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Riot Games plans on big penalties for AFK players in solo queue League of Legends Riot Games plans on big penalties for AFK players in solo queue By William Davis Akali and ADC Senna just got big buffs in League’s latest patch League of Legends Akali and ADC Senna just got big buffs in League’s latest patch By William Davis 100 Thieves Ssumday, CodySun, Ryoma talk challenges, goals for summer League of Legends 100 Thieves Ssumday, CodySun, Ryoma talk challenges, goals for summer By Olivia Richman
C9 Zven: “The only other team that’s somewhat good is Team Liquid.” News
C9 Zven: “The only other team that’s somewhat good is Team Liquid.” Olivia Richman It’s no surprise that Jesper “Zven” Svenningsen is feeling cofident going into the 2020 LCS Summer Split. Cloud9 had an almost flawless Spring Split, with no other North American teams even coming close to knocking them out of the top spot. But with Worlds on the line, Zven and his teammates are determined to stay on top of their game. WIN.gg spoke with the Spring Split champion about threats to …
CLG Ruin on LCS struggles: “My main problem was communication” League of Legends
CLG Ruin on LCS struggles: “My main problem was communication” Olivia Richman It’s safe to say that Counter Logic Gaming struggled in the Spring Split.  The 10th-place team saw some improvement halfway through the season with the addition of mid laner Eugene “Pobelter” Park, but it was a little too late. Now that they’ve had time to practice together a bit more and improve their communication, Hyeong-min “Ruin” Kim told WIN.gg CLG might even beat Cloud9 this summer. Maybe.  CLG came in …
igNar promises FlyQuest won’t be “easy win” for Cloud9 in summer League of Legends
igNar promises FlyQuest won’t be “easy win” for Cloud9 in summer Olivia Richman Going into the LCS Spring Split, not many League of Legends fans had high hopes for FlyQuest. It didn’t take long for analysts and viewers alike to see just how wrong their predictions were.  FlyQuest ended up tied for second with Evil Geniuses and 100 Thieves at the end of the split before making a run through playoffs behind eventual champion Cloud9. But that wasn’t enough for Dong-geun “igNar” Lee. …
Sneaky thinks latest marksmen and ADC buffs make no difference League of Legends
Sneaky thinks latest marksmen and ADC buffs make no difference William Davis Former Cloud9 AD carry Zachary “Sneaky” Scuderi is not completely sold on the latest buffs for marksmen that came through with LoL patch 10.11. Streamer and cosplay extraordinaire Sneaky had some thoughts about the buffs in patch 10.11 and whether or not these changes would make a big difference for marksmen. Solo queue players have been complaining about the state of marksmen since the offseason when Riot Games changed the …
Riot Games’ $11 million to support underrepresented gaming communities League of Legends Riot Games’ $11 million to support underrepresented gaming communities By William Davis LCS broadcast loses Ovilee ahead of 2020 LCS Summer Split News LCS broadcast loses Ovilee ahead of 2020 LCS Summer Split By William Davis Hauntzer, Closer, FBI talk Damonte and the LCS teams they’re targeting League of Legends Hauntzer, Closer, FBI talk Damonte and the LCS teams they’re targeting By Olivia Richman
Dignitas V1per: “I like the idea of a 10-man roster.” League of Legends
Dignitas V1per: “I like the idea of a 10-man roster.” Olivia Richman It’s not too common for LCS teams to have a 10-man roster, but Dignitas is giving it a shot for the Summer Split.  After a mediocre showing in the Spring Split, Dignitas is looking to have a bigger impact in the summer with a spot at the World Championship on the line. WIN.gg spoke with Omran “V1per” Shoura about his new team and their approach to the upcoming season.  How …
EG Svenskeren: “There’s no downside to having Huni on the roster.” League of Legends
EG Svenskeren: “There’s no downside to having Huni on the roster.” Olivia Richman The LCS Summer Split is beginning June 20 and Evil Geniuses’ Dennis “Svenskeren” Johnsen already has his eyes on the 2020 World Championship.  WIN.gg spoke with the jungler about the new roster, what it means for the Summer Split, and what changes the team has made after falling to Cloud9 in the finals last season.  EG came in second last season in the LCS. How do you plan on taking …
Faker sends heartfelt message to Uzi after retirement announcement League of Legends
Faker sends heartfelt message to Uzi after retirement announcement Olivia Richman Few were shocked when Jian “Uzi” Zi-Hao retired from League of Legends last week due to his ongoing health problems. That doesn’t mean people weren’t saddened by the news, though.  Uzi first reported serious injuries last year, revealing in an interview that he had terrible arm pain that kept him from scrimming with his Royal Never Give Up teammates. He then became a free agent, leading many to wonder if the …
LCS, LEC LoL watch rewards to include sponsored drops this summer League of Legends
LCS, LEC LoL watch rewards to include sponsored drops this summer William Davis Riot Games is introducing exclusive sponsored drops into the LCS and LEC broadcast starting this summer split. Fans watching the action live through LoL Esports’ website are eligible for exclusive digital goods including skin shards, prestige points, chromas, and Clash tickets. The drops will be available from June 26 to the end of the split. The drops are open to fans from all regions, so anyone watching can get the …
Golden Guardians adds Damonte to mid lane, promotes huhi William Davis League of Legends Golden Guardians has announced its roster for the 2020 LCS Summer Split and it includes a surprising new member. It’s Tanner time for Golden Guardians, the organization confirmed Tanner “Damonte” Damonte as its starting mid laner in the LCS. Former mid laner Greyson “Goldenglue” Gilmer has been demoted to the Golden Guardians Academy where he’s expected to share the playing time with Nicholas “Ablazeolive” Abbott. Golden Guardians’ full LCS roster …
