leagueoflegends
Latest
ESPN embraces eSports with a dedicated gaming section
ESPN is, slowly but surely, trying its best to embrace eSports. Since last year, the cable network has broadcasted multiple gaming tournaments, despite its president John Skipper once saying he didn't consider eSports to be sports. But now, ESPN's launching a section on ESPN.com that's going to focus on the world of professional gaming, a first for the Disney-owned property. Coverage will include news, original reporting, videos and profiles about influential members from the eSports community.
'League of Legends' music gets an EDM remix in 'Warsongs'
Something about electronic dance music makes it the perfect soundtrack to League of Legends. Maybe it's that pounding bass. Maybe it's EDM's steady, rhythmic backbone. Maybe it's the energy inherent in EDM that makes it the soundtrack of choice for many of League's professional players, streamers, YouTubers and even Riot Games itself. Or, maybe it's simpler than all of that. "League is just cool as fuck and so is EDM." That's Marshmello, one of the contributors on Riot Games' latest project, Warsongs, an album of 11 League of Legends tracks each remixed by high-profile or emerging EDM artists. It's available right now to download or stream in the US for free via Spotify, YouTube, Soundcloud, Google Play, iTunes and the League of Legends website.
Ex-NBA star buys a 'League of Legends' eSports team
If there was any doubt that eSports are attracting the attention of the conventional sports world, it just got erased. Former LA Lakers player Rick Fox has bought Gravity, one of the bigger League of Legends teams, for an unspecified amount of cash. As he explains, eSports is on the cusp of "something massive" -- he wants to get in before things blow up. He's certainly no stranger to this world between his partnership at Twin Galaxies (the game record-keeping institution) and contributions to a fundraiser for competitive gaming.
'League of Legends' is now fully owned by China's Tencent
After buying most of the studio behind League of Legends in 2011, Tencent now owns it outright. California studio Riot Games told employees that the Chinese internet giant behind WeChat had purchased the remaining equity in the company. There was no word about the price, but League of Legends reportedly makes $1 billion a year via in-app purchases. Tencent should be able to afford it, though, as it was recently valued at $200 billion, ahead of China's Alibaba. Tencent also owns big stakes in Activision Blizzard, the maker of World of Warcraft and Call of Duty, and Gears of War developer Epic Games.
'League of Legends' shoutcaster loves the game, not the fame
Trevor Henry doesn't like to think of himself as "famous." He prefers the term "recognizable," and then only in certain situations -- like at the League of Legends World Championships in Europe this year. Henry, professionally known as Quickshot, is a shoutcaster for League of Legends, which means he's often the face and voice of professional matches as he commentates on live games and analyzes important moves afterward. Literally millions of people know who he is: In 2014, 27 million fans watched the final match of the League World Championships. For perspective, the NBA Finals in 2014 averaged just 15.5 million viewers per game. Quickshot has been in the shoutcasting game for half a decade, first as a hobby and now professionally in a rapidly evolving industry. He knows where professional League of Legends started and sees where it can go -- and he told us all about it.
Here's how 'Halo 5: Guardians' multiplayer rankings work
Halo 5: Guardians is almost upon us, and once the campaign credits roll (or the game itself finishes installing on your Xbox One, depending on your style) you might be curious how multiplayer ranking works. Wonder no more because it's similar to League of Legends according to a post on Halo Waypoint. Your starting placement in matchmade Arena games is determined by how you fare in your first ten games. That "Competitive Skill Rating" breaks down into seven categories: Bronze, Silver, Gold, Platinum, Diamond, Onyx and Champion. The post stresses that the only way to increase your rank after those initial ten matches are set is by winning.
Poorly-named 'League of Legends' players get psychology surveys
League of Legends has roughly 67 million players, so the developer has a big challenge when it comes to monitoring the community the size of a small country — and curbing the worser elements. While it's involved itself with how players interact with the game, this time it's doing something more: it's recently started asking ill-named players to take psychological self-evaluation tests. LoL players can report others for inappropriate character names that don't gel with the game's terms of use. However, this week, some players noticing a different naming process for characters that weren't okay the first time around. Gamers now have to complete a survey, play 50 matches, then follow that up with another survey. After that, players can change their name to something that follows the rules. (Before, cheekily-named users got a temporary name until they picked a better one.)
