League of Legends
League of Legends
New Riot Games launcher with LoL, Valorant, and LoR coming soon
William Davis
A new Riot Games launch client will go live soon and will include all the Riot Games titles in one place. The new client will roll out on Monday, September 20, and will provide fans with access and updates for all Riot Games titles in one single client. This will make it easier for players who are active in multiple Riot Games titles with the list including League of Legends, …
League of Legends
Riot announces 2021 World Championship format
Olivia Richman
With the action getting underway early next month, developer Riot Games has now announced the format of the upcoming World Championship. Held entirely in Reykjavik, Iceland, Worlds will once again be played out across three stages: Play-ins, groups, and knockouts. Unlike previous iterations, however, only 22 teams will compete rather than the usual 24 due to the absence of Vietnamese teams caused by ongoing travel restrictions. https://twitter.com/lolesports/status/1438155751550332942?s=20 Play-ins will see …
League of Legends
Video shows Caitlyn may be getting a brand new updated LoL model
William Davis
A new dev blog for Teamfight Tactics has arrived with a ton of new updates, as well as a potential new Caitlyn model update for LoL that was discovered. In the dev blog with a strict focus on TFT, some attentive viewers noticed that Caitlyn was showcased with a new model that could potentially make its way to League of Legends as well. An update to Caitlyn’s in-game model has …
League of Legends
Riot reveals buffs to both Akali and Gwen for Worlds 2021 patch
William Davis
The League of Legends patch 11.19 patch preview has dropped and it has buffs to a few champions that are known to dominate professional play. In the most recent patch preview by lead game designer Jeevun Sidhu, it was revealed that Riot will be bringing another big round of buffs to League of Legends champions. This patch will act as the second and last patch prior to the 2021 World …
League of Legends
Riot Games reveals Worlds 2021 dates, location, and format
William Davis
The last important details of the 2021 League of Legends World Championship are finally here. In a recent announcement by Riot Games, it was revealed that Worlds 2021 will be held from October 5 to November 6. The event will take place in Reykjavik, Iceland, following the recent relocation of the event from China due to travel issues. This will be the second international LoL event in Iceland this year …
League of Legends
Faker can escape mandatory army service if he wins a gold medal
Steven Rondina
The 2022 Asian Games is set to have a significant esports presence and that’s really good news for Korean stars such as Lee “Faker” Sang-hyeok. The Asian Electronic Sports Federation is collaborating with the Olympic Council of Asia to feature eight official medal events at the 2022 Asian Games. This will see esports stars from across Asia given medals in an Olympics-recognized event. The list of games includes many prominent …
League of Legends
New League of Legends bug allows Sona to slow CC-immune targets
William Davis
Weird bugs continue to rain down upon League of Legends and this time it is one of the game’s oldest champions that are involved, Sona. Shortly after Sona’s rework, it has been discovered that she might be a bit stronger against CC-immune targets than she should be. In a recent YouTube video by Vandiril, it was discovered that Sona can slow champions such as Olaf and Master Yi, even when …
League of Legends
Riot Games reveals the abilities of next LoL champion Vex
William Davis
The release of Vex is finally around the corner and today players got a detailed look at the abilities of the newest addition to League of Legends. The Gloomy Yordle is set to release on Thursday, September 23, giving players a few weeks to test her out on the Public Beta Environment before that. The release of Vex will mark the first yordle release since Kled in 2016 and she …
CaptainFlowers reveals why he isn’t casting Worlds 2021
Steven Rondina
League of Legends
One of League of Legends esports’ most recognizable voices won’t be around for the 2021 World Championship. Clayton “CaptainFlowers” Raines announced that he will not be making the trip to Berlin to be a part of the Worlds 2021 broadcast team. The LCS commentator announced that he will instead be remaining at home to deal with mental health troubles that have been dogging him for some time. He revealed the …
Uzi shows he’s still got it with pentakill in LPL showmatch
William Davis
League of Legends
Retired bot lane superstar Jian “Uzi” Zi-Hao returned to the stage recently for an LPL showmatch to celebrate the 10-year anniversary of Chinese pro League of Legends, and he didn’t let down his fans. In an LPL showmatch with legends such as Yan “Letme” Jun-Ze and Liu “Mlxg” Shi-Yu, Uzi got to showcase his iconic Vayne in all its glory. After being behind for most of the game, Uzi popped …
