"The Time Has Come": Riot's impact on the rapid growth of esports

One year ago, FnaticMSI won the season one League of Legends World Championships at DreamHack Summer 2011, taking home $50,000 and the privilege of being the first ever League of Legends champions. Nobody at the time could have predicted that this was only just the beginning of one video game's significant impact on the esports industry.

FnaticMSI at Dreamhack Summer 2011 (Riot Games)

Fast forward to today. According to developer Riot Games, League of Legends is now the "most played video game in the world" with over seventy million registered users and twelve million daily active players logging a combined total of one billion hours of game-time a month. While the statistics are seemingly unparalleled and unquestionably mind-blowing, Riot's mission extends beyond that of the standard MOBA. As stated by CEO Brandon Beck, League of Legends was built with every intention to be a competitive sport, one that is both business and entertainment.

Marc Merrill and Brandon Beck (USC Marshall)

For Riot, 2012 was a year of explosive growth as the studio continually invested in the evolution of esports, establishing League of Legends' place in the movement. Without a doubt, Riot is one of the most involved game developers in esports with their attempts to bring it into the mainstream despite the financial risk.

Marc Merrill, co-founder and president of Riot, stated, "We lose a lot of money on esports. It's something, currently, that we do to drive return or profitability or whatnot. It's bringing value to our players. Maybe, down the road, that will change. This is something we believe, as a company, philosophically, if we bring value to our players, they'll reward us with engagement."

Riot's efforts culminated last week with the season two World Championships in Los Angeles, California, where players and fans congregated at the Galen Center to witness the highest caliber of play by the best teams in the world. Over 7,000 attendees filled up the sold-out arena, which is typically used for college athletics.

"We lose a lot of money on esports. It's something, currently, that we do to drive return or profitability or whatnot...This is something we believe, as a company, philosophically, if we bring value to our players, they'll reward us with engagement."

- Marc Merrill

A multitude of online streams broadcasting the event garnered over one million concurrent viewers all over the world. The number increases dramatically if you include the televised broadcasts in China and South Korea. Such figures indicate that Riot has created the foundations of a spectator sport, a necessity for the legitimacy of esports.

The crowd at the S2 World Championships (ESFI World)

The underdog team, Taipei Assassins, defeated South Korea's Azubu Frost in the grand finals to win the tournament's $1 million prize, a far cry from last year's $100,000 prize pool, setting a strong precedent for other premier tournaments and game developers. The substantial $5 million prize pool for the season two World Championships is a testament to Riot's commitment to its players, which in turn is rewarded by player involvement.

Taipei Assassins, S2 Champions (Garena)

Riot VP Dustin Beck emphasized, “It’s in our blood at Riot to give back to the community and we think our pro players feel the same way and believe they have the same responsibility.”

Pro player Ocelote of SK Gaming (ESL)

Millions of dollars in cash prizes is just the tip of the iceberg. On August 6, Riot announced the League of Legends Championship Series, which is essentially a global league of professional players with weekly matches, playoff events, and most importantly, paid salaries. The salaries, according to Beck, cover the basic cost of living for players and will be supplemented by travel and housing stipends. All of that coupled with sponsorships, stream revenue, and tournament cash prizes are an attempt to legitimize pro gaming as "a completely viable career opportunity," which will help League of Legends reach its full potential as an esport.

This is just the beginning; esports is still in its infancy, growing rapidly with every event. And Riot Games is in a unique position to strengthen and sustain the entire realm of esports, which includes pro teams, leagues, organizations, the community, and competitive games beyond just League of Legends. With the success of the World Championships, Riot has raised the bar significantly for other events, bringing esports a step closer to overall legitimacy in society.

“It’s in our blood at Riot to give back to the community and we think our pro players feel the same way and believe they have the same responsibility.”

- Dustin Beck

The effort to garner mainstream acceptance and attention is not exclusive to just Riot. David Ting, General Manager of Esports and VP of Research & Development for IGN Entertainment, has stated since the inception of the IGN Pro League that his mission is to help esports become a major sport, one that measures up to the NFL.

TSM winning IPL Face Off

Roy Bahat, former President of IGN Entertainment, stated, “The time has come for video games, as a spectator sport, to go mainstream in the United States as it has elsewhere around the world.”

IPL will once again be hosting their live event, IPL5, at the Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas from November 29 to December 2. Tickets are available for purchase now.

