Picture Credit score: Riot Video games
Riot Video games has introduced a $5m prize pool for the League of Legends (LoL) World Championship 2025.
The writer’s International Head of LoL Esports, Chris Greeley, confirmed the prize pool in an interview on March sixteenth forward of the First Stand Event finals.
The LoL World Championship, or ‘Worlds, ‘ is probably the most prestigious competitors within the recreation’s year-long esports season. Final yr’s Worlds version grew to become the most-watched esports event in historical past, with 6.94m viewers tuning into the Grand Ultimate between Bilibili Gaming and winner T1.
Following Greeley’s interview, this yr’s Worlds occasion is already primed to interrupt information as soon as once more. Its prize pool will probably be greater than double the $2.225m prize cash from 2024. Furthermore, Greeley shared that bonuses associated to merch revenues may enhance staff winnings even additional.
In an announcement earlier this month, Riot revealed format modifications to Worlds 2025, together with a lower in staff slots from 20 to 17. Nevertheless, it’s nonetheless a protracted highway to the season-ending occasion held in China all through October and November.
Till then, followers can look ahead to the season’s second worldwide competitors, the Mid-Season Invitational (MSI). Happening in Vancouver, Canada, from June twenty seventh till July twelfth, MSI will invite 10 groups to compete for a $2m prize pool.
The primary cross-regional occasion of the yr was the First Stand Event, which concluded final weekend. The newly-introduced competitors featured a $1m prize pool and Riot’s novel ‘Fearless Draft’ format.
Based on Greeley, Fearless Draft will probably be continued for the remaining 2025 tournaments: “We had quite a lot of inner conversations, speaking with gamers, skilled video games and native leagues, and gathered suggestions. Everybody had a optimistic response.”
LoL Esports within the Future
The International Head of LoL Esports additionally mentioned the present state of the sport’s aggressive ecosystem, emphasising long-term sustainability over profitability.
“The objective of LoL Esports is to not develop into a worthwhile esports. We’re targeted on constructing a sustainable ecosystem,” defined Greeley.
Greeley shared that Riot strives to construct an ecosystem the place skilled and beginner organisations can develop and make a revenue.
He expressed a optimistic view on the final 15 years of LoL esports: “I’m happy with the trail we’ve taken for fifteen years and look ahead to it sooner or later. I hope it will likely be one thing like that that we will take a look at within the subsequent thirty years.”