Fnatic partners with Team Queso to join 2022 LVP Superliga
William Davis
League of Legends
Fnatic will be entering the Spanish League of Legends scene in the 2022 season after a partnership with LVP Superliga team Team Queso. This was announced by Fnatic on Friday, but with very little information provided. The short announcement clearly indicates that Fnatic will be moving its academy activities to the Spanish ERL starting next season, after having competed in the Northern League Championship (NLC) with Fnatic Rising for the …
Riot discusses Game Changers and the future of women in pro LoL
Olivia Richman
League of Legends
LCS Game Changers is finally here after years of development. Riot Games has noticed a lack of diversity in the League of Legends esports scene and this is the company’s first big step towards making League of Legends more inclusive. LCS Game Changers is a program for female high-ELO League of Legends players looking to get into the esports industry. The goal is to get them into Riot’s amateur and …
Doublelift calls out CLG for Xmithie visa issue
Olivia Richman
League of Legends
Before becoming a full-time streamer, Yiliang “Doublelift” Peng was one of the most popular League of Legends players in the LCS. For part of that time, Doubelift competed with Counter Logic Gaming, a time he doesn’t look back on quite so fondly. In a recent discussion had over social media, fans noted that Doublelift has been to Worlds an incredible eight times. But out of all those trips to the …
Riot reveals first gameplay trailer of new champion Vex
William Davis
League of Legends
The next new champion in line will be Vex and now League of Legends players have finally gotten a real look at the new yordle. In a trailer first released by Riot Games Brazil, players got a first look at how Vex plays out on Summoner’s Rift and it is by no means disappointing. The dark and emotionless yordle seems to play out in just the theme that everyone expected …
Riot will buff 18 champions in patch 11.18 including Zed, Draven
William Davis
League of Legends
The first of two patches for the 2021 World Championship is hitting the Public Beta Environment (PBE) soon and will see a ton of buffs to a great variety of champions. In a recent patch preview by Riot Games lead game designer Jeevun Sidhu, it was revealed that a total of 18 champions will be getting a direct buff in this patch while only 10 will be getting nerfs. Aside …
100 Thieves sweeps Team Liquid in LCS final, wins first trophy
William Davis
League of Legends
100 Thieves is the new LCS champion after sweeping Team Liquid in a dominant 2021 LCS Championship final. After taking down Liquid in a clean 3-0 fashion, 100 Thieves picked up its first-ever LCS trophy, becoming the fifth organization in history to do so. Previously, the LCS has been strictly dominated by TSM, Cloud9, Liquid, and CLG but now 100 Thieves has finally proven that another organization can reach the …
MAD Lions defend LEC trophy, top Fnatic in LEC Summer Finals
William Davis
League of Legends
MAD Lions defeated Fnatic in the 2021 LEC Summer Split Finals and defended its LEC title after four intense and action-packed games. It was a real nail-biter when MAD Lions clashed with Fnatic on Sunday in the 2021 LEC Summer Split final for the last domestic trophy of the year. It was a match between the defending champion MAD Lions and Fnatic, which fought its way through the first round …
ShowMaker becomes latest LCK player to get 1,000 kills
Olivia Richman
League of Legends
Damwon Gaming mid laner Heo “ShowMaker” Su has become the 17th player in LCK history to reach 1,000 kills. ShowMaker got his 1,000th kill while playing against T1 in the LCK Summer Split Finals’ fourth game using LeBlanc. Along with the 1,000th kill, ShowMaker added another LCK Championship trophy to his mantel for the split, the third in a row for him, and also was awarded LCK Finals MVP honors. …
Worlds 2022 confirmed for NA despite Worlds 2021 relocation
Steven Rondina
League of Legends
The plans for the League of Legends World Championship have been torn up a few times in the last few years but things are going as scheduled in 2022. LCS commissioner Chris Greeley confirmed to Travis Gafford that Worlds 2022 will take place in North America in an interview published to Gafford’s YouTube channel. While this has long been the plan, a number of different variables put those plans in …
T1 Faker is launching his own custom line of Razer gaming hardware
Olivia Richman
League of Legends
Lee “Faker” Sang-hyeok fans should be on the lookout for some gaming peripherals designed by the iconic League of Legends veteran. South Korean esports organization T1 Entertainment & Sports has recently announced a strategic partnership with Razer, a gaming peripherals brand. Part of the deal includes Faker designing and developing exclusive products for the company. Razer’s new line will include Faker’s first custom mice and phone cases. They will be …
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.
