League of Legends
League of Legends
Meet Smolder, LoL’s new champion
Nicholas James
Riot Games has unveiled the next champion to join League of Legends, and it’s the adorably named and designed Smolder, an adolescent dragon with lots to prove. The developer of League of Legends often likes to preview upcoming champions earlier on in the year. In late 2023, Riot indicated that the next new champion after Briar’s release would be an important “royal” member of the roster, with the statement being …
League of Legends
What does MarkZ being commissioner mean for LCS?
Nicholas James
It has been announced that Mark “MarkZ” Zimmerman, previously a co-host on the LCS desk, will be the new commissioner of the LCS. But what does that mean for the league? After the previous LCS commissioner, Jackie Felling, stepped down earlier in 2023 due to ongoing health issues, the LCS has been looking for new leadership. Rumors have been flying throughout the offseason about who might be considered for the …
League of Legends
LEC format and schedule changes explained
Olivia Richman
Some major format changes to the LEC are incoming and Riot Games has addressed the reason behind these updates. On December 6, it was announced that the LEC was going to merge the group and playoff stages into a single bracket. The schedule will also be changed for the upcoming season to make it easier to view and better support teams. Said Riot: “o better support the well-being of our …
League of Legends
Doublelift retires for third and final time
Nicholas James
Peng “Doublelift” Yilang has retired from League of Legends professional play after more than a decade playing professionally. Doublelift has reigned, for almost as long as the LCS has existed, as one of the premier native North American talents. Beginning in support as a feared Blitzcrank one-trick, Doublelift would quickly transition to the Marksman or AD Carry role. Playing on Counter Logic Gaming, TSM, Team Liquid, and 100 Thieves, Doublelift …
League of Legends
Best semifinals Pick’Ems for Worlds 2023
William Davis
Only four teams remain in Worlds 2023 and these are the best choices for the semifinals Pick’em. Worlds 2023 is an emotional rollercoaster. From major upsets to absolute bangers, the most important tournament of the year doesn’t disappoint. Three LPL teams and one LCK representative remain in the race for the Summoners Cup. On one side of the bracket, two wildcards will meet. On the other side, arguably the two …
League of Legends
T1 destroys LNG Esports and moves to semifinals at Worlds 2023
William Davis
T1 obliterated LNG Esports and is advancing to the semifinals at Worlds 2023. T1 is defending the honor of the LCK and is taking the LPL teams one by one. In the quarterfinals, T1 had one of the best performances in the entire tournament. Reminding everyone why it’s the most popular team in the world. Worlds 2023 is not going according to the predictions. Dplus KIA and G2 Esports failed …
League of Legends
JDG stays undefeated at Worlds 2023
William Davis
JD Gaming has advanced to the semifinals after defeating KT Rolster at Worlds 2023. JDG continues to walk the golden path and is one step closer to making history. JDG is the third LPL team to qualify for the semifinals and is looking even more like a favorite to take the Worlds 2023 title. KT wouldn’t go down without a fight. The LCK’s third seed took game one and had …
League of Legends
Gen.G suffers major upset at Worlds 2023
William Davis
Gen.G has been eliminated from Worlds 2023 after being upset by Bilibili Gaming. In a surprising turn of events, one of the tournament’s favorites is out of the competition in the quarterfinals. Once again, it is BLG who puts an end to Gen.G’s dreams and knocks the LCK’s number-one seed from the run. These teams met for the first time in a Knockout Stage back in May during MSI 2023. …
NRG eliminated from Worlds 2023
William Davis
League of Legends
NRG has been eliminated from Worlds 2023 after losing against Weibo Gaming in the quarter-finals. North America’s last hope could not make it past the first round of the Knockout Stage. After a surprising victory over G2 Esports, NRG secured a spot in the quarterfinals, where it was set to face Weibo Gaming. These teams met earlier in round one of the Swiss Stage, where Weibo came out on top. …
When is the Worlds 2023 Finals?
