League of Legends
League of Legends
Worlds 2023 Knockout Pick’em predictions
William Davis
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 …
League of Legends
Deft eliminated from Worlds 2023
William Davis
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 …
League of Legends
T1 moves to Knockout Stage at Worlds 2023
William Davis
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 …
League of Legends
NRG defeats G2 Esports at Worlds 2023
William Davis
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 …
League of Legends
Top 8 teams for Worlds 2023 Swiss Stage Pick’ems
William Davis
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 …
League of Legends
Team BDS advances to Worlds 2023 Swiss Stage
William Davis
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 …
League of Legends
Team BDS destroys Golden Guardians at Worlds 2023
William Davis
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
How to watch Worlds 2023
William Davis
Worlds 2023 officially starts on October 9 and here is how to watch the event to make the most of it. The Worlds 2023 Pass is not the only way to earn rewards during the event. Being a dedicated viewer has its advantages if you know how and where to watch. Worlds 2023 can be enjoyed on different platforms like YouTube, Twitch, Afreeca, and many more regional options. The event …
What is included in the Worlds 2023 Pass?
William Davis
League of Legends
Through the Worlds 2023 Pass, League of Legends players can earn a wide variety of rewards and support their favorite teams at the same time. Here is everything you need to know about prices, rewards, and the event duration. October 11 marks the beginning of the Worlds 2023 in-game event. It will run through November 27. Players will have the chance to spend their tokens until December 4 when the …
When does KT Rolster play at Worlds 2023?
William Davis
League of Legends
After a remarkable Summer season, KT Rolster secured the third LCK seed at Worlds 2023. When does KT Rolster play next? Here is the full schedule. In 2022, DRX set an interesting precedent for LCK teams by overcoming all the odds. DRX effectively created the figure of the underdog LCK team. The fourth team with a roster that has something to prove and everyone betting against them. In 2023, KT …
The best picks for Worlds 2023 Play-In Pick’Ems
Nicholas James
League of Legends
Worlds 2023 Play-In Stage is nearly upon us, so here are our best Worlds 2023 Pick ‘Ems for the Play-In Stage and Worlds Qualifier Series. The format of Worlds has changed this year, and that means Pick’Ems have too. As always, there are some amazing prizes if you have a perfect Worlds prediction record, and bragging rights if you best your friends. Hopefully, we’re here to help you get both …
JD Gaming full schedule at Worlds 2023
William Davis
League of Legends
JD Gaming is the LPL’s first seed and overall favorite to win Worlds 2023. Follow JDG’s schedule closely as they are close to making history. In a competitive year, there are four possible titles for a team to win. Two domestic titles, Spring and Summer, the Mid-Season Invitational, and Worlds. JDG has three in the bag and is going for the biggest one yet. JDG is regarded as one of, …
When does Gen.G play next?
William Davis
League of Legends
Gen.G is LCK’s number one seed at Worlds 2023. Want to watch them compete? When does Gen.G play? Here is the full schedule. Gen.G qualified for Worlds 2023 as the first seed from the LCK after defeating T1 in the Summer Season finals. In 2023, Gen.G won back-to-back domestic titles and qualified for both Worlds 2023 and MSI 2023. At MSI 2023, Gen.G had an underwhelming performance. Gen.G struggled against …
South Korea wins gold medal at 2022 Asian Games
William Davis
League of Legends
South Korea earned the gold medal in the 2022 Asian Games after defeating Chinese Taipei. This victory has major implications for all the players involved. South Korea finished its participation in the 2022 Asian Games and is taking home the gold. The squad defeated Chinese Taipei and ended the tournament undefeated after not losing a single game. South Korea’s fate was decided on Thursday when the team defeated China. Playing …
South Korea defeats China in 2022 Asian Games
William Davis
League of Legends
South Korea defeated China in the semifinals of the 2022 Asian Games and is one match away from the gold medal. South Korea secured its spot in the 2022 Asian Games finals with a dominating victory over China. This semifinal match, which many considered to be the real final, ended after two games. South Korea now advances to the finals, where it will face the winner between Chinese Taipei and …
K’Sante expected to receive rework in League of Legends
Tokoni Uti
League of Legends
The League of Legends bruiser in the top lane K’Sante is expected to receive a major rework that will change their kit in every way, almost. Earlier today, it was revealed that K’Sante would receive some major changes to their abilities in a mini-rework. All of their abilities, minus E, Footwork, will receive some tweaks to make them more suitable for professional and casual play. Base changes include a health …
Here are the new Coven skins in League of Legends
Olivia Richman
League of Legends
The Coven skin line is returning to League of Legends, so players may want to prepare their wallets. This cultish and witchy skin line is one of the most popular in the entirety of the MOBA. First introduced in 2018, the Coven skin line in League of Legends has continued to recruit champions. Now, the cult is growing! For a while, League of Legends fans have been whispering about the …
South Korea undefeated in 2022 Asian Games group stage
William Davis
League of Legends
South Korea national team dominated the group stage in the 2022 Asian Games and is advancing to the knockout stage. South Korea finished day one of the tournament undefeated. The team faced Hong Kong and Kazakhstan in Group A, defeating both of them. In game one, South Korea started Gen.G’s mid laner Jeong “Chovy” Ji-hoon in the match against Hong Kong. In the second match of the day, Lee “Faker” …
Shopify Rebellion replaces TSM in LCS
William Davis
League of Legends
Shopify Rebellion is joining the LCS after completing the acquisition of TSM’s slot in the competition. Shopify Rebellion is the newest team in the LCS, the organization confirmed through social media. “Entering League of Legends – one of the largest esports titles, with a rich competitive history – felt like an obvious next step for us as we continue to grow our presence in esports,” said Dario “TLO” Wünsch, esports …
Faker benched in first 2022 Asian Games pre-evaluation
William Davis
League of Legends
Three time Worlds Champion Lee “Faker” Sang-hyeok was benched in South Korea’s first match against Vietnam ahead of the 2022 Asian Games. Team South Korea played the first round of evaluation matches ahead of the 2022 Asian Games, and one important face was missing from the lineup. Against Vietnam, team South Korea started Gen.G’s mid laner and current LCK champion Jeong “Chovy” Ji-hoonk, leaving Faker on the bench. The rest …
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.
