riot games
Latest
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."
Riot begins leaking details about its competitive shooter 'Project A'
Riot Games shared precious little about what its Project A team-based shooter would entail besides a "character-based" focus, but more details are coming to light. Former Counter-Strike pro player Henry Greer (aka HenryG) reports that Riot invited him to play Project A at its European offices, and the title is apparently similar to Counter-Strike: Global Offensive with a dash of class-based elements from games like Overwatch. You're still trying to plant or defend against bombs, and buying weaponry from a resource pool that carries over from round to round. However, characters each have their own abilities that need to be purchased at the very start of a round. There are even CS-like maps with chokepoints and lanes.
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.
'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.
Riot Games is expanding 'League of Legends' universe with third-party titles
Riot Games plans to release more titles to expand the League of Legends universe, but the company won't be making those entries itself. It's teaming up with independent third-party studios under a new publishing label called Riot Forge, which it says will "complement [its own] research and development program."
Riot Games pays $10 million to settle gender discrimination lawsuit
In August, Riot Games settled a class action lawsuit over gender discrimination and its sexist culture, though details of the settlement weren't clear. Now according to new court documents seen by Los Angeles Times, the developer has agreed to pay at least $10 million to employees and contractors who identify as female and who've worked at the company over the last five years. Around 1,000 workers will be entitled to a payout from the pot, but the amount they're getting will depend on how long they worked for the company. Full-time employees are also getting more money than contractors.
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.
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.
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."
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.
Tencent adds age-based playtime limits to ‘League of Legends’ in China
In the face of pressure from the Chinese government, Tencent and Riot Games have added age-based time limits to League of Legends in China, Polygon reports. Minors now get booted from the game after two hours of play, and the companies use China's national ID numbers -- which are used to make accounts -- to verify ages. Supposedly, the new rules are an attempt to curb gaming addiction.
'League of Legends' take on 'Auto Chess' reaches open beta this week
Riot Games isn't going to let Dota Underlords capitalize on the Auto Chess trend without offering a fight. The developer is rolling out the open beta test for its League of Legends equivalent, Teamfight Tactics, over the course of the week. It's already available on the Japanese and Oceania servers, and should reach North America, Europe, Russia and Turkey the following day. Other regions will join over the two days after that.
'League of Legends' adopts Overwatch League-style premium eSports pass
League of Legends isn't just one of the biggest games on the planet, it's perhaps the most popular eSport too. Starting with the upcoming Summer Split of the League Championship Series (LCS) and European Championship (LEC), Riot Games will offer a way to watch matches from pros' points of view, and see everything they do, including mouse clicks and keystrokes.
'League of Legends' might be coming to smartphones
League of Legends might eventually take up residence on fans' iOS and Android homescreens. Developer Riot is said to be working with parent company Tencent on a mobile version of the ultra-popular MOBA.
Riot Games is expanding 'League of Legends,' even in the midst of scandal
League of Legends has been online for nearly 10 years. During that time, it's competed with newcomers like Dota 2, PUBG, Overwatch, Fortnite and a slew of online first-person shooters, yet it's managed to remain one of the most popular games on the market, reporting 100 million monthly active players in 2016. One reason for this is the fact that League of Legends is free to download, with tiers of characters and items unlockable via microtransactions and playtime. However, a game can't survive for long if players don't stick around, which is why developers at Riot Games are constantly working on ways to evolve and enrich the League of Legends universe, both on and off the screen.
Riot Games staff walk out after sexism lawsuits result in forced arbitration
More than 150 employees from Riot Games walked out of the League of Legends publisher's offices in Los Angeles yesterday to protest forced arbitration and sexist culture, and say they are prepared to take further action if the company does not commit to meeting their demands by May 16th.