The BBC's live 'League of Legends' Championship coverage starts today
Even the BBC has recognised the enormous popularity of eSports. As promised, the broadcaster is covering the quarterfinals of the League of Legends World Championship, which kicks off today at London's Wembley Arena. The four-day online coverage is scheduled to start at 5pm BST and while it won't be aired on terrestrial TV, it still represents another leap forward in eSports' journey to mainstream legitimacy. The BBC's live programming will be hosted by Radio 1 DJ Dev Griffin, with casters Leign 'Deman' Smith and James 'Stress' O'Leary handling the game commentary. Going beyond the type of livestream normally found on YouTube or Twitch, the BBC will be using its own site to offer live and pre-recorded video, text and audio commentary simultaneously. Who knows, if the live show does well, maybe the BBC will consider putting it on BBC Two next time.
Live 'League of Legends' coverage is coming to BBC Three
The BBC will tap into the popular world of eSports next week by offering live coverage of the League of Legends World Championships for the first time. From October 15th, BBC Three will deliver action from all four days of the quarter finals at Wembley, with Radio 1 DJ Dev Griffin hosting proceedings. He'll be joined by gaming casters Leigh 'Deman' Smith and James 'Stress' O'Leary, who will offer additional context on the action as it unfolds.
eSports gets its first major UK bookmaker
Ignore it all you like, but eSports is booming. There are now million-dollar payouts, doping scandals and even official ways to put money down on your favourite squad. While gambling on eSports is still a relatively new concept, it's just been given a much-needed boost after well-known UK betting site Betway launched its very own gaming portal. The company, which has traditionally focused on football, horse racing, tennis and other "traditional" sports, believes it's the first major bookmaker to expand into competitive gaming.
League of Legends' first pro female player weighs her options
"I just want it to be known that I accomplished my goal for real, and I accomplished it for me, my teammates, and girls in eSports. That's it. No one else. Don't fucking put me on some LGBT agenda or some bullshit." That's part of the statement that Maria Creveling, known as "Remilia" on the gaming stage, posted to Reddit this morning, following her team's explosive victory in the North American League of Legends Challenger Series last night. The win bumped her team, Renegades, into the League of Legends Championship Series, meaning all of its players are now officially pro -- and making Remilia the first professional female player in League of Legends Championship Series history. However, she may choose to leave the LCS without ever playing a pro game.
Twitch bans streamer who faked his own swatting
There are a couple things you probably shouldn't do to celebrate acquiring 800,000 followers on Twitch. Faking your own swatting at the end of a 24-hour live event, as streamer Trick2g recently did, is at the top of the list. Trick2g, who focused primarily on League of Legends during his broadcasts, can be seen casually chatting with viewers when two "police officers" bust in and haul him away.
The business of eSports in numbers
It takes about 50 years for a "game" to become a "sport," according to Andrew Paradise's calculations. He's an entrepreneur who recently joined the wave of investors getting in on the eSports game: His app, Skillz, allows mobile-gaming fans to win real money while playing some of their favorite titles. That's right, mobile eSports. From smartphones to dedicated eSports arenas, Paradise knows why professional gaming is a booming market and he explains it all in a straightforward, money-focused manner. If you've ever looked at eSports and wondered, "Why?" Paradise might have your answer.
'League of Legends' pirate Gangplank is dead; long live Gangplank
Gangplank is dead. Riot, the developer of League of Legends, took an unprecedented move this week and killed off one of its champions, the pirate Gangplank. He's completely unavailable in the game right now, even for people who have thrown down real money for skins. Gangplank's surprising death came as part of the Bilgewater event, which builds up the lore in League of Legends' more pirate-y champions, including Gangplank and his apparent assassin, Miss Fortune. "We encourage all Gangplank fans to remain calm for a few days until we can fully assess the situation," Riot writes. "At this time we are not addressing refund requests for him or his skins but please know that over the next several days we'll do our best to make things right for everyone." The fact that Riot has killed a champion and isn't offering refunds to dedicated players suggests that a larger plot is afoot. What do you think Riot plans to do with Gangplank, now that he's taken a long walk off of his own, short plank?
