League of Legends
League of Legends
Jungle gap might be biggest challenge for G2, Fnatic at Worlds
William Davis
The League of Legends 2020 World Championship is almost here and all eyes are on the LEC and LPL teams, the two best-performing regions internationally in the past couple of years. For years, the LCK was considered the best regional league in the world. That perception changed in 2018 when a European team faced a Chinese squad in finals. Invictus Gaming versus Fnatic would only be the beginning of the …
League of Legends
Riot wants Sion and Urgot to become junglers in patch 10.20
William Davis
A detailed preview for the upcoming patch 10.20 has been revealed by lead gameplay designer Mark “Scuffy” Yetter, where Sion and Urgot are getting some buffs in the jungle. The patch doesn’t include many huge changes but is instead targeting some off-meta champions that might make their return to the meta soon. In the nerf section, strong picks such as Katarina and Karthus are getting some attention. 10.20 Patch preview …
League of Legends
FlyQuest introduces WorldQuest for the 2020 World Championship
William Davis
FlyQuest is heading to its first world championship and the organization is going to make the most of it with the introduction of WorldQuest. For the trees AND the seas! ???? ???? Introducing our #Worlds2020 campaign, WorldQuest! Let’s #ShowcaseGreatness together!???? : https://t.co/VwRspP8TOP pic.twitter.com/czSPPGnWvq — WorldQuest (@FlyQuest) September 23, 2020 FlyQuest is going to plant trees and replenish corals throughout the 2020 League of Legends World Championship. FlyQuest will be basing …
League of Legends
Riot sees big increase in viewership for 2020 LCS Summer Split
William Davis
Even though the 2020 LCS Summer Split was played out remotely, the viewership was at its highest since 2016 according to Riot Games’ recent viewer update. Behind the Numbers: A Record-Breaking 2020 #LCS Summer Split???? : https://t.co/uJfNTAUDgS pic.twitter.com/0X8kEmfwLn — LCS (@LCSOfficial) September 22, 2020 Riot has been generally transparent with the viewership numbers for the LCS and LEC throughout the year, and it may be because it has been going …
League of Legends
This is the best build for new marksman champion Samira
William Davis
The newest addition to League of Legends, the gun-toting Samira, has recently hit live servers and now players are starting to figure out the most optimal builds for her. While Samira is a fairly complex and innovative champion on Summoner’s Rift, her builds seem to be straightforward. The new marksman scales very well with flat attack damage, which is why her build follows a very damage-heavy path. Her runes can …
League of Legends
New K/DA Song announced for Worlds with Seraphine
Nicholas James
Riot Games has announced that K/DA, the League of Legends K-pop group, will debut a new song on stage for the 2020 World Championship. In the Worlds 2020 Media Preview, Riot said that the group will perform the new song with its latest collaborator, Seraphine. Seraphine is K/DA’s newest collaborator and is rumored to be the next champion in the League of Legends roster. The new Riot Games character has …
League of Legends
Cabochard is exploring new options for the 2021 season
William Davis
Vitality top laner Lucas “Cabochard” Simon-Meslet recently announced that he will be exploring new options for the 2021 season despite still being contracted through November. The veteran top laner will possibly be looking for new career options after playing on Vitality for almost five years. Cabochard has been with the team since its debut on the biggest European League of Legends stage in the 2016 spring split. Vitality acquired Gambit …
League of Legends
These are the best champions for solo queue in LoL patch 10.19
William Davis
Patch 10.19 has hit the live servers and players are already grinding solo queue. But which champions are the best to climb with? The Worlds patch brought changes to many high-impact champions for competitive play, but not many big changes that will impact the state of solo queue. Champions such as Azir, Twisted Fate, and Caitlyn got some nerfs to ensure they won’t dominate at Worlds, while Aphelios, Irelia, and …
Riot reveals info on 2020 Worlds Pick’em with a new prize
William Davis
League of Legends
With the 2020 World Championship right around the corner, Riot Games has finally revealed information about the upcoming Pick’em competition and all types of rewards fans can earn throughout the tournament by watching and making predictions. This year, new special rewards will be given to people who manage to get all of their Pick’ems correct. This means that you have to predict the outcomes of the group stage and all …
Kanavi, Loken renew contracts with JD Gaming ahead of Worlds 2020
William Davis
League of Legends
JD Gaming jungler Seo “Kanavi” Jin-hyeok and bot laner Lee “LokeN” Dong-wook have extended their contracts ahead of the 2020 World Championship according to a post on the Chinese site Weibo. The two South Korean stars will extend their contracts with JD Gaming after a successful year in the LPL. Together with teammates Zhang “Zoom” Xing-Ran, Zeng “Yagao” Qi, and Zuo “LvMao” Ming-Hao, they are one of the favorites to …
