Riot Games' RPG League of Legends wrapped up its first competitive $100,000 tournament recently. A whopping 1,690,000 viewers tuned in over the course of the championship weekend, with the final match drawing 215,000 eyeballs to see FnaticMSI clinch the strangest "sports" championship in all of recent human history over Against All Authority.
You can check out the video of the final match in its entirety (warning: it's close to two and a half hours long) right here:
The League of Legends Season One Championship Concludes: Over 1,690,000 Viewers Tune In To Watch FnaticMSI Take the Title
One of the Largest eSports Broadcast Events of All Time Draws 215,000 Simultaneous Viewers - $100,000 in Prize Money Awarded to the World’s Best Teams
LOS ANGELES – June 14, 2011 – Riot Games today announced the conclusion of the League of Legends Season One Championship, the $100,000 tournament to determine the best team in the world. After three consecutive days of intense League of Legends competition at the world’s largest computer festival, Dreamhack, FnaticMSI clinched the title of ‘World Champions’ over Against All Authority in a nail-biting championship match. Over the course of the weekend, over 1,690,000 viewers tuned into the live tournament coverage, with 215,000 eyeballs glued to the championship match.
“We are absolutely blown away by how many eSports fans tuned in to watch our Season One Championship,” said Marc Merrill, president of Riot Games and executive producer of League of Legends. “Bringing together the most talented League of Legends teams in the world resulted in some of the best games we’ve ever seen. The Season One Championship was the perfect venue to debut our upcoming Spectator Mode, and the quality level of our live broadcast is just a sign of things to come.”
For those who missed the action live, highlights from the event as well as recordings of every tournament match can be found on the Season One Championship website: http://season-one-championship.na.leagueoflegends.com/
League of Legends, Riot Games’ debut title, celebrated its first anniversary on Oct. 27, 2010. Since its launch in North America and Europe, millions of players have downloaded the game to engage in session-based, multiplayer battles against rival teams. Built by a veteran development team, League of Legends combines elements of both strategy and competitive action genres.
About Riot Games, Inc.
Riot Games is a direct-to-consumer video game developer and publisher of premium, competitive online games. The company was established in 2006 and has quickly become a leading global developer and publisher of premium free-to-play online video games for hardcore gamers, launching their debut title, League of Legends, in October 2009. To date, more than one million gamers play League of Legends every day. For more information, please visit www.riotgames.com.
