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The 'Game Fnatic' finale crowns a new 'League of Legends' pro
And then there was one. The final five episodes of Engadget's behind-the-scenes video series, Game Fnatic, follow four League of Legends players as they vie for a single spot on one of the world's leading eSports organizations. The second half of Game Fnatic kicks off with an elimination, followed by a dramatic day of go-kart racing and even more League of Legends skill challenges, until just two candidates compete head-to-head in a tense two-part finale. The first five episodes introduced the challengers, four semi-pro and amateur players with the in-game talent to go pro. But after a series of tests, it's clear only one of them has the stamina and demeanor that Fnatic demands. Playing professional League of Legends takes more than dexterity and focus; it also means you have to play well with others -- literally. Catch up on Game Fnatic and watch the brand new episodes (including the finale and its surprise twist ending) right here.
Unboxing and playing the 'League of Legends' board game
Mechs vs Minions is League of Legends fanfiction presented in the style of Dungeons & Dragons or Descent, with just a hint of Fireball Island thrown in for good measure. It's a cooperative, programmable, card-wielding board game set in the League universe, starring League characters, but nothing about it feels shoehorned into a tabletop format. This could easily be a standalone game on the shelf at Target, no outside video game connection required.
The OmniWear Arc is a haptic neckband for serious gamers
There's a lot to keep track of in a game like Counter-Strike. You need to know your location, where your teammates are, your ammo supply and most importantly -- where your enemies are. With all these sights and sounds coming at you, it's easy to miss something, which is why OmniWear is looking to offload some of that cognitive load to another sense: touch. The Arc neckband, launching on Kickstarter today, vibrates to let you know where your opponents lurk, ensuring you don't miss a thing.
'League of Legends' is adding post-game replays
Nailing a sweet pentakill in League of Legends is even better when you have an easy-to-share video of it for bragging rights. But what if you don't want to resort to third-party tools to watch or create a clip? Well, according to developer Riot Games, you shouldn't have to wait much longer. Ahead of next season, Riot announced it's adding the highly-requested feature to the game, and replays from the current patch can be watched directly from the LoL client itself.
Game Fnatic: See what it takes to be a 'League of Legends' pro
It's on. The Engadget video series Game Fnatic follows four amateur and semi-pro League of Legends players as they attempt to win a spot on Fnatic, one of the world's most successful and famous teams. The first five episodes are live right now, right here. Even if you're unfamiliar with League of Legends, the debut episodes break down the basics and introduce the four competitors, each of whom brings a unique skill -- and personality -- to the series. Game Fnatic is a behind-the-scenes look at Fnatic's League of Legends philosophy and what its star players look for in a teammate. The competitors not only have to learn how to train like a pro, which includes physical activity and hours upon hours of game time, but they have to prove they can play well with Fnatic's superstar lineup, which features Martin "Rekkles" Larsson, Fabian "Febiven" Diepstraten and Bora "YellOwStaR" Kim, all of whom have competed at the League of Legends World Championships. The 2016 Worlds tournament is live through October 29th, so now is a great time to get a closer look at what it takes to be a professional League of Legends player. Game Fnatic is a 10-part series, so once you're done devouring the first five episodes, keep an eye out for the second half in the coming weeks. You know where to find us.
'Game Fnatic' unveils the realities of being an eSports pro
Fnatic is a big name in professional League of Legends lore. Just four teams have claimed victory in the World Championship since the circuit began in 2011, and Fnatic was the first team to ever lift up the Summoner's Cup. Since then, Fnatic has proven itself to be a top-tier League of Legends organization, attracting talent and fans from around the globe. Its current roster includes superstars Martin "Rekkles" Larsson, Fabian "Febiven" Diepstraten and Bora "YellOwStaR" Kim, all of whom have competed in World Championship tournaments. But now, Fnatic is looking in an unlikely place for its next eSports star. In Game Fnatic, a 10-part video series, Engadget goes behind the scenes as four amateur and semi-pro players battle it out for a single spot on Fnatic's League of Legends roster.