Source : ign[dot]com

Meat Playground takes down Orbit 2-1

League of Legends Match Review: Meat Playground vs. Orbit Gaming

This Best of Three series left nothing to be desired. These teams packed all 3 games with action from the moment they started. The meta was not challenged by the tactics of these players. Strategy and coordination are what won this match. The players are reaching new heights of personal skill. These teams will continue to improve their game and raise the level of competitive play in League of Legends.

Game 1: Meat Playground Victory

Meat Playground had first pick and wanted to make an aggressive statement immediately in the match. They banned the strong CC of Alistar, followed by the mid lane and team fight strength of Twisted Fate and Zyra. Meat Playground picked Morganna for a safe mid, and a Cho’gath top lane with a support Blitzcrank to secure the endgame. Orbit wanted to rely on a counter pick to allow their mid lane to dominate. They banned the top lane strength of Shen. Malphite, and Vladimir. Orbit then took the safe Jayce pick for top, Gragas in the middle, and Sivir to win the bottom lane.

The players of Meat Playground were out for blood, and secured first blood before minions spawned with a 2-for-2 trade. Both teams stuck to their guns using aggressive tactics to take down the first 2 towers before 5 minutes thanks to a lane swap from Orbit. Meat Playground soon took the lead with some strong team coordination. LightSludge secured several kills and had a large item advantage that he used to give his team a large lead. Meat Playground made some catches and team fights happen and closed out the first game with a major item advantage.

Game 2: Orbit Victory

Orbit took first pick in game 2 and looked to ban out what defeated them in the previous game. They banned the epic hooks of Blitzcrank, the fed terror of Ezreal, and the standard Malphite. Orbit then picked a double AP composition with Vladimir and Ahri, followed by the ganking potential of Skarner. Meat Playground was confident after their victory and decided to try some uncommon picks. They took out the potential first pick of Nunu, along with the standard Alistar and Shen. Meat Playground picked Rumble to win the top lane, Maokai to counter the fast ganks, and Mordekaiser to see what he is capable of.

Game 2 did not have the same ignition as the previous game. The teams did not warm up until first blood happened in bot lane, ending in a 1-for-2 for Meat Playground. Skarner made his presence known with constant appearances in all of the lanes. Orbit was still pressured in the lanes despite the efforts of their jungle player. Soon these efforts paid off and allowed Orbit get the positioning they needed to take an advantage in the game. Orbit quickly took control of the map with oracles and took a huge lead through forced fights and face checks. Meat Playground found themselves insurmountably behind and surrendered.

Game 3: Meat Playground Victory

Meat Playground had first pick and needed to get their valued picks to win the game and the match. They banned Alistar, Twisted Fate, and the Skarner that gave them trouble in the last game. Meat Playground picked the Nunu and Morganna that were key to their game 1 victory, along with Olaf to play it safe in the top lane. Orbit had taken the momentum in the match and wanted to close it out quickly. They banned the Ezreal that did so much in game 1 followed by the standard Shen and Vladimir. Orbit went with a Malphite top, the successful Ahri mid, and a blind Lee Sin in the jungle.

Meat Playground wasted no time in turning up the heat in game 3. They went right into the enemy jungle and slowed down the early game strength of Orbit’s team composition. Orbit went with another lane swap and successfully shut down Olaf early in the game. Morganna was a major threat to Orbit and they sent their support to the middle lane to assist Ahri. Pobelter would not be stopped and picked up a quadra kill with only a tower to aid him. Meat Playground started grouping up and used their strong team fight to take objectives and force poor position from Orbit. Orbit had no answer to the coordination of Meat Playground and lost out to a rushed baron followed by 1-for-4 team fight and victory in game 3.

Player of the Match: Eugene ‘Pobelter’ Park

The mid lane is the center of the rift and the action whenever Meat Playground takes the field. Eugene ‘Pobelter’ Park can play what his team needs and stun spectators with unusual tactics. What he does best is be there when his team needs him. Even his champions roster changes to what best benefits his team. Meat Playground has a bright future ahead of them with Pobelter backing up their plays.

Conclusion

These teams gave it their all in a chance at the IPL5. They tested their abilities and kept it close to the last second. Meat Playground showed that they have what it takes to challenge the best teams on the scene. Orbit has some solid victories over the best teams, but showed that they still have room to improve. The conventional meta was not challenged. The balance was not strained. These teams displayed a true competitive treat to the avid LoL follower.

That’s it for today’s review. We hope you will join us tomorrow for more exquisite League of Legends action.

Source : ign[dot]com

League of Legends Finalists Disqualified in Pro Circuit Conspiracy

The first and second place teams in MLG's Summer Championship League of Legends Event have been disqualified. A "collusion" between Team Dignitas and Curse NA has been led to a violation of the Major League Gaming Pro Conduct rules. As such, neither team will be awarded Circuit points, and the third and fourth place teams will earn the first and second place points and prize money, respectively.

