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How does TFT Mobile stack up next to the PC version of the game? League of Legends How does TFT Mobile stack up next to the PC version of the game? By William Davis CLG Pobelter on LCS Spring Split: “A coronavirus-fueled fever dream” News CLG Pobelter on LCS Spring Split: “A coronavirus-fueled fever dream” By Olivia Richman GG Huhi on online LCS matches: “I perform better on the stage.” League of Legends GG Huhi on online LCS matches: “I perform better on the stage.” By Olivia Richman
LEC pokes fun at Overwatch League, offering fans some levity League of Legends
LEC pokes fun at Overwatch League, offering fans some levity William Davis The 2020 LEC Spring Split is back with a bang, and we’re not just talking about the games. We’re talking about the masterful roast to the Overwatch League in the cold opening titled “Explainius explains the #LEC Playoff Format (sort of).” The LEC is back after a brief hiatus. The most recent cold opening was supposed to go live on March 13 when the LEC was suddenly suspended. Casters Christy …
100 Thieves and Cloud9 considering changes for LCS Summer Split? League of Legends
100 Thieves and Cloud9 considering changes for LCS Summer Split? Olivia Richman Earlier this week, 100 Thieves appears to have posted a classified ad looking for two professional League of Legends players to join their team.  “100 Thieves LLC seeks a Professional League of Legends Player to train and compete in the League Championship Series from our headquarters in Los Angeles, California,” the ad begins.  The responsibilities include attending eight-hour practice sessions each day during the competitive season, which are listed as …
Quickshot shows how LEC’s remote broadcasts are getting done League of Legends
Quickshot shows how LEC’s remote broadcasts are getting done Olivia Richman “HOW DID I GET DRAGGED INTO THIS?” LEC shoutcaster Trevor “Quickshot” Henry tweeted earlier today.  That outburst came soon after a tweet where he addressed an audio stutter that took place during the Excel versus Fnatic match earlier today. In response, his followers had only words of encouragement. After all, Quickshot and other members of the LEC crew were running a remote broadcast for the online matches.  As the coronavirus …
CaptainFlowers says leaving This or That is his choice League of Legends
CaptainFlowers says leaving This or That is his choice William Davis LCS caster and Skarner devotee Clayton “CaptainFlowers” Raines is stepping down from This or That to focus on personal problems. CaptainFlowers announced through Twitter that he is no longer part of the LCS web show This or That. In the show, the hosts are presented with a series of questions and must pick between two answers. The show covers topics like the LCS, solo queue, and current events worldwide. CaptainFlowers …
LCK returning to action next week after coronavirus shutdown League of Legends LCK returning to action next week after coronavirus shutdown By William Davis Here are some strong compositions for TFT: Galaxies after patch 10.6 League of Legends Here are some strong compositions for TFT: Galaxies after patch 10.6 By William Davis LoL patch 10.6 nerfs Aphelios and Senna again, ranked is improved League of Legends LoL patch 10.6 nerfs Aphelios and Senna again, ranked is improved By William Davis
Crown announces return to South Korea after poor LCS performance League of Legends
Crown announces return to South Korea after poor LCS performance Olivia Richman “Goodbye!”  That was the last thing Min-ho “Crown” Lee tweeted before getting on a plane and leaving North America after a poor performance with Counter Logic Gaming.  “Hello, I’m Crown. I’m going back to Korea today after being removed from CLG. Thank you all for anyone who cheered for me at LCS and at home. NA life has been long and short but I’m thankful for good and various memories …
Pro LoL players from C9, Dignitas, IMT, more to play charity inhouses League of Legends
Pro LoL players from C9, Dignitas, IMT, more to play charity inhouses M Alzamora With North America’s LCS was postponed indefinitely due to the coronavirus outbreak, four LCS contenders are making the most of their free time by holding a charity stream for those affected by the virus and their families. The tournament, hosted on Cloud9’s Twitch channel, started last night as Alex “MadMagical” Whieldon and Erik “DoA” Lonnquist took over the casting duties for the night’s matches. Dignitas, Cloud9, Immortals, and Flyquest are …
Teamfight Tactics Mobile release date revealed, new features added League of Legends
Teamfight Tactics Mobile release date revealed, new features added Olivia Richman Riot Games has just announced that Teamfight Tactics will arrive on mobile in just two days.  TFT Mobile will launch on March 19, arriving in the App Store and Google Play. This is Riot’s first-ever mobile game, and comes at a time where Riot is looking to rapidly expand its game catalog. The League of Legends publisher is working on a new tactical shooter, Valorant. It will also be launching an …
LEC, LCS announce online leagues with return dates and schedules League of Legends
LEC, LCS announce online leagues with return dates and schedules Steven Rondina League of Legends fans in North America and Europe won’t be sitting around bored for long while they wait for the coronavirus to pass. The LCS and LEC have announced their plans to return to action in an online setting. The two leagues issued announcements detailing their plans to play out the remainder of their 2020 Spring Splits over the internet in order to keep the league going without a …
