It’s a lot of information at a glance, and until today’s rebranding, it was difficult to navigate the LOL eSports ecosystem even on Riot’s own sites.
“Right now, if you said ‘Hi, I want to see the LPL’ and went to our channels, you would be honestly lost,” said David Higdon, global head of esports communications for Riot, just days before the new LOL the sports center was launched. “It is very, very difficult. And we were just seeing these trends among our fans who are only looking for more of the best in the world, not just the best in the region. ”
With the new LoL Esports center, Riot will attempt to distill the most intriguing aspects of each league and present highlights, tournaments, and schedules clearly for fans around the world. This movement is designed to make it as easy as possible for anyone, anywhere to consume League of Legends, and could not arrive at a more favorable time.
The esports audience has increased overall amid global requests to stay home. The first week of the LCS 2020 summer division began June 12 and drew 40 percent more peak concurrent viewers than last year, Higdon said. The LEC apparently saw even greater growth during this time.
“We had to go through a lot of revolts to make it work, but each of the regional leagues has benefited from a quick turn towards online competition,” Higdon said.
Colin Young-Wolff / Riot Games
Revenue streams in eSports stem in part from advertising dollars and sponsorships with large companies, and these two areas are particularly crucial in 2020. Stadiums remain closed around the world, cutting potential revenue from ticket sales and event marketing.
Only LCS signed 11 new partners in 2019, including MasterCard, Honda, Red Bull, Rocket Mortgage, State Farm, Panasonic, and Alienware, and most of them are under multi-year contracts. As early as 2020, the LCS has announced partnerships with more strong hitters, including Verizon, Samsung, and ESPN.
Riot also generates cash from its franchise model, where teams have to pay for the opportunity to compete in some leagues. For example, this year the Evil Geniuses club bought a spot in the LCS for $ 33 million, according to The Washington Post (There are 10 teams in the LCS). Starting in 2021, this franchise model will also be active in LPL, LCK, and LEC.
Despite the fact that the top four regions gobble up most of the hosting, world trophies and marketing dollars, Higdon said LOL E-sports fans want more from other leagues. It’s a trend Riot has been following for the past year, and today’s rebranding is an attempt to foster this habit, making games and news from multiple regions more accessible than ever.
