Even if you’re largely unfamiliar with the world of eSports, chances are you’ve heard of League of Legends, or LoL as it is often affectionately known among its many fans and players online. The game, which first launched on Windows in 2009, is one of the world’s biggest eSports, with global tournaments regularly attracting hundreds of thousands of viewers.
Enjoyed by everyday gamers and eSports players alike, the popularity of League of Legends worldwide shows no signs of slowing down. Today, we’re taking a look at how this game – out of the many multiplayer arena games on the market – gained the enormous audience and player base it enjoys today, paying particular attention to the game’s origins, payment model, and the continuous appeal of League of Legends gambling sites.
A Brief History of League of Legends
League of Legends was the debut title from Riot Games, a studio founded in 2006 by Brandon Beck and Marc Merrill. Beck and Merrill first became acquainted as students at the University of Southern California. It was during their college days that the pair looked at Defense of the Ancients (DotA) as an aspirational example of a multiplayer free-to-play game with eSports appeal, that could also be monetized through optional extras and supported long-term.
In founding Riot Games, the pair made it their goal to focus all their energies on one title alone – League of Legends. Despite initially raising $1.5 million in funding from angel investors, Riot Games found it difficult to convince other investors to get onboard with a free-to-play game with no single player option. Undeterred, the work continued in earnest, and the project eventually secured a further $8 million in funding from Benchmark, FirstMark Capital and Tencent.
Ahead of the game’s launch in 2009, the game’s developers and other members of Riot Games staff became involved in online gaming forums to answer questions directly from their core demographic and to generate buzz. This also gave early players the opportunity to provide actionable feedback, which was then used in early patches.
What Makes LoL So Popular?
Even a cursory glance at the history of Riot Games and the development of League of Legends provides a lot of clues as to the game’s ultimate popularity. For starters, making the game free-to-play was an enormous boon to potential players. This point of accessibility meant that anybody with a personal computer could join in on the fun.
The inclusion of the gaming community in the process of late development and refining of the game was also, no doubt, a contributing factor. Allowing the player demographic to feel that they had an active role in the creation of the game created a sense of loyalty and familiarity with the brand from day one.Â
Entering the eSports Arena
The first League of Legends professional tournament took place just two years following the game’s launch. The Season 1 World Championship in Sweden saw 8 teams from across Europe, North America and South-east Asia compete for a prize of $100,000.
Since then, the tournaments and prize pools have grown exponentially. The 2022 League of Legends World Championship, by contrast, hosted 24 teams from 11 different regions, all competing for a prize of $2,225,000.Â
For many, the tournaments provide an opportunity to transition from gaming as a hobby into a lucrative career. The ambition and skill of League players has even attracted attention from major press outlets.
Playing and Betting: Getting in on the Action
To this day, League of Legends is still entirely free to play. There’s nothing stopping anyone from downloading the game, starting a team, and working towards playing in a tournament. The game’s lively online community makes it easier still to get to grips with the game’s rules and to connect with other fledgling players, both at home and abroad.
If you’d rather be a spectator, however, there are other options for capitalizing on the thrill of the eSports arena from the comfort of your own home. A lot of bookies and betting sites allow bets to be placed on eSports events, and League of Legends betting remains a popular fixture. When it comes to online options, it’s important to find trustworthy and reliable betting sites; you can find the top five best League of Legend betting sites here.