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How Riot Games' new team plans to curb trolling before it begins
Riot Games doesn't use the word "toxic." "Toxicity means different things to different people," Riot's head of Player Dynamics Weszt Hart said. "What's trash talk to one person is totally inappropriate to someone else, which makes it really hard to proactively design a solution. 'Toxic' is so subjective, we failed to see how it was blinding us to the possibilities."
The esports elders defying their age
For most people, the phrase 'esports athlete' conjures an image of a teenager or twenty-something hunched over a keyboard, controller or fighting stick. That generalization holds some weight: tune into the next Overwatch League fixture, for instance, and you'll see few competitors in their forties. In almost every esport, though, there's at least one player that bucks the norm; a slightly older professional that can easily compete with and, frequently, overcome their younger foe. Like Roger Federer, a 38-year-old tennis legend that still ranks in the world top five, these people seem to defy their age and the notion that only the young have the mental and physical agility required to compete at the highest level. None of them are truly old, of course. Not to the average person on the street, anyway. Inside their respective gaming communities, however, they're old-timers, veterans, part of the 'I can't believe they haven't retired yet' club. Collectively, you could think of them as the esports elders.
Professional 'League of Legends' is trying to work around the coronavirus
A little more than a month ago, one of the biggest esports leagues in the world -- the League of Legends Pro League (LPL) in China -- was forced to go on hiatus due to the coronavirus outbreak. Understandably, all matches were postponed and the English commentary team flew back to their respective home nations. So what now? Well, today the LPL announced that the 2020 Spring Split will resume on March 9th with an online-only format. "Players will be attending matches from their club headquarters," the league's organisers explained in a tweet. "The only exception are players in quarantined provinces who are currently unable to leave."
Twitch built a tool to help new players understand 'League of Legends'
Jumping into a game like League of Legends is not for the faint of heart. Between a notoriously toxic community and the almost endless complexity of the game itself, there are a lot of hurdles new players have to conquer before they can start enjoying the MOBA. But Twitch hopes it can help solve at least the latter problem with a new extension that details the state of a match at any time. The hope is that the tool will both make the game easier to learn, as well as foster more interaction between streamers and viewers.
Now 'League of Legends' star Faker is a part-owner of his esports team
Lee "Faker" Sang-hyeok has been an esports superstar and key member of the T1 League of Legends team since 2013, and a new three-year contract with the squad adds "part owner" to his title. As first reported by ESPN, while the talented mid laner has said he received "blank check" offers from teams outside of South Korea, the 23-year-old will remain with the only pro team he's ever known. The three year deal is the longest contract allowed under League maker Riot's rules, and according to T1, "Faker will assume a leadership role within the organization after his playing career and will help facilitate global operations." CEO Joe Marsh said in the accompanying statement that "Since T1's inception, Faker has been the cornerstone of our team's success and his undying passion for this organization will continue to drive us forward now that he is a part owner of T1 Entertainment & Sports. Even after Faker's retirement – whenever that may be – he will begin the next chapter of his legacy in a leadership role with T1, helping to mold the next generation of elite esports athletes."
California says Riot Games' discrimination settlement isn't enough
Riot Games' tentative $10 million settlement over gender discrimination claims might be revised much higher. The LA Times has learned that California's Department of Fair Employment and Housing (DFEH) and the Division of Labor Standards Enforcement (DLSE) have requested to get involved the case and argue that the settlement terms are inadequate. DFEH contended that women at the League of Legends studio could be owed "over $400 million" in back pay based on the settlement's existing calculations, and that the non-financial agreements included "no enforceable changes" in policy at a company where sexism was reportedly widespread.
Nike will sponsor Korea’s best ‘League of Legends’ team
With esports continuing to grow in popularity, Nike has sponsored its first esports team -- Korean League of Legends team SKT T1. SKT is the team of Faker, the biggest name in esports, and Nike will be producing team uniforms for him and his teammates as well as footwear.
'Ruined King' is Riot's RPG based on 'League of Legends'
Riot announced its new publishing arm for new League of Legends-related games, Riot Forge, just last week, and tonight at The Game Awards it revealed the first title to spawn from this business: Ruined King: A League of Legends Story. It's a narrative-driven, turn-based role-playing game developed by Darksiders: Genesis studio Airship Syndicate, featuring "fan-favorite champions" and locations from League of Legends.
Louis Vuitton’s ‘League of Legends’ biker jacket can be yours for $5,650
Louis Vuitton's League of Legends apparel line is here, and as you'd expect, it is expensive. On the lower end, there's a $670 t-shirt with League of Legends champion Qiyana on the front and back. On the other end of the spectrum, you can nab a $5,650 leather biker jacket or a $2,420 hoodie.
'Death Stranding' and 'Control' lead Game Awards nominees
The Game Awards takes place in less than a month and voting is now open after Geoff Keighley announced the nominees. Hideo Kojima's sprawling epic Death Stranding leads the pack with nine nominations, including game of the year, game direction, score/music, narrative and performance for both Norman Reedus and Mads Mikkelsen.
