League of Legends

League of Legends stands as one of the biggest video games in the world, with a massive player base and a robust esports scene. It also spawned a number of spin-off titles including Teamfight Tactics and Legends of Runeterra, as well as the popular animated series Arcane.

The origins of League of Legends go back to Defense of the Ancients, a custom game mode created for Blizzard’s popular RTS WarCraft 3. The custom game mode achieved such popularity that it outgrew the boundaries of WarCraft 3, and League of Legends was among the first attempts at taking advantage of this popularity with a new game release independent of the boundaries of custom game modes.

League of Legends quickly found success after its release in October 27, 2009. The game has gone through many updates since it was originally crafted by developer Riot Games, and while the core game remains largely the same, the look and feel of it have changed dramatically.

Dozens and dozens of new champions have been introduced, with more being brought to LoL each year. New game modes are created, and the game’s playing space, called Summoner’s Rift, is often altered in order to keep the game fresh for its many millions of players across the globe.

League of Legends is often noted for its prominence in the esports scene. Dating back to near its release, LoL has supported competitive play around the world. Riot Games was among the first companies to truly leverage the idea of esports as a marketing tool, using competitive play to keep the game’s many players engaged with the title even when they weren’t actively playing it themselves.

That strategy has paid off, as League of Legends is now one of the world’s biggest and richest games, serving as a key part of publisher Tencent’s global gaming arsenal.