Recently, Riot Games rebranded their competitive title League of Legends. The rebrand focuses solely on the Esports aspect of the game, rather than the game itself. In addition to the new LoL Esports logo, we witnessed an emphasis on regional as well as global LoL events and tournaments.
“We aspire to bring joy to billions of LoL Esports fans around the world,” John Needham, Global Head of Esports, Riot Games, said in a release sent to ESPN. “It starts with building a thriving global esports ecosystem supported by electrifying competition, sustainable growth, cutting-edge technology, bold entertainment, and a focus on integrity for our teams and the sport.”
League of Legends once claimed the crown of the most viewed and played competitive title ever. Now, after over a decade of its initial release, the numbers are going down. It would be wrong to say that LoL is dead or a non-profitable liability for Riot Games, it still happens to be one of the top names in Esports. However, the viewership, players and tournaments are at an all-time low. While the esports industry is witnessing a massive growth in 2020 as traditional esports lay low due to the pandemic, LoL did not witness an equitable rise.
A large majority of viewers and fans, especially the budding viewers who’ve just started watching esports, are looking for fast-paced adrenaline pumped titles where something is happening every second. Valorant, the latest 5v5 competitive title, is the best example of what the viewers are looking for right now. As such, organisers are keen to organise tournaments that’ll be watched by millions as that’s where sponsors would like to be.
This brings us to an inescapable question- Is League of Legends dead? Has the game reached the end of its life cycle?
In simple words, No, LoL is definitely not dead. That word is over-exaggerated by media and fans alike when measuring the life cycle of a competitive game. However, it’s safe to say that League of Legends is past its maturity phase, well beyond its peak. With the new LoL Esports rebrand, Riot Games hopes to stir up the LoL esports scene yet again.
Nonetheless, once a game steps into its decline phase, it can never reach it’s peak again. Despite the rebrand, only the dedicated players and viewers will stick to LoL’s professional esports scene.