SEOUL, Nov. 19 (Korea Bizwire) – The Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul, South Korea, brimmed with excitement from early afternoon on November 19th for the culmination of the League of Legends World Championship, the globe’s premier esports event.
The 18,000-seat arena filled rapidly, while Gwanghwamun Square in Seoul mirrored the fervor. Despite the biting winds, around 15,000 enthusiasts were glued to giant screens, passionately chanting the names of their beloved players.
The League of Legends World Championship is the epitome of esports, a worldwide sensation. The 2021 final amassed an astounding 74 million simultaneous viewers, with the quarterfinals and semifinals drawing millions per match.
This year’s tournament escalated the intensity, featuring a riveting showdown between South Korea’s T1 and the formidable Chinese team, WBG, in the final. The demand for tickets was so intense that all 18,000 were sold out during presales, sparking a robust black market.
For those unable to secure tickets, Gwanghwamun Square became the focal point. Riot Games, the organizers, orchestrated a street pep rally, marking the first instance of Gwanghwamun Square hosting an esports event. Many in the esports industry saw the League of Legends World Championship finals in South Korea as an opportunity for revitalization.
Throughout the quarterfinals, Riot Games reported a 65% increase in preliminary internal viewership figures (based on peak concurrent viewers) compared to the previous year. Projections indicated that this year’s championship would set a record, surpassing 400 million unique viewers for the first time.
According to market research firm Statista, South Korea ($274.4 million) ranked as the third-largest esports market by country this year, following the United States ($871 million) and China ($445.2 million).
In the climactic match of the day, which kicked off with the popular girl group Newzine performing the Rold Cup theme song “GODS,” T1 secured a 3-0 victory over WBG to claim the title. “Owner” Moon Hyun-joon and “Zeus” Choi Woo-je dominated the first set, while “Faker” Lee Sang-hyuk lived up to his name in the third set, hoisting the trophy, the Summoner’s Cup.
“Faker” Lee Sang-hyuk
This triumph solidified T1′s status as the most decorated team ever, having clinched the title in 2013, 2015, and 2016. T1′s legendary “Faker” Lee Sang-hyuk became the first player to clinch the League of Legends World Championship title four times.
The base prize pool for the tournament stood at $2.25 million (approximately 2.9 billion won). The final prize pool, determined by adding this base amount to a percentage of revenue from the sale of commemorative digital products, will see the winning team receive 20 percent, with the runner-up taking home 15 percent.
Image credit: Riot Games, Yonhap / photonews@koreabizwire.com