Nicholas James
League of Legends
We’re out of Swiss stage and into Knockouts, so we’ve got all the info about the upcoming matches and the Worlds 2023 finals. Worlds is the biggest event of the year in League of Legends esports, every single year. 2023 is no different, and fans the world over have their eyes on the Knockout stage. This eight-team, single-elimination bracket will determine who wins the World Championship, and here’s the schedule. …
Worlds 2023 Knockout Pick’em predictions
William Davis
League of Legends
Eight teams secured their spots in the Knockout Stage at Worlds 2023, which means it is time for Pick’em. After five rounds of intense competition, the top eight at Worlds 2023 have been decided. Some teams secured their slots early, like JD Gaming and Gen.G, while others fought until the end, like KT Rolster and Weibo Gaming. The next stage of the tournament will follow the classic single-elimination format. Teams …
Deft eliminated from Worlds 2023
William Davis
League of Legends
Dplus KIA and Kim “Deft” Hyuk-kyu have been eliminated from Worlds 2023 after a loss against KT Rolster. Deft won’t get a chance to defend his World Championship title. The last remaining member of the 2022 champions has been eliminated by the hand of KT Rolster. The only word that can be used to describe the series is frustrating. DK started both games in a similar fashion, taking control over …
T1 moves to Knockout Stage at Worlds 2023
William Davis
League of Legends
T1 secured its ticket to the Knockout Stage at Worlds 2023 after defeating Bilibili Gaming. T1 is advancing to the next stage at Worlds and got its revenge, all in the same series. T1 came into the series with a bone to pick with BLG. These teams met at MSI’s semifinals, where BLG took the win, eliminating T1 from the tournament. Now, T1 sent BLG to the last chance qualifiers …
NRG defeats G2 Esports at Worlds 2023
William Davis
League of Legends
NRG has secured a spot in the Knockout Stage at Worlds 2023 after defeating G2 Esports. NRG keeps making history. The underdog team from the LCS has taken down the number one from the LEC and is advancing. Time and time again, NRG is underestimated, and once again, they have proven they are a worthy opponent. In round four of the Swiss Stage, NRG and G2 met in round four …
New LoL band debuts with Heartsteel “Paranoia”
Nicholas James
League of Legends
LoL has debuted its latest in-house band made up of champions, you can get your first listen to Hearsteel with “Paranoia” now. Heartsteel is the new boy band along the lines of Pentakill or K/DA. Hearsteel is a boy band composed of Sett, Aphelios, Yone, Kayn, K’Sante, and Ezreal. Its voices are made up of BAEKHYUN, tobi lou, Cal Scrubby, and ØZI. The video is an upbeat hip-hop and pop-infused …
Developers have confirmed the next League of Legends champions
Nicholas James
League of Legends
Riot Games has previewed the next two champions that will be making their way into League of Legends. Riot Games likes to frequently update its player base on the champions that are being released in the near future. The usual pattern for these is that Riot will announce the next champion coming to League of Legends and then preview the next two, along with any champion reworks. This time, Riot …
Cloud9 starts Worlds 2023 with victory over MAD Lions
William Davis
League of Legends
Cloud9 started its Worlds 2023 run with a victory over MAD Lions in round one of the Swiss Stage. It is a good day to be an LCS fan. Cloud9 secured a decisive win over MAD Lions and is starting Worlds 2023 with a victory. The LCS Summer champion showed an outstanding ability to adapt to the opponent’s draft and an overall better read on the map. Cloud9 relied on …
Top 8 teams for Worlds 2023 Swiss Stage Pick’ems
William Davis
League of Legends
Worlds 2023 is underway and after the format changes, the Pick’em system is also subject to changes. In previous years, Worlds was divided into a group stage and a knockout stage. In 2023, the tournament opted for a Swiss format, changing everything about the tournament. The matches will vary from day to day depending on the results. In the end, only eight teams will advance to the knockout stage. It …
Team BDS advances to Worlds 2023 Swiss Stage
William Davis
League of Legends
Team BDS pulled off a reverse sweep against PSG Talon and is advancing to the Swiss Stage at Worlds 2023. BDS put an end to all the doubters after securing a victory over PSG in the final Qualification series. The challenging series started with two solid victories by PSG, but when it mattered most, BDS got the job done. A significant part of the team’s success comes from the hand …
Team BDS destroys Golden Guardians at Worlds 2023
William Davis
League of Legends
Team BDS qualified for Worlds 2023 after defeating Golden Guardians in the 2023 Worlds Qualifying Series. Europe remains the superior region in the battle of the West. BDS took down Golden Guardians with a clean 3-0 victory and is advancing to the Play-In Stage at Worlds 2023. The Qualifying Series was one of the hardest series to predict. Both BDS and Golden Guardians had underwhelming Summer seasons. The teams shared …
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.