How to play Kalista in the top lane just like TheShy William Davis League of Legends The LPL is known for being an extremely aggressive league with experimental compositions that walk the line between genius and absolutely troll. The most recent pick on that list is Kalista in the top lane courtesy of former World Champion Kang “TheShy” Seung-lok. Invictus Gaming is currently riding high in the 2020 LPL Spring Split. Every team on the member is performing at the highest level, especially TheShy, who continues …
LCK reportedly returning soon after coronavirus shutdown William Davis League of Legends The 2020 LCK Spring Split will be returning soon as an online event. According to a report by ESPN, the LCK will play the rest of the season online and will be back in action “by the end of March.” The update comes 10 days after the league went on hiatus due to the coronavirus threat. Earlier this month, Riot Games Korea announced that the LCK would be stopping once the …
Doublelift reunites 2016 TSM roster for fans hit by coronavirus gabhernandez League of Legends With the coronavirus outbreak putting the LCS and LEC Spring Splits on hiatus for the indefinite future, pro players and casters are keeping League of Legends fans entertained by hosting in-house matches. For the LEC, Christy “Ender” Frierson led the way. He and personalities like Eefje “Sjokz” Depoortere hosted a makeshift event for the community. Well-known European pros like Ramsus “Caps” Winther and ‎Gabriël “Bwipo” Rau competed in the casual …
Team Liquid coach Dodo: “I’m not faulting Doublelift at this point.” Olivia Richman League of Legends It’s a tough time for Team Liquid. The LCS was postponed and the team’s facilities were closed for the next 30 days. But Liquid is the type of team that professes to never give up. They always want to be the best, even during tough times like these.  WIN.gg spoke with head coach Kang “Dodo” Jun-hyeok about the hardships the team is facing, and more importantly, how TL plans to come back …
The 2020 LPL Spring Split is back, but is this the right approach? Olivia Richman League of Legends After a long delay, China’s League of Legends Pro League returned.  The threat of the coronavirus had the LPL postponed at the start of the Spring Split, leaving many to wonder if they would ever catch up to the LEC and LCS. The 17 teams, including 2019 World Champion FunPlus Phoenix, had all attempted to travel back home after the announcement and it seemed like the LPL probably wouldn’t begin any …
TF Blade accuses Riot Korea of being racist after KR server ban Olivia Richman League of Legends It seemed like only yesterday that Team Liquid streamer Ashkan “TF Blade” Homayouni reached Masters on Korea’s League of Legends servers. Now, after that silent celebration, TF Blade is calling Riot Korea “racist” for banning him.  TF Blade has been playing solo queue on Korea’s servers for a while now, hoping to reach the elusive top rank. This was part of a bigger journey to become number one on every server …
Roster moves that defined the 2020 Spring Split in League of Legends Olivia Richman League of Legends During the preseason, League of Legends fans expect roster moves, trades, and whole new rosters to form. It’s a time when rookies are promoted from academy teams and players travel overseas to find a new frontier. But even once the Spring Split begins, League of Legends teams across the world continue to make drastic changes, with some more successful than others.  Here’s a closer look at some of the 2020 …
LCS Spring Split suspended preemptively due to coronavirus William Davis League of Legends The LCS is suspending all operations until further notice, LCS Commissioner Chris Greely confirmed through Twitter. The LCS is following the steps of the LEC and postponing all activities for the foreseeable future, including the Academy games. The decision came after a deep evaluation of the situation and conversation with the team owners. All parties involved agreed to hit pause on the season and adapt to the changing circumstances concerning …
LEC Spring Split suspended due to coronavirus fears William Davis League of Legends The LEC confirmed on Twitter that the 2020 LEC Spring Split has been suspended until further notice, effective immediately. The decision came after the LEC discovered that one staff member was exposed to the coronavirus. At this time, it’s a developing situation and the LEC is yet to confirm the status of the staff member. According to host Eefje “Sjokz” Depoortere, no player or team was in direct contact with the affected …
Team Liquid closes esports HQ due to coronavirus outbreak Olivia Richman League of Legends Los Angeles-based esports organization Team Liquid has stated that its facilities will be closed for the next 30 days and remain closed until further notice. Neither organization staff nor members of Team Liquid’s pro teams will be allowed into the facility. Founder Steve Arhancet announced the decision on Twitter, stating that it was their way of prioritizing the health and safety of their staff and players. While their teams will still …
Doublelift flames team and coaches in deleted Gafford interview Olivia Richman News “It’s now the day after Week 7 of the LCS. I’m joined by Doublelift for act two of a Doublelift interview. You reached out to me last night and requested a reshoot of this and maybe we can provide context on why.” That was Hotline League host Travis Gafford’s first statement on his March 11 interview with Yiliang “Doublelift” Peng, an interview that would soon cause a heated debate between …
The LCK goes into hiatus with Gen.G at the top of the standings William Davis League of Legends Round one in the 2020 LCK Spring Split is over and the standings are looking exactly as expected. Earlier this week, the LCK announced that it would postpone the activities due to the coronavirus outbreak. With the first round of the season over, the LCK is going into a hiatus effective immediately. It remains unclear if Riot Games Korea is planning on transitioning into an online format like the LPL. …

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.