League of Legends
League of Legends
Can JD Gaming stay on top of China during the 2021 LPL season?
William Davis
JD Gaming had the best year in the organization’s history in 2020, but can the team stay on top of China and the LPL next year when some of its best players become free agents? After winning the 2020 LPL Spring Split, making the final in the summer, and qualifying for the 2020 World Championship, JDG had an impressive year that they can be proud of. Going into 2021, the …
League of Legends
Xerxe and Immortals sea the deal, pending Riot approvals
William Davis
Astralis’ jungler Andrei “Xerxe” Dragomir is in the process of signing a contract with Immortals, several sources have reported. Soon after announcing the signing of head coach André “Guilhoto” Guilhoto, Immortals is about to secure a new jungler. According to a report, the jungler and the organization agreed on the terms of the contract and the move will be official on November 16. Xerxe is exiting Astralis, formerly known as …
League of Legends
Misfits looking to add Rogue’s Vander for 2021 LEC season
William Davis
Polish veteran support Osker “Vander” Bogdan looks to be heading to Misfits for the 2021 LEC season, according to ESPN’s Jacob Wolf. Sources: @MisfitsGG are finalizing a buyout agreement with @Rogue for @Vanderlol, which is expected to be completed next week.In 2020, Vander had a stellar year on Rogue, becoming one of the #LEC top supports. Rogue, though, promoted @trymbilol a few weeks ago. — Jacob Wolf (@JacobWolf) November 11, …
League of Legends
PowerOfEvil will likely replace Bjergsen on TSM for 2021 LCS season
William Davis
Team SoloMid might have found it’s new mid laner for the 2021 LCS season. The team is going to sign Tristan “PowerOfEvil” Schrage according to ESPN’s Jacob Wolf. Sources: @PowerOfEvilLoL notified @TSM Tuesday that he will sign with the team as their new mid laner at the opening of the League of Legends Free Agency window on Nov. 16 at 7 p.m. ET.PowerOfEvil chose TSM over @EvilGeniuses, who have been …
League of Legends
Riot adds 10 new LoL skins, including additions to Cosmic line
William Davis
Riot Games is back with a new set of skins to close out 2020. A total of 10 champions will receive new in-game cosmetics, judging from the latest Public Beta Environment update. This includes additions to the Cosmic skinline for Nidalee, Hecarim, Illaoi, Anivia, Nami, Vladimir, and Varus. #PBE Preview Cosmic Edition! ????Cosmic Skarner, Hecarim & Nidalee! ✨ pic.twitter.com/SwPj9nuQWc — League of Legends EU (@loleu) November 10, 2020 #PBE Preview …
League of Legends
TSM and G2 players won’t be part of the 2020 All-Star event
William Davis
The voting for 2020 All-Star is open and fans will be disappointed to discover a group of famous players is notably missing from the list. The players of Team SoloMid opted out of the event and thus are not eligible for 2020 All-Star. This year, the event is taking place completely online with the chosen players from each region playing from their local studios. The three-day event will consist of …
League of Legends
Cody Sun splits from 100 Thieves ahead of LCS free agency
William Davis
100 Thieves and ADC Cody Sun have parted ways, the organization confirmed on Twitter. Cody Sun won’t be returning to 100 Thieves in 2021 and is officially a free agent ahead of the 2021 season. This is a familiar scenario, since it’s not the first time Cody Sun has broken up with 100 Thieves. Cody Sun was part of the roster that helped 100 Thieves qualify to the 2018 World …
League of Legends
Riot unveils 2020 ranked season reward borders and icons
William Davis
The 2020 League of Legends ranked season is coming to an end and players around the world will be receiving seasonal ranked rewards. Riot has already announced the rewards of the 2020 ranked season, including the new Victorious Lucian skin, chromas, icons, and the standard ranked border for players to flex when they queue up on Summoner’s Rift. The Lucian skin will only be given out to players that have …
Jensen interview hints that Impact might leave Team Liquid
Olivia Richman
League of Legends
When Nicolaj “Jensen” Jensen revealed that he was re-signing with Team Liquid, he might have accidentally leaked some unannounced team changes. Team Liquid tweeted a short video of Jensen discussing his plans with Team Liquid after signing a three-year contract. “I’m excited about this because I believe this is the best chance if I want to make it far internationally. When I heard their plans for the 2021 season, it …
The biggest League of Legends tournaments left to watch in 2020
William Davis
News
Even though the 2020 World Championship is over and most professional LoL teams have entered the offseason, there are still some exciting tournaments worth keeping an eye on. Entertaining League of Legends doesn’t have to come from the absolute best teams in the world, which is why it’s time to look at some of the remaining tournaments left in 2020. League of Legends is still being played all around the …
