League of Legends
League of Legends
doinb returns to pro League after two years, here’s what to know
M Alzamora
After what many assumed was the start of his retirement, Korean League of Legends player Kim “doinb” Tae-sang will be competing in pro League again. Starting in competitive League at 18, doinb has taken home a number of awards during his seven-year tenure as a pro player. In 2019, he and FunPlus Phoenix won the 2019 World Championship. He became the first player in the LPL circuit to win the …
League of Legends
How to get all Noxus skins in LoL, including Black Rose Katarina
M Alzamora
Prestige Black Rose Katarina is the centerpiece in League of Legends’ batch of Noxus-themed skins, though some may be a little frustrated at the cost. With the success of Arcane, Riot has been investing resources into building up the lore of the Noxian Empire. Warlord Ambessa Medarda recently became the latest LoL champion with her own novel to boot. The dev team also announced that to kick off the new …
League of Legends
How to change your in-game name in LoL
Steven Rondina
LoL users with seasonal handles or just looking to shake things up have never had an easier time changing their names. Debuting onto the gaming scene in 2009, League of Legends is one of the most popular online games to date. That also means that some players who have been logging in since the start may be looking for fresh display names. Alternatively, those coming to the game from Arcane …
League of Legends
Will Riot add voice chat to LoL?
gabhernandez
Communication can make winning LoL matches easier but does the game support voice chat? League of Legends came out in 2009, and Riot Games has brought constant changes to the game since. From new champions to quality-of-life features, someone from ten years ago would find it hard to believe it’s the same game. Arguably the most requested feature is voice chat among teammates, something that’s fairly common in most competitive …
League of Legends
League of Legends is getting a card game, here’s what we know
William Davis
League of Legends is once again breaking containment as Riot’s flagship IP is making the jump to a card game. After the standout success of Arcane, League’s developer is once again branching out into an entirely new medium. This time, the company is iterating on its existing card game product Legends of Runeterra to produce a physical card game for players to enjoy in person. Questions are already swirling about …
League of Legends
Impress League of Legends players with these Christmas gifts
William Davis
If there’s one thing League of Legends players are sure to love this Christmas, it’s a gift inspired by their favorite online video game. After more than a decade of continued development, League of Legends continues to be one of the world’s most popular games. Thanks to its massive roster of over 150 characters and constantly evolving gameplay, Riot Games’ MOBA continues to entertain for thousands of matches. Almost everyone …
League of Legends
Faker was sick at Worlds, what was his disease?
William Davis
Lee “Faker” Sang-hyeok has revealed that he was sick during T1’s biggest matches at Worlds 2024, but that didn’t stop the biggest name in the game from dominating. After a well-deserved break following his fifth triumph at Worlds, T1’s mid lane icon Faker took to his personal stream to share stories from the event. He discussed Choi “Zeus” Woo-je’s move to Hanwha Life, shared his takes on the opening ceremony, …
League of Legends
Kespa Cup 2024 group draws confirmed; here’s who is playing
Steven Rondina
The 2024 Kespa Cup is coming and the group draws have been confirmed, leaving fans scratching their heads. The Kespa Cup was long one of the biggest appetizers for the next League of Legends esports season. From 2015 to 2020, the event gave fans a first look at the top rosters in Korea. The event’s reputation and credibility took a hit over the years though, as organizations opted to send …
Here’s what’s coming after Arcane Season 2
Steven Rondina
League of Legends
Arcane technically wraps up with the release of Season 2 but that doesn’t mean there won’t be more League of Legends TV adaptations coming. Arcane Season 2 has been a hit among fans of the first season. The show continued the tale of Piltover and Zaun, and brought the stories of Vi, Jinx, Caitlyn, Jayce, and Viktor to a heart-wrenching conclusion. With Act 3 concluded the show is definitively done. …
Do Valorant and League of Legends share bans?