Origen coach suspended from LEC for “unacceptable behavior” Olivia Richman League of Legends Origen has dropped League of Legends strategic coach Jack “Kayys” Kayser following a suspension from the LEC.  Riot Games announced that they concluded their investigation into Kayys, which resulted in a temporary suspension. He can’t return to the LEC until June 25 due to “unacceptable behavior” he exhibted while playing League of Legends on his own time.  “Kayser’s usage of discriminatory language towards other players in the game is unacceptable …
TFT Galaxies mid-set update adds 14 new champions, brings new meta William Davis League of Legends The TFT: Galaxies mid-set update is hitting, and Riot Games has shared all of the details about the new elements in the game. Riot is taking a different approach to TFT: Galaxies when it comes to the new content available in the set. In previous sets, Riot added new champions and traits over the course of the set’s duration. This time, all new content comes in a massive bundle that …
League of Legends to add report button in champion select in June William Davis League of Legends Riot shared an update on the matchmaking improvements in League of Legends. The next step is to include a report and mute button to the champion select screen, which will be available by the end of June or early July. This button is part of the anti game-ruining behavior measures that Riot is deploying. Based on the data collected upon deployment, Riot will create punishments. This follows a very public …
Uzi says he will return to pro League of Legends if health improves Olivia Richman News Jian “Uzi” Zi-Hao may have retired from Royal Never Give Up, but his goal of staying a League of Legends pro are still fresh on his mind. Uzi has long been considered one of the best ADC pros in the world. He was the first player to reach 3,000 kills in their career and he held that kill record for many years. But recently, Uzi has not been seeing much …
How to get the new Thousand-Pierced Volibear skin for free William Davis League of Legends The reworked Volibear has arrived in Summoner’s Rift and developer Riot Games is giving away a free skin to commemorate the launch. In 2019, Riot announced that Fiddlesticks and Volibear would be getting complete overhauls. The new Volibear arrived with patch 10.11 and brings a present with him to players. All players that owned the champion prior to the rework will receive the new Thousand-Pierced Bear skin for free. To …
LoL Wild Rift alpha gameplay details, list of champions revealed William Davis League of Legends Riot Games announced when the League of Legends: Wild Rift Regional Alpha will arrive in Brazil and the Philippines. From June 6 to June 27, the game will be available for all players with Android phones that registered during the 10-year celebration in October. Riot is hoping to test the gameplay, the game system, and the stability of the servers. The announcement included a deeper look into the game’s mechanics. …
100 Thieves re-signs Ssumday through 2022 ahead of LCS Summer Split Olivia Richman League of Legends 100 Thieves may have had a rough Spring Split, but they are still confident in Kim “Ssumday” Chan-ho. The LCS team re-signed the top laner for two more years. The announcement on Twitter stated that they had “many great memories” with Ssumday and that there are “so many more to come.”  From the very beginning ’til now. So many great memories, and so many more to come.We’re to excited to have …
Two TFT comps you should play before the mid-set update William Davis League of Legends Teamfight Tactics patch 10.11 is the final update before the Galaxies mid-set update, a major content update available on June 9. Patch 10.11 is also the final chance to grind before the rank reset on June 8. TFT: Galaxies has accomplished a healthy state where almost every composition is viable. As a result, players feel free to explore different strategies instead of forcing the same compositions over and over. With …
lolvvv’s new Clash tool is the latest weapon in League of Legends’ Clash events Jared Wynne League of Legends Players looking to get an edge in their next Clash tournament have a new tool available to them that may put their team over the top. League of Legends data platform lolvvv has introduced a new Clash feature that quickly and thoroughly breaks down any and all relevant information behind competing players and teams in the popular MOBA’s Clash tournaments. This enables users to get a leg up on their …
Tyler1 reaches Challenger rank using only jungle champions Olivia Richman League of Legends League of Legends streamer Tyler “Tyler1” Steinkamp is well known for his skills on Draven. But recently, Tyler1 reached Challenger in solo queue playing only in the jungle.  Even though Tyler1 was once an AD carry player, he recently set off on a quest to reach Challenger while playing only jungle champions. The popular and often controversial streamer had a 52% win rate overall, with 947 wins and 864 losses.  …
LoL patch 10.11 buffs all ADCs to bring power back to the bot lane William Davis League of Legends League of Legends patch 10.11 is live, and it brings the new Volibear, a skin line from out of this world, and major changes for the game’s marksmen. On the cosmetic side, patch 10.11 added Astronaut Poppy, Astronaut Gnar, and Astronaut Bard to the shop. Additionally, the update added new chromas for Astronautilus and Astronaut Teemo. The new and improved Volibear is finally available on the game. It includes a …

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.