League of Legends
GameBy Riot Games · Released Oct 27, 2009
Documents about League of Legends
ESV5 Completes Merger With Ninjas in Pyjamas Through Equity Swap
The Chinese esports organization eStar Gaming Victory Five (ESV5) has finalized a merger with the Sweden-based Ninjas in Pyjamas (NIP) through an equity swap.
- Chinese esports company ESV5 and Sweden-based Ninjas in Pyjamas (NIP) have completed a merger via an equity swap to form a new entity called NIP Group.
- ESV5 CEO Mario Ho and NIP CEO Hicham Chahine will serve as co-CEOs of the newly formed NIP Group.
- The merger facilitates NIP’s entry into the Chinese esports market and expands its competitive footprint into League of Legends and Honor of Kings.
LPL 2023: New Logo, Partners, and NIP Enters the Fray
The League of Legends Pro League (LPL) initiated its 2023 season with significant organizational and branding updates, marking a decade of operations in China.
- The League of Legends Pro League (LPL) has unveiled a new logo to commemorate its 10-year anniversary.
- Chinese apparel brand Li-Ning has replaced Nike as the LPL’s new strategic apparel partner following the expiration of Nike’s four-year exclusive contract in 2022.
- The LPL has secured 14 league sponsors for the 2023 season, including Mercedes-Benz as the chief partner and strategic partners Li-Ning, Jing Dong, and Momchilovtsi.
T1 Replaces Nike With Goal Studio as its Official Apparel Partner
South Korean esports organization T1 Entertainment & Sports has entered into a three-year partnership with the sports lifestyle brand Goal Studio, designating the company as its new official apparel partner.
- T1 Entertainment & Sports has signed a three-year deal with Goal Studio to serve as its new official apparel partner.
- Nike will remain a partner of T1, transitioning from its previous role as the exclusive apparel provider to the official footwear and fitness partner.
- The partnership with Goal Studio provides T1 with increased creative flexibility, including the ability to design custom uniforms for specific events and the potential for home and away kits.
EXCEL Promotes Tim Reichert to CEO
EXCEL Esports announced a significant leadership transition in January 2023, appointing Tim Reichert as the organization's new CEO.
- EXCEL Esports has promoted Tim Reichert to CEO, succeeding Wouter Sleijffers, who is transitioning to a strategic advisor role on the board.
- Rosenbelle Ganan, formerly head of legal, has been promoted to director of operations & legal affairs, overseeing operations in London and Germany.
- Tim Reichert joined EXCEL as esports director in 2021 and was promoted to chief operating officer eight months later.
Migu Sports Secures Three-Year Media Rights Deal for Multiple Esports Leagues in China
Migu Sports, a subsidiary of the telecommunications giant China Mobile, has entered into a three-year media rights agreement with TJ Sports and Tencent.
- Migu Sports, a subsidiary of China Mobile, has secured a three-year non-exclusive media rights deal to broadcast major Tencent-owned esports competitions, including the LPL, League of Legends World Championship, MSI, KPL, and PEL.
- The deal is valued at more than $5.8 million USD (¥40 million) per year, though it does not include the distribution rights that were present in previous industry agreements.
- Huya maintains a separate, parallel deal for exclusive media rights to the LPL, which is valued at $310 million over five years.
Nike Replaced by Li-Ning as Exclusive LPL Apparel Sponsor
Li-Ning has replaced Nike as the exclusive apparel sponsor for the League of Legends Pro League (LPL), the premier professional esports circuit in China operated by TJ Sports.
- Li-Ning has replaced Nike as the exclusive apparel partner for the League of Legends Pro League (LPL), the official professional league operated by TJ Sports.
- Nike’s previous four-year exclusive deal, signed in 2019, was valued at approximately $7.48 million USD (￥50 million) annually.
- The partnership transition follows significant public and government backlash against Nike in 2021 regarding the company's stance on Xinjiang labor practices, which briefly led to the obscuring of Nike branding during LPL broadcasts.
Video Game Streaming Trends Report: Q2 2023
This analysis of the video game live-streaming market for Q2 2023 highlights a period of stabilization and strategic shifts following the post-pandemic boom.
- Despite a 9% quarterly viewership decline in Q2 2023, the live-streaming market remains 97% larger than pre-pandemic levels from Q2 2019.
- New platform Kick captured a 2% market share in Q2 2023, driven by a 204% increase in unique channels and a creator-friendly 95-5 revenue split.
- Kick’s content strategy diverges from Twitch, with over two-thirds of its viewership originating from non-gaming categories like 'Just Chatting' and 'Slots & Casino' rather than gaming.
Peak Play: Trends in East Asian Videogame Streaming H1 2023
The East Asian videogame livestreaming market is a mature and culturally distinct ecosystem where competitive esports serve as the primary engine for audience engagement.
- Competitive esports, specifically MOBA and Battle Royale titles, drive over 50% of total viewership in the East Asian streaming market.
- Honor of Kings remains the dominant force in China with 5.67 billion views, while VALORANT and Apex Legends lead in Japan and Korea with over 100 million hours watched each.
- Key Opinion Leaders and VTubers are significant market drivers, contributing up to 15% of total viewership for major titles and successfully revitalizing older games.
Layoffs Hit Evil Geniuses
In December 2022, the Washington-based esports organization Evil Geniuses implemented a round of staff layoffs. The reductions primarily impacted the company’s marketing department and content creation teams.
- Esports organization Evil Geniuses conducted a round of layoffs in December 2022, primarily impacting its content creation and marketing departments.
- While the exact number of affected employees remains unconfirmed, social media reports from former staff indicate the cuts reached double digits.
- Evil Geniuses is owned by the private investment and technology firm PEAK6, which acquired the organization in May 2019.
Wemade Makes Strategic Investment in DRX
South Korean game developer Wemade Co., Ltd. has finalized a strategic investment in the professional esports organization DRX.
- South Korean game developer Wemade has made a strategic investment in the esports organization DRX, though the specific financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.
- Wemade intends to leverage this partnership to onboard DRX’s intellectual property and gain access to the organization’s 3.7 million-strong fanbase.
- The investment aligns with Wemade’s ongoing push to promote its blockchain-based NFT platform, WEMIX.
Fnatic Secures Hivemind Capital Investment and Partnership
London-based esports organization Fnatic has entered into a strategic partnership and investment agreement with Hivemind Capital, a crypto asset management firm founded by former Citibank executive Matt Zhang.
- London-based esports organization Fnatic has entered into a strategic partnership and investment deal with crypto asset management firm Hivemind Capital.
- The investment is intended to accelerate Fnatic’s ability to develop and scale Web3 and blockchain-based applications.
- The financial terms and the specific duration of the investment and partnership agreement were not disclosed.
Rapporto sugli Esports in Italia: 2019
The Italian esports landscape experienced significant professionalization in 2019, characterized by a burgeoning audience of 1.2 million individuals.
- The Italian esports market reached 1.2 million viewers in 2019, with 350,000 avid fans engaging with competitive content on a daily basis.
- Twitch emerged as a primary engagement hub, recording a 32% increase in esports-related discussions during the 2019 period.
- The audience is primarily composed of males aged 16 to 40, with the highest concentrations of enthusiasts residing in the Lombardy and Lazio regions.
Companies behind it
Riot Gamesdeveloper, publisher, owner320
Overwolfowner27- Riotowner322
Tencent Holdingsowner, publisher709- NAVERowner2
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