Hello, I’m John Needham.
And let’s talk esports.
As you dive in to rank up this year our pro players are gearing up for
their own competitive journey.
Starting with the LPL this weekend, and across the globe throughout the month,
LoL Esports teams will be vying for supremacy on Summoner's Rift.
But first I want to touch on what's in store in our new emerging
competitive scenes.
Let’s start with League of Legends: Wild Rift.
We’re putting our mobile version of League in the hands of many
players around the world.
The Wild Rift open beta has been very successful and we’re excited about the future.
Like League PC, it’s wildly competitive with the depth, complexity and high
stakes moments that make for a great sport.
While it's still incredibly early, we are all very excited to bring our
passion and dedication for esports to mobile.
We're committed to building this authentic League experience for years
to come, and planning to get things started with Wild Rift esports in 2021.
Stay tuned for more updates later this year.
We’re also excited to evolve Teamfight Tactics Esports this year.
Players from all over the world competed in our first
Global Championship last year, celebrating the Galaxies set.
The international fan response exceeded our expectations and this year
we're upping the ante.
Not only will each set have a Global Championship event, but we’ll also be
investing more in regional qualifying events and prize pools.
For Legends of Runeterra, it’s time to stoke the fires of competition.
In 2021, players can compete in exciting region-wide tournaments,
hosted entirely in-game.
Players will join the competition through ladder or qualifier events
and work to earn their spot on the next big tournament.
Once they’ve qualified, over 1,000 players will face off to compete for
cash prizes and the pride of being the best in their region.
Of course, we're all here today to kick off a new season for the biggest esport
on the planet: League of Legends.
It’s crazy to think we’ve now got 10 years of incredible history.
But we’re not looking back.
We’re ready to redefine League of Legends Esports for the next 10 years!
You’ll see it in the fresh new looks of Leagues around the world.
The LCK in Korea,
LCS in North America,
and CBLoL in Brazil.
You’ll feel it in the excitement of our sport’s rising stars who are hell-bent
on making a name for themselves.
Join us on social at lolesports and also at lolesports.com.
In 2021, we’re also returning to China for our World Championship.
Instead of the mostly virtual Worlds you saw in 2020, we’re planning to take
our fans on a massive tour of multiple cities across China.
Worlds 2021 aims to be the biggest esports tournament ever, and one of the
biggest sporting events on the planet.
I’m pleased to announce today the host city of the 2021 Worlds Finals –
Shenzhen! This bold, modern city is on the rise, making it the perfect
destination for the biggest moment in our sport.
An exciting new city for the next chapter in LoL Esports.
With all this – and much more to come – 2021 is set to be our biggest season yet.
We see this as a new beginning and we’re going to make our second decade of
esports at Riot Games even better than the first.
An exciting new era of LoL Esports awaits, and it all starts today –
Next Starts Now.