G2 Arctic vs. SLO REJECTS: Iberian Cup 2020 betting analysis
William Davis
League of Legends
The Iberian Cup 2020 is entering the semifinals and the first one is between G2 Arctic and big surprise SLO REJECTS. Both teams impressed during the quarterfinals and won convincingly against their respective opponents. Now it’s time for the semifinal, where the winner will advance as the first team to the final in the battle for the trophy and €8,000. G2 Arctic has only played one time at the tournament, …
Voting for the 2020 All-Star Event has opened
William Davis
News
It’s time to vote for the 2020 League of Legends All-Star participants. Riot recently announced that the annual All-Star event will take place on December 18 to 20 with a new format. The new format includes battles between neighboring regions and a lot of fun game modes as usual. The LCS and LEC will clash in an All-Stars match, while the LCK and LPL have been paired as the two …
LS deactivates Twitter after harassment towards his grandmother
William Davis
News
Furious T1 fans keep taking things a step further to show their frustrations, but it seems to have gotten way out of hand. Dedicated T1 fans are continuously harassing rumored new coach Nick “LS” Cesare, and that has reportedly extended to his grandmother as well. The anger from fans erupted after LS and former Starcraft player Choi “Polt” Seong-hun got rumored to be a part of the coaching staff for …
Tyler1 hits 15-game streak in race to Challenger in top lane
William Davis
League of Legends
Tyler “Tyler1” Steinkamp is fighting to reach Challenger rank on his top lane-only account before season 10 ends. The popular streamer has always been known as a Draven main in the bot lane, but has recently picked up other roles to see if he can reach Challenger. Tyler1 managed to hit Challenger while playing jungle earlier this year after a prolonged grind. WHAT DID I FUCKIN SAY EASIEST ROLE IN …
FlyQuest’s PowerOfEvil becoming free agent for 2021 LCS season
William Davis
League of Legends
FlyQuest mid laner Tristan “PowerOfEvil” Schrage will be a free agent this offseason, according to ESPN’s Jacob Wolf. The German mid laner has reportedly declined his player option and will therefore be a free agent when the player free agency window begins on November 16. There is still a chance that PowerOfEvil will return to FlyQuest but it will require a new deal with the organization. .@PowerOfEvilLoL has declined his …
Afreeca Freecs adds ex-Dignitas jungler Lira as new coach
William Davis
League of Legends
Former Dignitas jungler Nam “Lira” Tae-yoo has joined Afreeca Freecs as its new coach. Lira will be sharing responsibilities with former Dignitas assistant coach Han “Rigby” Earl. Just days after the announcement of the LCK 2021 season franchises, the teams are ready to make moves. Afreeca Freecs took the community by surprise when it confirmed the departure of long-time head coach Choi “iloveoov” Yeon-sung. Iloveoov is a pioneer in the …
Big changes coming to Evil Geniuses after adding Peter Dun
William Davis
News
Evil Geniuses confirmed Peter Dun as its head coach and fans are already speculating about the possible changes he might bring. Back in October, it was reported that Evil Geniuses had its eye on former MAD Lions head of coaching staff Peter Dun. The report also noted that part of Dun’s plan for the team is to build around jungler Dennis “Svenskeren” Johnsen. With the confirmation of Dun is head …
Team Liquid’s CoreJJ announces marriage to longtime girlfriend
Olivia Richman
League of Legends
League of Legends pro Yongin “CoreJJ” Jo might be married to the game, but not legally. The Team Liquid support announced this morning that he has married his longtime girlfriend. Fans of CoreJJ likely recognize his partner, as the two have been public for a long while. “I’m happy to have someone more precious than myself in my life,” CoreJJ tweeted. We got married!I’m happy to have someone more precious …
When is TFT: Fates’ ranked season ending? When is Set 5 coming?
William Davis
League of Legends
Teamfight Tactics is on its fourth version of the game with TFT: Fates. There’s still a long way to go before the end of TFT: Fates, but it’s never too early to start planning for the next set. The TFT sets and the League of Legends ranked seasons run independently of one another, so each has its own start and end date. TFT: Fates ends on January 18, a little …
Immortals welcomes Guilhoto as new LCS head coach for 2021
William Davis
League of Legends
Immortals has started the offseason by signing André “Guilhoto” Guilhoto as its new head coach for the 2021 LCS season. Forging a foundation for the future of Immortals League of Legends.Welcome our Head Coach, @AndreGuilhoto94.#WEAREIMT pic.twitter.com/ZJtw55DUS4 — Immortals (@Immortals) November 6, 2020 Guilhoto joins the team after almost two years spent at Origen. He didn’t re-sign with the organization when it was rebranded to Astralis. Instead, Guilhoto will be heading …
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.