'League of Legends' owners open up revenue streams to pro teams
"We recognize that the current ecosystem isn't consistently profitable yet for team owners or for the league." That's how Riot Games' directors of eSports Jarred "Bradmore" Kennedy and Whalen "Magus" Rozelle laid out the studio's plans to funnel more money to professional League of Legends teams in 2017. The changes come after four years of explosive growth across the eSports industry, with League of Legends leading the charge, but it also follows a public spat between coaches and founders about the game's booming economy.
League of Legends' creators made a board game
Riot Games is best known for League of Legends and now the developer-publisher is pushing into board games. Mechs Vs. Minions is the studio's debut effort, and it features miniatures, a modular board system, dice, a custom sand timer (think an hourglass, but on a smaller scale), quest cards and an overarching story. In addition to all that, there's a physically large mystery item locked away in the box, according to a feature article from Polygon.
'League of Legends' fuels college rivalries with live broadcasts
You no longer have to head to a basketball or football game to see your favorite college sports rivalry play out. Yahoo eSports and Riot Games' uLoL are partnering on a series of five League of Legends live broadcasts that will pit players from major North American schools against each other once a week, starting November 4th at 6PM Eastern. You vote for your favorite rivalries among 12, ranging from Cal/Stanford to Harvard/Yale -- the top 5 go on to in-person competitions that Yahoo will stream online. There will even be viewing parties at each school if you'd rather watch with fellow students. While there's no certainty that these college MOBA match-ups will be as intense as the conventional kind, it's safe to say that there's a lot of pride on the line.
'League of Legends' will keep adding new champs for 'many years'
League of Legends studio Riot Games is 10 years old, and like a fifth-grader riding his first two-wheeler, it's just getting started. Riot announced this week that League of Legends boasts 103 million monthly active players, up from 67 million in 2015. Compare that with Dota 2, which had 13.5 million players in the past month, or Overwatch, which has a total player pool of about 15 million. League of Legends is a massive phenomenon, helping pave the way for eSports as it enters mainstream consciousness and partnering with universities to kick off the next generation of competitive gaming. The game itself is also huge. There are 132 champions in League of Legends, each with individual abilities, personalities, backstories, voice acting and costume choices, and Riot is constantly adding more. Just today, the company teased a new champion, bringing the revised total to 133. That number is going to keep growing for a long while, Lead Game Designer Greg Street tells Engadget.
UC Irvine debuts the first public college esports arena in the US
The University of California, Irvine, is serious about esports. This fall it will officially launch a competitive-gaming initiative, complete with scholarships and an already-decorated League of Legends team, and it's just finished construction on a 3,500-square-foot esports arena that's set to open Friday, Sept. 23rd. The arena is packed with 80 gaming PCs loaded with top eSports titles, a webcasting studio and viewing screens. The arena will serve as a home base for the university's gaming community and a place for its competitive players to train. It also represents another step forward for collegiate esports across the country. "Esports is the future of competition. Period," UCI's Acting Director of Esports Mark Deppe says. "It transcends language, geography, race, age, religion, gender identity, sexual orientation, physical ability and many other identities. In five years many more schools will official programs and more structure will be in place to regulate and provide guidance to schools. Esports also has a huge opportunity to learn from the successes and shortcomings of traditional sports and provide a model for collegiate competition in the 21st century."
Spotify Gaming puts your favorite soundtracks in one place
Video game soundtracks hold a pretty special place in the Engadget Gaming crew's heart. Whether it's a collection of painstakingly curated licensed tracks a la Hotline Miami or wholly original compositions from Austin Wintory or Jesper Kyd, the right music can make a good game great and an excellent one even better. Spotify recognizes this too and is launching a new subsection dedicated to gaming music. The new collection brings everything under one category now (finding gaming stuff was a bit messy before), works across pretty much every platform and even includes chiptune stuff from the '80s.
Riot Games is suing a huge 'League of Legends' cheat service
Cheating ruins online games. Full stop. Valve has cracked down on folks running amok in Counter-Strike: Global Offensive and League of Legends developer Riot Games is doing the same. Specifically, Riot is suing the owners of "Leaguesharp" (L#) which charges between $15 and $50 a month for services that grant the ability to "see hidden information; 'automate' gameplay to perform with enhanced or inhuman accuracy; and accumulate levels, experience and items at a rate this is not possible for a normal human player," according to the lawsuit papers obtained by Rift Herald.