SK Gaming allows Crownshot to explore LEC, LCS options for 2021
William Davis
League of Legends
SK Gaming bot laner Juš “Crownshot” Marušič is allowed to negotiate with other teams for the 2021 season. Crownshot’s contract with SK is set to expire in November, but is already allowed to explore new possible teams for next year. Crownshot states on Twitter that he will be looking for options in both the LEC and LCS, which means that the talented bot laner could head overseas next year. I’m …
Broadcast talent for LoL Worlds 2020 includes Machine, Allorim
William Davis
League of Legends
The 2020 League of Legends World Championship will be broadcasted off-site from around the world. This drew questions regarding who would be working the event, but answers have finally come. A number of talents have announced on social media that they will be taking part in Worlds 2020. Casters and hosts from the LEC, LCS, LCK, and OPL will be participating at Worlds, though no members of the English-language LPL …
All you need to know about the 2020 LoL World Championship pass
William Davis
League of Legends
The 2020 World Championship kicks off on September 25, and League of Legends will celebrate it with a month-long in-game event. The event will start on October 1 with patch 10.20 and will run through November 9. Players have until November 24 to spend the Worlds Tokens they acquire along the way. The 2020 Worlds Pass will be available on October 1, right before the start of the World Championship …
How are western players doing on the Chinese super server?
William Davis
League of Legends
The western teams participating at the 2020 World Championship have been boot camping in Shanghai for around one week and grinding solo queue all the while. But how are the pros doing so far? All the best players from around the world are gathered on the Chinese super server, and big streamers are spectating them to provide content for hungry LoL fans. The games have been bloody and the individual …
CuVee says Riot Games has not paid World Champions skin sales
William Davis
League of Legends
Former Gen.G top laner Lee “CuVee” Seong-jin revealed on stream that the 2017 World Champions are yet to get their cut for the skin sales. CuVee and Samsung Galaxy were all the rage in 2017 when the team took down SK Telecom T1. As part of the prize, the team received an exclusive skin line to commemorate their victory. It’d be the second skin line for Samsung, and this time …
Riot Games reveals new item shop details, updates item icons
William Davis
League of Legends
Another update on the upcoming preseason has recently been revealed, this time centered around the new item shop and some updated item icons. Lead gameplay designer Mark “Scuffy” Yetter has been providing League of Legends fans with many updates the past week about the big upcoming preseason changes. The most recent one involves the new item shop and its icons. The item shop will see a big visual overhaul, but …
Rek’Sai worst jungler in League thanks to patch 10.19 bug
Olivia Richman
League of Legends
League of Legends champion Rek’Sai is basically unplayable right now. After Riot attempted to fix a bug in Patch 10.19, Rek’Sai experienced a game-brekaing glitch that has made her unplayable. The bug fix in Patch 10.19 targeted an issue where Rek’Sai’s ability cooldowns wren’t working as initially intended. Patch 10.19 Highlights!Read the full patch notes ???? https://t.co/cd3mm6DInn pic.twitter.com/PM4NOzzosn — League of Legends (@LeagueOfLegends) September 15, 2020 Rek’Sai has been frustrating …
LPL introduces salary cap, and it might be bad for pro players
Steven Rondina
League of Legends
China’s top League of Legends league is looking to emulate traditional sports leagues, but not necessarily a good way. According to Lan Xiong Sports, the league announced its plans to implement an NBA-style salary cap starting with the 2021 season. This carries serious ramifications for how teams will be built in the LPL and could be a big hit to the finances of players in the region. At the Global …
Riot’s tease gives us a clue about the 2020 Victorious skin
William Davis
League of Legends
The annual Victorious skin was teased through two pictures on the official League of Legends Taiwan Facebook page. By looking at the teasers, this year’s Victorious skin will most likely be for Lucian, even though it has not been officially confirmed yet. The first sneak peek show a chestplate in the golden victorious skin line theme, while the other picture shows an emerald gun. The gun is what has led …
US government probes Riot, Epic Games over Tencent ownership
Steven Rondina
League of Legends
When United States president Donald Trump made moves to shut down WeChat and TikTok from operating in the USA, it led to questions whether it would have killed League of Legends, Fortnite, and a number of other games with financial ties to China. Those concerns were briefly alleviated, but now it appears that the story isn’t yet over. According to a report by Bloomberg, the Committee on Foreign Investment in …
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.