William Davis
League of Legends
Valorant players with bans are reporting trouble with League of Legends and vice versa, which could indicate a dangerous new ban policy from Riot. League of Legends is known as one of the most toxic games on the market, and science proves it. Unfortunately, Riot’s tactical shooter isn’t far behind on that metric. The company is constantly in an arms race against its own players trying to curb bad behavior. …
Viktor VGU changes, release date revealed in LoL leak
Steven Rondina
League of Legends
Leaks have seemingly revealed when Viktor’s Arcane-inspired VGU will arrive in League of Legends, and its release date is said to be surprisingly soon. Arcane Season 2 has wrapped and fans can now look forward to elements of the show being folded into the game. Ahead of the show was the addition of Ambessa Medarda to the roster of champions and a Jinx skin pulled from the show being central …
DRX overhauls roster for 2025 season, here’s the new lineup
Steven Rondina
League of Legends
DRX is committing to another major overhaul of its League of Legends esports roster after a brutal flop in the 2024 LCK season. Chronologically speaking, DRX was recently a world championship organization. It probably doesn’t feel that way, though. The former King-Zone DragonX organization has undergone multiple roster reboots in the two years since winning the Summoner’s Cup. It’s no surprise that the organization is looking to reboot its roster. …
How To Enjoy League of Legends With Your Friends
William Davis
League of Legends
League of Legends is a lot more fun if you play it with friends. But often, your friends might have a much higher rank than yours or the other way around. This guide explores the best ways to solve this problem and the benefits of playing the game together with a group. Your League of Legends MMR is a hidden number that gives Riot’s matchmaking system an idea of how …
Arcane welcomes its first spin-off novel
Syed Mujtaba Naqvi
Movies & TV
With the highly anticipated release of Arcane’s second season, fans are excited not only for the continuation of the story but also for the expansion of its world. Alongside the show, Riot Games has announced Arcane welcoming its first spin-off novel, titled Ambessa: Chosen of the Wolf. This novel will focus on Ambessa Medarda, and take readers deeper into her powerful and turbulent backstory. Related: Valorant Arcane 2.0 bundle – …
Riot finally brings K/DA Gragas meme skin to LoL
Syed Mujtaba Naqvi
League of Legends
Riot Games has officially turned a long-standing fan meme into reality. Riot is finally introducing the K/DA Gragas skin in League of Legends. After years of community jokes and requests, the fan-favorite champion Gragas is set to join the K/DA universe, a move that players have eagerly anticipated. The K/DA skin line, introduced with champions like Kai’Sa, Akali, Evelynn, and Ahri. The skin line became an instant hit when paired …
League of Legends Patch 14.18 early notes: World 2024
Syed Mujtaba Naqvi
League of Legends
League of Legends Patch 14.17 went on live servers recently, and now the focus shifts to Patch 14.18. The upcoming patch will serve as the foundation for Worlds 2024. As the world’s top players prepare for the most prestigious event in League, Riot Games is implementing a series of changes aimed at balancing the game for high-level competition. Here’s everything you need to know about the upcoming patch. Riot revives …
Riot revives League of Legends Opponent Honor system
Syed Mujtaba Naqvi
News
After many criticisms from the players, Riot finally reintroduces the long-awaited feature to increase sportsmanship. The League of Legends’ Opponent Honor system is expected to be back in the game during September 2024. League of Legends has been a battleground for intense competition since its launch, captivating millions of players worldwide. However, with the thrill of victory often comes the frustration of defeat, leading to toxicity. The Opponent Honor system …
Vanguard 2 arrives on Mac without extra installations
Syed Mujtaba Naqvi
League of Legends
Riot Games took the Mac gaming community by surprise. The announcement revealed that League of Legends anti-cheat system, Vanguard, is being rebirthed on Mac. This could be huge, as the arrival of Vanguard 2 promises to improve and fix a lot of issues. Riot Games’ popular MOBA, League of Legends, has had little issues on macOS. The proprietary kernel-level anti-cheat, Vanguard, was originally developed for Riot Games’ FPS Valorant. The …
Fright Night 2024 rising from the grave in League of Legends?
Syed Mujtaba Naqvi
League of Legends
Riot Games is Frankensteining monsters again. League of Legends player can expect a spooky surprise in the Summoner’s Rift, as the Fright Night skinline 2024 is returning in 2024. League of Legends, the popular team-based strategy MOBA, is known for its unique set of characters, accompanied by equally unique skins. Players have accumulated many versions of beloved skinlines over the past few years, and they always jump at the next …
All we know about T1 Worlds 2023 skins price, release date
Syed Mujtaba Naqvi
League of Legends
League of Legends fans, rejoice! New details about the highly anticipated T1 Worlds 2023 skins have leaked, offering a glimpse into the upcoming cosmetic collection. These skins commemorate T1’s dominant performance at Worlds 2023, and with each champion selection reflecting a player’s signature champion, they’re shaping up to be a must-have for any T1 supporter. The leaked details paint a picture of a visually stunning set of skins. Taking inspiration …
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.