Riot used 'League of Legends' chat logs to spot bad staff
Sadly, bad language and a general lack of respect is an expected and, now, almost accepted part of playing video games online. It's a problem that permeates not just the community around each game, but also the people that are working on them. Riot Games, developer of the MOBA juggernaut League of Legends, has looked at employees' chat logs and found a surprising correlation between their behavior in and out of the game. So if someone has been a jerk or generally difficult in the game, there's a reasonable chance that they've expressed similar behavior in the office.
E3's video game art picks include 'No Man's Sky' and 'Witcher 3'
The Into the Pixel jury has chosen the 2016 winners for its E3 art collection, and it's clearer than ever that video games can inspire artwork you'd be proud to hang on your wall. The 14 selections are mostly from titles where visuals not only play an important role, but set the tone for the entire game -- the sci-fi novel look of No Man's Sky gets its due, as does The Witcher 3's brooding fantasy atmosphere and Unravel's miniature world. There's even art from a virtual reality game (Insomniac's Edge of Nowhere) breaking some ground. Most of these pieces are concept art or models rather than what you'd see while playing, but they're worth a look if you've ever felt that game art is just as creative and thought-provoking as what you'd find in a gallery.
ESPN and 'League of Legends' studio aren't making a broadcast deal
League of Legends is one of the most popular esports titles in the world, but it's not heading to ESPN any time soon. Spokespeople for Riot Games and ESPN tell Engadget that the companies are not working on a broadcasting deal, despite a report on PVP Live claiming otherwise. "The story is inaccurate -- no active talks with ESPN at the moment," the Riot spokesperson said. An ESPN spokesperson further confirmed, "The story is false. We do not have a deal with Riot Games to broadcast League of Legends."
Top soccer club FC Schalke 04 signs 'League of Legends' team
When West Ham United and VfL Wolfsburg signed their first eSports players, they were surprising but understandable deals. After all, the two clubs were supporting FIFA -- a video game franchise that ties back into their normal soccer (or football, as it's known to most in the world) businesses. Now, FC Schalke 04 -- one of the top clubs in the German Bundesliga -- has bucked this trend by signing a League of Legends team instead. Formerly known as Elements, the new League squad comprises of Etienne "Steve" Michels, Hampus "Fox" Myhre, Berk "Gilius" Demir, Rasmus "MrRalleZ" Skinneholm, and Hampus "Sprattel" Abrahamsson.
Yahoo Esports goes mobile with a dedicated Android app
If you thought Yahoo's push into esports would stop at a dedicated editorial team, guess again. Now the outfit is taking that expertise mobile with the launch of the Yahoo Esports app on Android. It's a bit sparse at the moment, though, only covering a quintet of games: Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, Dota 2, Heroes of the Storm, League of Legends and Street Fighter V.
'League of Legends' studio buys a fighting game powerhouse
Riot Games, the studio in charge of League of Legends, acquired Radiant Entertainment and all of its fighting game technology this week. Radiant is staffed by popular figures in the fighting game community, including former Street Fighter commentator and Capcom community manager Seth Killian. The studio was created by Tom Cannon and Tony Cannon, who are also founders of the world's largest fighting game tournament, the Evolution Championship Series. Radiant has two titles under its belt: the free, online fighting game Rising Thunder and the town-building simulator Stonehearth.
Sky takes a first step into eSports tournament coverage
With millions of fans regularly tuning into services like Twitch and YouTube Gaming to watch their favourite titles being played at the highest level, traditional TV broadcasters are starting to take note. Last year, BBC Three dipped its toe into the world of eSports with live League of Legends tournament coverage, and today Sky will become the latest UK provider to tap into this growing audience. Airing at 10PM tonight on Sky 2, a two-hour show will cover highlights from the Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, League of Legends and Starcraft II tournaments that've taken place at the ESL Intel Masters World Championship over the past five days.
