at the given moment. Riot’s developer post begins with addressing preseason changes and short-term goals for the Summoner’s Rift team. The first …
New Shurima story sets up new LoL jungler with Void invasion
Nicholas James
League of Legends
Riot Games has released yet another Shuriman story, “The Faceless God” by Graham McNeil, and the Void once again takes focus. This is the second recent story about Shurima and the Void, with the first, “Feast of the Prophet”, seemingly setting up a new champion.The story explores the work of a Shuriman stonemason named Mennas and his mentor, the Arch-Mason, on their journey to recreate the face of a statue …
The best LCS Lock In Predictions for 2022
Nicholas James
League of Legends
The LCS Lock In tournament is the flashy event to open up a year of LCS play and 2022’s groups have now been confirmed. Here are our predictions for how the group stage of the Lock In tournament will play out in 2022. Group A is helmed by the 2021 LCS Summer Split champions, 100 Thieves. 100 Thieves had the first choice of placing an opponent in the opposite group …
Tips to rank up quickly in League of Legends during the holidays
Nicholas James
League of Legends
The holiday season is here and plenty of gamers are finding themselves with extra time on their hands that they’re likely to spend playing League of Legends. For those looking to hone their competitive edge before next season, here are a few tips to best prepare for Season 12. If you’re going to grind ranked queue during December, it’s worth understanding that there won’t be any in-game rewards for your …
How the Crystal Rose Festival works in Wild Rift
Nicholas James
League of Legends
Wedding bells are ringing and there’s love in the air as the Crystal Rose Festival arrives in Wild Rift as a part of patch 2.6. Players will be able to claim rewards and bonuses for playing during the festival, including poses for Crystal Rose skins. Here’s a breakdown of the rewards and event system. The Crystal Rose Festival is an event centered around the latest skins being added to Wild …
LoL Season 12 is bringing big changes to Janna, here’s why
Nicholas James
League of Legends
League of Legends’ 12th season is going to be shaking up a lot, including Janna. Janna is a controversial champion in the bot lane, known for poking out enemies with relentless damage and shielding her marksman from all harm. Or doing absolutely nothing. In the first series of announced changes for the upcoming LoL season 12, Riot is trying to give Janna less oppressive laning and more utility. Janna is …
Kayle finally gets major nerfs in Wild Rift update 2.6
Nicholas James
League of Legends
Wild Rift’s latest update is here with 2.6 and players who are getting tired of being shredded apart by a late-game Kayle can rest easy. The patch brings a slew of buffs and nerfs but the most notable nerfs are to Demacia’s Aspect of Justice. Kayle is one of the latest additions to Wild Rift, joining her sister Morgana as the latest members of the roster in the Path of …
Uzi will return to professional play in 2022 on Bilibili Gaming
William Davis
League of Legends
After tons of speculation in the League of Legends community, it’s finally official that bot laner Jian “Uzi” Zi-Hao will return to professional play in 2022. The legendary bot laner will be playing for Bilibili Gaming in the upcoming LPL season, which will be his first return to the professional stage after shockingly retiring back in 2020 due to health issues. Uzi will be the biggest name joining Bilibili Gaming …
Here’s what Riot had to say about failed Sentinels of Light event
Nicholas James
League of Legends
The Sentinels of Light event was an effort to tell the story of Viego’s arrival to League of Legends and the noble Sentinels of Light who would rise to defeat him. The event was released to a mixed reception from the community, including progression complaints, and more lore questions being raised. Months later, Riot Games has released a statement discussing what was learned from the event. Sentinels of Light was …
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.
