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LoL fans raise $6 million for charity through Riot Social Impact Fund League of Legends LoL fans raise $6 million for charity through Riot Social Impact Fund By Olivia Richman Valorant breaks viewership records on Twitch with beta key drops League of Legends Valorant breaks viewership records on Twitch with beta key drops By gabhernandez TSM edges past 100 Thieves in lower bracket of LCS Spring playoff League of Legends TSM edges past 100 Thieves in lower bracket of LCS Spring playoff By William Davis
LoL and Valorant are now the most watched games on Twitch League of Legends
LoL and Valorant are now the most watched games on Twitch William Davis Valorant is breaking viewership records after only one day in its closed beta. Hours into its debut, the newest title by Riot Games broke Twitch’s single-day hours watched record for a single game. Valorant registered a 1.7 million concurrent viewer peak, dethroning Fortnite’s World Cup for second place in the streaming platform’s history. The number one spot is occupied by the 2019 League of Legends World Championship, which had 1.74 …
The LCS playoffs are coming to television on ESPN League of Legends
The LCS playoffs are coming to television on ESPN William Davis The remainder of the 2020 LCS Spring Split playoffs will be broadcast on ESPN television networks, the LCS revealed through Twitter. Starting on April 11, the LCS games are coming to ESPN2. The deal will run through April 19 when the LCS will crown a new spring champion. The full schedule goes as follow: April 11, Evil Geniuses vs. Cloud9, 3pm CT April 12, FlyQuest vs. Team SoloMid, 3pm CT …
Tfue calls Valorant “boring,” says it’s a game for “old people” News
Tfue calls Valorant “boring,” says it’s a game for “old people” Olivia Richman More negative reviews are coming in for Valorant, Riot’s new FPS title. The closed beta for Valorant has begun, allowing more pro gamers and streamers to get their hands on the game and make their opinions known to their followers. The latest content creator to have a strong opinion on Valorant is Turner “Tfue” Tenney. The Fortnite star wasn’t too excited about the gameplay. In fact, he said that he …
Riot dispels myths about Valorant key drops, cracks down on sellers League of Legends
Riot dispels myths about Valorant key drops, cracks down on sellers gabhernandez Today, Riot Games released a blog post discussing the launch of Valorant’s closed beta, and what the company has learned from day one. The closed beta period has begun for Riot’s new shooter, and everyone is itching to get their hands on the game. To get into the beta, players need to follow three simple steps: Sign up for a Riot account Link that account with a Twitch account Watch …
WildTurtle on TL missing LCS Spring playoffs: “That’s inexcusable” League of Legends WildTurtle on TL missing LCS Spring playoffs: “That’s inexcusable” By Olivia Richman What is Valorant? Everything you need to know about Riot’s shooter League of Legends What is Valorant? Everything you need to know about Riot’s shooter By Steven Rondina Dr. Disrespect disses Valorant, calls new FPS “hard to watch” League of Legends Dr. Disrespect disses Valorant, calls new FPS “hard to watch” By Olivia Richman
LCK set to enter new franchise team model in 2021 League of Legends
LCK set to enter new franchise team model in 2021 William Davis The LCK is officially franchising in 2021. Riot Games Korea has announced its plan to adopt a franchise model in 2021. The LCK is the fourth and final major region to transition into a long-term partnership with competing teams and organizations. Organizations interested in taking part in the new league will have to submit a business plan, a team operation plan, and a fundraising plan. Teams must detail things like …
Here’s how Riot keeps the LCS running with everyone at home League of Legends
Here’s how Riot keeps the LCS running with everyone at home Olivia Richman The LCS and LEC were postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic, but they quickly came back in an online format. It’s easy to forget that Riot is now broadcasting some of the biggest esports tournaments in the world from home, now that employees are working remotely.  Not to mention the broadcasters, players, and production crew.  Riot first started planning a remote production workflow around March 12. Riot had changed their …
Twitch just surpassed 3 billion hours watched for the first time News
Twitch just surpassed 3 billion hours watched for the first time Olivia Richman People have been turning to Twitch in record numbers amidst lockdown orders due to the coronavirus pandemic. Twitch shared their Q1 numbers from 2020 and they show that people are turning to streamers while under strict orders to stay inside. The Amazon-owned streaming platform surprassed 3 billion hours watched for the first time in its history. It also reached all-time highs for average concurrent viewership, up 15.5% compared to the …
Fnatic advances to semifinals in the 2020 LEC Spring Split playoffs League of Legends
Fnatic advances to semifinals in the 2020 LEC Spring Split playoffs William Davis Fnatic is advancing to the semifinals of the 2020 LEC Spring Split playoffs after taking down Origen. Fnatic has secured a pass to the semifinals and is one step closer to the LEC championship title. Fnatic will next face MAD Lions, the rookie team that took down G2 Esports on the first day of the playoffs. In the series against Origen, Fnatic took a different approach to the draft with unique …
Cloud9 gets every spot on the 2020 LCS Spring All-Pro Team William Davis League of Legends Cloud9 snatched all the spots on the 2020 Spring LCS All-Pro Team. Cloud9 became the first team in the LCS’ history to get all the spots on the LCS All-Pro Team, and it’s not a surprise considering the season the team is having. The LCS All-Pro Team is voted on by participating esports organizations, broadcast staff, and media. This season, everyone agreed that Cloud9 has the best players in each …
