Business Insider India has updated its Privacy and Cookie policy. We use cookies to ensure that we give you the better experience on our website. If you continue without changing your settings, we\'ll assume that you are happy to receive all cookies on the Business Insider India website. However, you can change your cookie setting at any time by clicking on our Cookie Policy at any time. You can also see our Privacy Policy.
See inside the esports championship that draws as many viewers as the Super Bowl and just gave away $2.5 million in prize money and a 70-pound trophy designed by Louis Vuitton
See inside the esports championship that draws as many viewers as the Super Bowl and just gave away $2.5 million in prize money and a 70-pound trophy designed by Louis Vuitton
Kevin WebbNov 12, 2019, 00:00 IST
Advertisement
Joao Ferreira / ESPAT Media
China's FunPlus Phoenix defeated G2 Esports of Spain to win the 2019 League of Legends World Championship.
FunPlus Phoenix will take home more than $2.5 million in prize money, and a 70-pound trophy designed by Louis Vuitton.
Riot Games recently celebrated the 10th anniversary of "League of Legends," and millions of gamers play the game everyday.
The annual "League of Legends" World Championship is the closest thing to the Super Bowl in esports, drawing in nearly 100 million viewers from around the world.
This year was no different, with millions tuning in to watch China's FunPlus Phoenix play Spain's G2 Esports for more than $2.5 million in prize money and the League of Legends World Championship title. More than 15,000 esports fans packed into Paris' AccroHotels Arena to see the final match live, and FunPlus Phoenix prevailed with a decisive 3-0 sweep, earning the prize money and a 70-pound trophy designed by Louis Vuitton.
Millions of people play Riot Games' "League of Legends" everyday, making it one of the most popular computer games on the planet. "League," or "LoL," is also one of the world's most popular esports, with more than 100 professional "League of Legends" teams and 800 players competing in 13 regional leagues across the globe.
Here's what this year's League of Legends World Championship was like.
"League of Legends" is one of the world's biggest esports.
Every year, the best "League of Legends" teams compete in a global competition called Worlds. This year's tournament began in October in Berlin, shifted to Madrid for the knock round, and ended with the championship match in Paris. More than 50,000 tickets were sold during the three stages of Worlds, and the finals were broadcast in 19 different languages for millions of viewers watching on TV and via online streams.
Riot Games hasn't published official viewership for this year's League of Legends World Championship, but last year 99.6 million unique viewers tuned in for the World Championships.
Past League of Legends World Championship events put both teams in soundproof booths. This year, players were given special noise-canceling headphones and were exposed to the full excitement of the massive crowd.
Though FunPlus Phoenix swept G2 Esports three matches in a row, the two teams were playing head-to-head for nearly three hours on stage as their coaches looked on.
The fan experience is an important part of the League of Legends World Championship.
A live performance before the finals featured a performance by a hip-hop collective dressed as "League of Legends" characters, which also included holographic overlays for the arena crowd.
Casual "League of Legends" players can also earn rewards by following the championship matches, and there are tons of in-game items to unlock based on the League of Legends World Championship.
"League of Legends" is setting its sights on Shanghai for 2020.
FunPlus Phoenix is now the reigning "League of Legends" champion, but professional play will resume in January 2020.
Next year's League of Legends Worlds Championship will take place at Shanghai Stadium in China. Shanghai also played host to the 2017 World Championship Semifinals and attracted more than 80 million viewers. Shanghai Stadium can seat up to 55,000 fans — more than twice the capacity of this year's venue.
The continued popularity of "League of Legends" means a bright future for Riot Games.
Riot Games celebrated the 10th anniversary of "League of Legends" last month, teasing fans with announcements for seven new games and other "League of Legends" projects like an animated series. With millions of players logging into "League of Legends" everyday, the game will continue to lead the esports industry for the foreseeable future.
