League of Legends

League of Legends (LoL), commonly referred to as League, is a multiplayer online battle arena video game developed and published by Riot Games. Inspired by Defense of the Ancients, a custom map for Warcraft III, Riot's founders sought to develop a stand-alone game in the same genre. Since its release in October 2009, League has been free-to-play and is monetized through purchasable character customization. The game is available for Windows and macOS. In the game's main mode, Summoner's Rift, two teams of five players battle in player-versus-player combat. Each player controls a character, known as a "champion", with unique abilities and styles of play. During a match, champions become more powerful by collecting experience points, earning gold, and purchasing items to defeat the opposing team. Teams defend their base and win by pushing toward the enemy base and destroying a large structure within it, the "Nexus". League of Legends has received generally favorable reviews, which have highlighted its accessibility, character designs, and production value. The game's long lifespan has resulted in a critical reappraisal, with reviews trending favorably; it is widely considered one of the greatest video games ever made. But rude and abusive in-game player behavior, criticized since the game's early days, persists despite Riot's attempts to fix the problem. In 2019, League regularly peaked at eight million concurrent players, and its popularity has led to tie-ins such as music, comic books, short stories, and the animated series Arcane. Its success has spawned several spin-off video games, including a mobile version, a digital collectible card game, and a turn-based role-playing game, among others. An MMORPG based on the property is in development. League of Legends is the world's largest esport, with an international competitive scene consisting of multiple regional leagues which culminates in an annual League of Legends World Championship. The 2019 event registered over 100 million unique viewers, peaking at a concurrent viewership of 44 million during the finals. Domestic and international events have been broadcast on livestreaming websites such as Twitch, YouTube, Bilibili, and the cable television sports channel ESPN.