Zeyzal after win: “Hopefully we’re getting an EG vs. Cloud9 series” Olivia Richman League of Legends To nobody’s surprise, Evil Geniuses won its first Spring Split playoffs match against FlyQuest, 3-1. This was a “hype win” for Tristan “Zeyzal” Stidam thanks to the back and forth nature of the match. But in the end, EG defeated FlyQuest once again. This brings the team one step closer to a potential showdown with Cloud9 in the finals.  How do you feel after your win today?  Zeyzal: It feels pretty good. …
Dignitas offering to let Huni leave after missing LCS Spring playoffs Olivia Richman League of Legends Dignitas has announced that Heo “Huni” Seung-hoon is allowed to explore other opportunities ahead of the 2020 LCS Summer Split.  Earlier today, the North American League of Legends team took to Twitter to tell their followers that Huni is open to explore his options in the LCS. This news comes after Dignitas failed to make the 2020 LCS Spring Split playoffs. The team finished 7th with a 8-10 record.  “Dignitas has …
Team SoloMid’s Myth helps debut Valorant agent Breach ahead of beta Olivia Richman League of Legends Valorant has already become the top game on Twitch.  Content creators and streamers were officially allowed to start sharing gameplay of Riot’s highly anticipated FPS title. Big names like Timothy “TimTheTatMan” Betar, Saqib “Lirik” Zahid, Jaryd “Summit1G” Lazar, Team SoloMid’s Ali “Myth” Kabbani and Sebastian “Forsen” Fors showcased the game to their fans. Twitch also held a Twitch Rivals Valorant showcase.  Gamers have flocked to these channels to learn more about …
Legends of Runeterra release date for PC, mobile announced Olivia Richman League of Legends Riot Games’ Legends of Runeterra will be released on PC and mobile on April 30.  Legends of Runeterra is a strategy card game set in the world of League of Legends. At launch, Legends of Runeterra will feature seven regions, 35 champions, and more than 400 cards.  It will launch with a new set of 120 cards, including a new region. According to the official press release, the champions will …
MAD Lions takes down G2 Esports in the 2020 LEC Spring Split playoffs William Davis League of Legends MAD Lions pulled off the biggest upset of the season by defeating G2 Esports in the first round of the 2020 LEC Spring Split playoffs. The post-season is off to an explosive start in the LEC. MAD achieved the impossible, with the rookie team taking down the defending LEC champions in a series that went to game five. After ending the regular season in first place, G2 was the favorite to …
New Valorant agent Jett revealed by Riot Games ahead of beta launch Olivia Richman League of Legends Five days before the highly anticipated closed beta begins, Riot has officially revealed another Valorant agent.  A “duelist” agent, Jett is is an agile and evasive fighter focused on speed and stealth. She “takes risks nobody else can,” running circles before every skirmish and striking before enemies even know what hit them. Jett’s four abilities reflect a focus on close-range combat.  Her first ability is Cloudburst, allowing her to throw …
2020 LCS playoff preview: Teams, schedule, tournament bracket William Davis League of Legends It’s time for playoffs in the 2020 LCS Spring Split. This year, the teams are competing in a new format that gives the top four seeds more than one chance to make it to the finals. The regular season ended with three teams fighting for sixth place and a three-way tie for second. With all of the tiebreakers out of the way, the stage is nowset for the playoffs. This …
Faker is here to tell you whether to use the F or D key for Flash Olivia Richman League of Legends The Unkillable Demon King has spoken. T1’s Sang-hyeok “Faker” Lee has finally weighed in on one of the biggest League of Legends debates of all time. In a recent stream, the Korean LoL star told his followers his opinion on if Flash should be bound to the “F” key or the “D” key.  “Don’t fight over Flash on D or F, guys. Everyone has their own preference,” Faker said. “Just because …
TFT adds new galaxies mechanic with new patch 10.7 William Davis League of Legends The galaxies mechanic is now available! Patch 10.7 marks the release of the highly anticipated galaxies mechanic. Now players will get a chance to play in one of the new galaxies: The Neekoverse: Everyone gets two free copies of Neeko’s Help. Lilac Nebula: The first carousel contains only four cost units. Medium Legends: Little Legends are larger and you have +25 starting health. At the beginning of each round, the …
2020 LEC playoffs preview: Teams, schedule, tournament bracket William Davis League of Legends Everything is set for the 2020 LEC Spring Split playoffs. The regular season has come to an end with G2 Esports claiming first place in convincing fashion. Teams are now shifting their focus to the playoffs. The LEC Spring Split playoffs will run from April 3 to April 19, where a champion will be crowned. The split’s final standings are as follows: 1) G2 Esports (15-3) 2) Fnatic (13-5) 2) Origen (13-5) 4) …
Patch 10.7 buffs Akali and Galio, adds new Fiddlestick rework William Davis League of Legends It’s time for patch 10.7! The most recent update for League of Legends is ready to go. This update brings changes to popular mid laners, the ranked system, and the new April Fools skins. Furyhorn Cosplay Veigar, Pengu Cosplay Tristana, and Pajama Guardian Cosplay Urgot are available now. Like every new skin, each April Fools skin goes for 1350 RP. These are not the only skins coming with patch 10.7, …

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.