Is League of Legends the Biggest Esport?

Is League of Legends the biggest esport in the world? That’s a tough question to answer, but we’ll take a look at the evidence and try to come to a conclusion.

Introduction

League of Legends is one of the most popular games in the world, with millions of players logging in every day. But is it the biggest esport? That’s a difficult question to answer.

There are a few different ways to measure the size of an esport. One is by looking at the prize money that’s been awarded. League of Legends has given out more prize money than any other game, with over $200 million being awarded since the game was released in 2009.

Another way to measure the size of an esport is by looking at the number of people who watch it. Again, League of Legends is one of the most popular games, with millions of people watching online streams and live events every year.

So, based on these two measures, it seems safe to say that League of Legends is one of the biggest esports. But there are other games that are also popular and have large prize pools and viewing numbers. So it’s hard to say definitively which game is the biggest esport.

The History of League of Legends

Though it may not have always been the most popular esport, League of Legends has always been one of the biggest. It has a rich history dating back to its humble beginnings as a mod for Warcraft III. In the years since its release, LoL has only grown in popularity, becoming one of the most-played games in the world and the most-watched esport.

The Creation of League of Legends

In 2006, developer Riot Games created a game mode for Warcraft III called “Defense of the Ancients”. “Defense of the Ancients” (DotA) became popular among players and inspired a modding community. In 2009, Riot Games released their own stand-alone game, League of Legends (LoL), which was heavily inspired by DotA. LoL quickly rose to popularity and became one of the most played games in the world.

Since its release, League of Legends has been one of the leading esports, with professional leagues and tournaments being held all over the world. In 2012, the first ever World Championship was held in Los Angeles, with a prize pool of over $1 million. The tournament had over 1.6 million viewers and is often considered to be the beginning of the modern esports scene.

Today, League of Legends is still one of the biggest esports with tournaments such as the Mid-Season Invitational and the World Championship regularly attracting millions of viewers from all over the world.

The Rise of League of Legends

Believe it or not, League of Legends is over ten years old. The game was first released in October 2009 by developer Riot Games and has since become one of the most popular video games in the world. In fact, according to estimates, League of Legends has around 100 million active monthly players. That’s a lot of people!

But League of Legends didn’t become one of the biggest video games in the world overnight. It took several years for the game to gain traction and grow its player base. In this article, we’re going to take a look at the history of League of Legends and how it became the massive esport it is today.

League of Legends was created by software developer Riot Games. The company was founded in 2006 by two University of Southern California graduates, Brandon Beck and Marc Merrill. The two had previously worked on another popular video game called DotA: Allstars (which we’ll talk more about later).

Riot Games originally planned to release League of Legends as a free-to-play game supported by microtransactions. However, after receiving feedback from gamers, the company decided to switch to a traditional pay-to-play model with a monthly fee. This decision proved to be successful, and League of Legends quickly became one of the most popular online games.

In 2011, Riot Games announced that they would be holding a yearly championship tournament for League of Legends with a prize pool of $1 million. This was an unprecedented move at the time and helped solidify League of Legends as a premier esport title. Over the next few years, the prize pool for the tournament would grow exponentially due to crowdfunded “battle passes” purchased by spectators interested in supporting their favorite teams and players.

Today, League of Legends is widely considered to be one of the biggest and most popular esports in the world. The game has a massive global following and continues to attract new players every day. With its large player base and ever-growing prize pools, there’s no telling how big League of Legends will become in the years to come!

The Present of League of Legends

It has been a little over a decade since League of Legends first released and the game has only grown in popularity since. With millions of active players and a thriving competitive scene, it’s no wonder that League of Legends is considered one of the biggest and most popular esport. But just how big is League of Legends? Let’s take a look.

The Popularity of League of Legends

In recent years, League of Legends has solidified itself as one of the most popular games in the world. According to developer Riot Games, the game boasts around 67 million monthly players, with 27 million people playing every day.

What’s more, the game is only getting bigger. The most recent season of the game’s professional league, the LCS, saw a dramatic increase in viewership, with some matches being watched by over 1 million people. This is a far cry from the early days of the game, whenLCS matches were watch by only a few thousand diehard fans.