What to do when everything on their holiday wish list is digital
The following scenario will play out thousands of times this holiday season, and if you're buying a lot of presents for friends and family, it'll likely affect your life personally. You: What do you want for the holidays? Them: The new Akali skin for League of Legends! You: I can get you some Riot Points, but I can't wrap them. Anything else? Them: The Staccato Shotto for Fortnite! You: Same problem. Them: How about Luigi's Mansion 3? Here, just download it on my Switch. You: Ugh. With the advent of living, online worlds and digital-first storefronts, plenty of gamers' wish lists include intangible items like cosmetic upgrades, fresh weapons, extra characters and new games. Gift cards make it easy to hand out in-game currency for most major titles, and download codes mean you don't even have to put on pants to pick out a present. However, white elephant gift exchanges are pretty boring when everyone passes around nondescript envelopes. Even in the modern online age, there's something deeply unsatisfying about giving someone a fully digital present. Luckily, there's a way to give your friends and family all the in-game goodies they want and also provide something to unwrap, all without buying extra presents. It's craft time, baby.
Why does Riot Games keep making virtual bands?
An unusual concert took place before FunPlus Phoenix and G2 Esports battled for the League of Legends World Championship last weekend. The Grand Finals in Paris opened with Valerie Broussard singing "Awaken," a track released at the start of the year to celebrate the upcoming esports season. The performance ended with a magical blast that threw Broussard and her backup singers into the air.
'League of Legends: Wild Rift' will land on mobile and consoles in 2020
Riot Games is launching League of Legends: Wild Rift on Android, iOS and consoles in 2020 -- along with a few other new games. Reports about a mobile game meant to expand LoL's reach in Asia started surfacing earlier this year -- now the developer has confirmed that it's been in the works for quite a while. The company says it took some time to announce Wild Rift, because it's not just a port of LoL for PC. Riot Games chose to rebuild "the whole game from scratch" to create a polished version for the devices it's coming to.
Riot celebrates ten years of 'LoL' by finally announcing new games
To celebrate the tenth anniversary of League of Legends, Riot Games is celebrating its hit title by expanding the franchise -- and more. That includes League of Legends: Wild Rift, a 5v5 version of the MOBA that will be playable on consoles and mobile devices. Riot promises it's no port -- Wild Rift is a new game that's supposedly built from the ground up, with twin-stick controls and matches made to last 15 - 18 minutes when it launches next year.
Riot urges 'League of Legends' pros to keep quiet on 'sensitive' issues
Riot is trying to keep its hands clean after Blizzard banned a pro player for supporting Hong Kong protests on-camera. The League of Legends developer's esports head John Needham has issued a statement saying that Riot has "reminded" pro players and hosts to avoid discussing "sensitive issues" during broadcasts, including politics and religion. It argued that personal views should stay "separate" as there was no way they could be "fairly represented" in the space of a game tournament. There's not enough room for the patience and subtleties these subjects require, the studio said.
Louis Vuitton is making a case for a major 'League of Legends' trophy
How do you know esports have made it into the mainstream? When a French fashion house wants to get involved, apparently. Louis Vuitton is partnering with Riot Games on a unique Trophy Travel case for the Summoner's Cup awarded to the winner of the League of Legends World Championship on November 10th. The maison has previously only created these cases for major conventional sports like the FIFA World Cup and America's Cup -- it's a huge leap to produce a trunk for a gaming competition.
Take a look at Nike's first esports jerseys
At last, Nike has revealed its first professional jerseys for the LPL (League of Legends Pro League) in China. The shirts were unveiled on the last day of the LPL Summer Gauntlet, a post-season competition that decides which team will take China's third and final spot at the World Championship next month. FunPlus Phoenix (FPX), Royal Never Give Up (RNG) and reigning champion Invictus Gaming (IG) will wear their uniforms first while competing for the world title in Paris. All 16 LPL teams will then wear their jerseys from the start of the Spring Split next year.
Riot Games settles class action lawsuit over sexist culture
In May, more than 150 Riot Games employees walked out of their offices in Los Angeles. The protest was held to draw attention to what the workers alleged to be a sexist corporate culture, as well as to condemn the forced arbitration of employees who filed a class action lawsuit earlier in the year. Today, the League of Legends publisher announced that "...we've come to an agreement in principle to settle the class action lawsuit against Riot."
A popular immigration bill is bad news for US esports
"What makes me nervous is the fact that it just sailed through the House." Genie Doi is an immigration lawyer with Electronic Sports and Gaming Law, an esports-specific law firm in Los Angeles. She's talking about S.386, or the Fairness for High-Skilled Immigrants Act, which passed the House in July by 300 votes. Representatives even waived some of the voting rules with a process reserved to pass noncontroversial bills.
Evo founder confirms Riot is working on a new fighting game
Riot Games is working on a new fighting game that it hopes will appeal to a wide audience. Tom Cannon, the founder of the Evolution Championship Series who now works for Riot, confirmed the news on Friday at EVO 2019. The game will be the first all-new project for Riot since the release of League of Legends in 2009.