Neither team denies the allegations or is fighting against the ruling. In fact, according to MLG's website, "Both teams have agreed that the disqualification was warranted," although the specifics of the pro gaming conspiracy remain unknown.

Developer Riot Games recently created its own league for professional League of Legends play, and is in agreement regarding the collusion decision.

Mitch Dyer is an Associate Editor for IGN's Xbox 360 team. He’s also quite Canadian. Read his ramblings on Twitter and follow him on IGN.

Source : ign[dot]com

THQ Reveals WWE '13 Roster

So many superstars, so little time. Earlier today, THQ unveiled its massive WWE '13 roster, packed with modern day and Attitude Era superstars, Legends and Divas. Here is the list of confirmed athletes so far. This is a big list, you have been warned!

Modern Era WWE Superstars & Divas

Alberto Del Rio

Big Show

Booker T

Brock Lesnar

Brodus Clay

Chris Jericho

Christian

Cody Rhodes

Daniel Bryan

David Otunga

Dolph Ziggler

Edge

The Great Khali

Heath Slater

Hunico

Jack Swagger

JBL

John Cena (The Doctor of Thuganomics)

John Laurinaitis

Justin Gabriel

Kane

Kevin Nash

Kofi Kingston

Mark Henry

The Miz

Primo

Randy Orton

John Cena

Rey Mysterio

The Rock

R-Truth

Santino Marella

Sheamus

Sin Cara

Epico

Ted DiBiase

Triple H

The Undertaker

Jinder Mahal

Wade Barrett

Zack Ryder

Alicia Fox

Beth Phoenix

Brie Bella

Eve

Kelly Kelly

Kharma

Nikki Bella

Lita

AJ Lee (RAW General Manager)

CM Punk

Attitude Era WWE Superstars

Road Warrior Animal

Big Boss Man

Billy Gunn

Bradshaw (APA)

Bret Hart

British Bulldog

Cactus Jack

Chris Jericho (Y2J)

Christian (Edge & Christian)

Dude Love

Eddie Guerrero

Edge (Edge & Christian)

Faarooq (APA)

The Godfather

Road Warrior Hawk

Hunter Heart Helmsley

Kane

Ken Shamrock

Mankind

Mark Henry (Nation of Domination)

Mike Tyson

Mr. McMahon

"The Big Show" Paul Wight

Road Dogg Jesse James

The Rock

Shane McMahon

Shawn Michaels (D-Generation X)

Triple H (D-Generation X)

The Undertaker (The Lord of Darkness)

Vader

X-Pac

Lita (Attitude Era)

Stephanie McMahon (The Billion Dollar Princess)

Trish Stratus

"Stone Cold" Steve Austin

Stay tuned to IGN for more on WWE '13. THQ has a major event for the game planned this evening, which will reveal much more on the game.

Rich is an Executive Editor of IGN.com and the leader of IGN's Nintendo team. He also watches over all things WWE, Resident Evil, Assassin's Creed and much more. Follow him on Twitter, if you dare!

Source : ign[dot]com

Bond Actors Reprising Roles in 007 Legends

Activision has announced that several original Bond voice actors will reprise their roles in upcoming Bond game 007 Legends. Daniel Craig will once again provide his voice and likeness as James Bond, and he’ll be joined by Richard Kiel reprising his role as Jaws from Moonraker and Michael Lonsdale once again playing Hugo Drax.

In addition, Naomie Harris and Rory Kinnear will voice their characters from upcoming Bond film Skyfall, with Harris playing Eve and Kinnear playing MI6 chief of staff Bill Tanner. Beyond the game’s voice cast, Bruce Feirstein -- writer of The World Is Not Enough, Tomorrow Never Dies and GoldenEye -- wrote 007 Legends’ script, while composer David Arnold (Die Another Day, Tomorrow Never Dies) contributed to the soundtrack.

007 Legends tells the story of six different Bond films, letting you play through six missions that cover five classic films as well as the upcoming Skyfall. Activision has confirmed two of the classic Bond films included so far: Moonraker and On Her Majesty’s Secret Service.

007 Legends will launch on PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 this fall, around the same time that Skyfall will hit theaters. For an extended look at the 23rd Bond film, check out our Skyfall set visit from earlier this year.

Andrew Goldfarb is IGN’s associate news editor. Keep up with pictures of the latest food he’s been eating by following him on Twitter or IGN.

Source : ign[dot]com