While we have seen eSports take a massive leap in popularity, especially with matches being streamed live over the Internet and watched by hundreds of thousands of fans, the development teams involved in making the games themselves have, for the most part, let third party organizations handle the actual logistics of creating and managing pro gaming leagues, while also adding their support.
Today, developer Riot Games, the creators of the hit free-to-play action-RTS game League of Legends, have changed that with the announcement of the League of Legends Championship Series. This will be a full fledged pro gaming league centered, naturally, on League of Legends.
The company said today:
The best eight teams from North America and Europe, plus top teams from each Asian region, will compete for regional dominance. Winners from each region will then battle for the World Championship title with millions of dollars in prizes up for grabs.
All of the matches in the League of Legends Championship series will be streamed for free in HD, according to Riot Games. Meanwhile, the company says it will still work with other pro gaming leagues, such as Major League Gaming, with running League of Legends competitions with their organizations.
The League of Legends Season Two series is scheduled to end in October. The total prize pool is supposed to be around $5 million. The League of Legends Championship series will begin in 2013.
Source: League of Legends website