Recommended Reading: NFL player turns mercenary in 'Call of Duty'
Recommended Reading highlights the best long-form writing on technology and more in print and on the web. Some weeks, you'll also find short reviews of books that we think are worth your time. We hope you enjoy the read. 'The Whole Game is Beast Mode' by Sam Alipour ESPN The Magazine Kevin Spacey temporarily shelved his presidential persona to play a private military contractor in Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare. For this year's title, Seattle Seahawks running back Marshawn Lynch hung up his cleats to play a mercenary in Call of Duty: Black Ops III. ESPN The Magazine has a behind-the-scenes look at the process, from motion capture to facial scans required to construct the digital version of the NFL player.
Pro gaming doesn't need balls to be considered a 'sport'
The hockey game on the flat-screen behind the bar had served as a pleasant background visual as I ate dinner. But with my plate cleared, the action on-screen drew my full attention. I took a sip of beer as players converged on the puck, white jerseys sliding into red and sticks slapping intently over a small, swift black dot. More furious movement and some of the athletes fell back as others rushed forward chasing their objective: Control the puck. I took another sip. Two men, one from each team, flew toward the black dot as it slid across the bottom wall of the rink and the rest of the players settled into position behind them, constantly moving, pushing for dominance of their immediate areas. Each person on the ice clearly had a specific role. And then halfway through my second beer, it clicked. "It's like they're playing League of Legends in real-life," I thought, frozen in mid-sip. "Holy shit. I think I understand hockey now."
JXE Training Day: Picking the right 'League of Legends' Champion
We covered League of Legends basics in Training Day Episode 1, and in Episode 2 we took a long look at how to actually play through your first match. Today Loc Tran, he of San Jose State University's rising League team, will be teaching us how to select the right Champion. What's a Champion, you ask? That's precisely what Training Day is here to answer! Join us as we take an in-depth look at the many different characters and roles they can play in League of Legends.
'League of Legends' doc chronicles America's eSports underdogs
Patrick Creadon wants to tell you about what he thinks is competitive gaming's Miracle on Ice moment. And to do so, he's employing the tool he knows best: a movie camera. Whereas before, the film director has focused on the national debt with I.O.U.S.A. or the (sometimes famous) people who love crossword puzzles in Wordplay, his latest project, All Work All Play, tackles the world of eSports. Specifically, League of Legends and two American dark horse teams quite literally going up against the rest of the world in front of tens of thousands of screaming fans packed into, ironically enough, hockey arenas. "eSports teams don't have the respect that they so badly crave," he says. "These North American teams are not unlike the 1980 United States hockey team going up against Russia [in the Olympics]. Our movie really captures a similar story."
JXE Training Day: How to play your first 'League of Legends' match
We covered the League of Legends basics during our very first episode Training Day. Loc Tran, he of San Jose State University's rising League team, gave us the lowdown on just what multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) games actually are, what it's like to play them and which ones are right for beginners. This week, we dive into matches against live players. What do you need to know the first time you play League of Legends? What class of character is good for you? We'll answer those questions and more on today's Training Day.
'Heroes of the Storm' pits 'StarCraft against 'Warcraft' in June
More than three years after Blizzard announced it would be making a competitor to League of Legends and Dota 2, that game finally has an official release date. Heroes of the Storm comes out June 2nd, brining with it seven maps for players to face off on using over 30 characters culled from the studio's famous Diablo, StarCraft and Warcraft series. As with other multiplayer online battle arena games, or MOBAs as they're commonly known, like the aforementioned League of Legends, Heroes of the Storm is free to download and start playing. Blizzard makes money on the game by charging for new characters as well as customization options.
