Importantly, year-over-year growth has not come from the typical young male demographic, but has been fueled by young women who are increasingly getting into competitive gaming (Riot’s own Valorant has helped lead that charge). One of the matches from the recent Worlds 2021 generated a new record of peak concurrent viewers with 2.2 million fans tuning in.Īccording to Interpret’s New Media Measure®, LoL Esports has gained viewers among esports fans for the past four consecutive quarters. The good news for Riot is that viewership continues to grow. The business on its own simply isn’t mature enough to be viable – Needham’s midterm goal is to break even – but it keeps fans engaged and reinforces the League of Legends brand, which now spans multiple games, animated series, and more. As a league operator, Riot Games has been particularly successful at securing mainstream sponsorships from the likes of Mastercard, Verizon, FTX, Coca-Cola, Bud Light, and others.įor Riot and other major game publishers, esports has effectively become a hefty marketing expense. The bulk of the money comes from sponsorships, content creation, and merchandising. That deprives e-sports teams of a chance to make money hosting. Subscribe for English-language content from the LEC, LCK, LPL and LCS.Easily find VODs and watch live w.
Teams that have flourished, such as FaZe Clan, TSM, Team Liquid, NRG, or 100 Thieves, have done so not because they excel at competition, but because they’ve elevated their brands to encompass entertainment and lifestyle. Most League of Legends competitions in North America take place at Riot’s arena in Los Angeles, where many teams are based. Official VODs and Highlights account for LoL Esports. When the industry’s top esport can’t profit, it puts the entirety of esports as a business into question. We’re very much thinking about, ‘How do we make the entire ecosystem profitable?’” He explained to The Washington Post, “If I can’t make esports a great business for teams and our sponsors, then we’re not going to last long. Riot unified its LoL Esports brand under one umbrella in 2020, and the game has maintained its status as the most popular esport in the world for years, but according to Riot’s head of esports, John Needham, the esports business has yet to turn a profit. There’s no denying how lucrative the free-to-play online MOBA has been as a consumer product, but it’s been a different story when considering the associated esports business. League of Legends is one of the most successful esports worldwide, with the 2021 World Championship drawing almost 74 million concurrent live viewers.
Riot Games’ League of Legends has been entertaining gamers worldwide since 2009 and regularly produces billions of dollars in revenues on an annual basis, hitting a reported high watermark in 2017 when the title generated over $2.1 billion. The bank has signed a multi-year partnership agreement with both the League of Legends European Championship (LEC), Liga Latinoamérica (LLA).
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