So why is League of Legends so popular? There are a few reasons. First and foremost, the game is extremely easy to pick up and play. Unlike many other competitive games, which can take dozens of hours to master, League can be learned in just a few minutes. The game is also extremely well balanced, meaning that no one team or player has a significant advantage over another. This makes for close, unpredictable matches that keep viewers coming back for more.

Finally, Riot Games — the company behind League — has done an excellent job of making the game exciting to watch. Professional matches are commentated by knowledgeablecasters who add an extra layer of excitement to the action onscreen. The company also puts on elaborate events around professional matches, complete with cosplayers and live music performances. All of this makes for a unique viewing experience that keeps fans engaged even when they’re not playing the game themselves.

It’s clear that League of Legends is here to stay. With its growing popularity and ever-expanding fanbase, it seems likely that the game will continue to dominate the esports scene for years to come.

The Professional Scene of League of Legends

Today, professional League of Legends is a world-spanning sport with a multi-million dollar prize pool, played out on stages in front of cheering live crowds and watched by millions more online. The game has transcended its humble beginnings as a mod for Warcraft 3 and has become one of the most popular games in the world. At the center of this phenomenon is the competitive scene, where professional players battle it out in hopes of becoming the best in the world. But how did we get here? Let’s take a look at the history of professional League of Legends to see how it became the colossus it is today.

The firstLeague of Legends World Championship was held in Sweden in 2011. The event had a humble $100,000 prize pool and was won by Taipei Assassins, who took home $50,000. The following year, the tournament’s prize pool nearly tripled to $2.3 million. In 2013, it more than quadrupled to $5 million. And by 2014, it had increased more than tenfold again to $10 million. At the 2017 World Championship, the prize pool reached an astonishing $24 million.

This exponential growth is even more impressive when you consider that League of Legends is free-to-play and relies heavily on microtransactions for its revenue. The game’s developer, Riot Games, puts some of the profits generated by these microtransactions into the prize pool for each year’s World Championship, making it one of the largest esports tournaments in existence.

But Riot Games didn’t stop there; they also began hosting smaller international tournaments leading up to Worlds each year. These tournaments, collectively known as the “Major Leagues” (or “Majors”), award qualification points to their participants which contribute towards determining which teams will earn a coveted spot at Worlds.

The first Major was held in 2013 in Germany with a prize pool of $250,000 – a fraction of what would eventually become commonplace for these events. Just two years later, in 2015, Riot upped the ante again with The International 5 – a Dota 2 tournament with a record-breaking $18 million prize pool (which has since been eclipsed by TI6’s massive $20 million). Following TI5’s success, Riot announced that each subsequent Major would have its own multimillion-dollar prize pool funded by crowd-sourced donations (similar to Dota 2’s Compendium system).

The Future of League of Legends

League of Legends is one of the most popular video games in the world with millions of active players. It is also one of the biggest esport with tournaments being held all over the world with large prize pools. But is League of Legends the biggest esport? Let’s take a look at the numbers.

The Continued Popularity of League of Legends

League of Legends is a five-player online battle arena video game based on the Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne mod Defense of the Ancients. Designed by developer Riot Games, the game was unofficially released in October 2009. The popularity of the game has grown exponentially in recent years, with an estimated 6 million active players and as many as 67 million people playing the game monthly as of 2013

With such a large player base, it’s no surprise that League of Legends has become one of the most popular esport games. In fact, the game is currently the most watched esport in the world, with tournaments regularly attracting millions of viewers.

While the future of League of Legends is uncertain, its continued popularity suggests that it will remain a major force in the esports scene for years to come.

The Continued Growth of the Professional Scene

Since its inception in 2009, League of Legends has been one of the most popular video games in the world. With its simple yet addictive gameplay, it’s no wonder that the game has such a large following. In recent years, the game’s professional scene has seen explosive growth. Numerous tournaments are held each year with sizable prize pools. The game is also broadcast on various streaming platforms such as Twitch and Youtube. This increased visibility has led to even more interest in the game, resulting in even larger prize pools and more viewers.

The future of League of Legends looks bright. The professional scene continues to grow at a rapid pace and shows no signs of slowing down. With more tournaments being held each year and ever-increasing prize pools, it is only a matter of time before League of Legends becomes the biggest esport in the world.