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On January 17th, reports from Korean media on an interview with John Needham, President of Riot Games Esports, are as follows:
With over 100 million players worldwide eagerly anticipating the matches since January 1st, the finals of the 2023 LoL World Championship took place in Seoul, South Korea, the so-called Mecca of esports. The enthusiasm of Korean fans for the finals held on January 19th at the KINTEX Sports Complex in Goyang was evident, as the seats were sold out within 10 minutes of pre-sale, and even scalpers were selling tickets for up to 3 million KRW, showcasing the high popularity of the event.
John Needham, President of Riot Games Esports, who always visits PC rooms when in Korea, stated confidently in an exclusive interview with the "Daily Economic News" on the 15th: "The World Championship finals held in Korea, known as the Mecca of esports, have strong symbolic significance. Not only the players but fans worldwide and individuals in the gaming industry are paying attention to this year's World Championship finals."
League of Legends (LoL), launched by Riot Games in 2009, surpassed 100 million monthly users six years ago, making it the most popular game globally. Since the beginning of the LoL World Championship in 2011, now in its 13th year, the real-time viewership record for the finals two years ago was 73.86 million, with an annual cumulative audience of well over 100 million.
In the World Championship finals held in Korea after a 5-year hiatus, T1 and WGB competed for the championship. President John Needham confidently stated, "This will be an unprecedented finals. When it comes to esports, you can't ignore Korea. Korea is a country with many passionate and knowledgeable gamers, playing a crucial role in the global popularity of esports."
Before reaching the current position in esports and LoL, Riot Games spared no investment. President John Needham stated, "I can confidently say that we invested over $2 billion in the first 10 years. So far, a considerable amount has been used to organize competitions and operate leagues, showing Riot Games' commitment to esports. Our goal is for everyone to play the game directly after watching the match, so our future direction will not change."
The reason for the special focus on the opening ceremony of the World Championship finals is also similar. President John Needham believes that the most impressive aspect of the past four years working at Riot Games was the opening ceremony of the previous finals. He expressed his anticipation, saying, "The opening celebration, prepared by combining games, culture, and sports, is the pride and joy of the World Championship. This year, NewJeans will participate in the opening ceremony, becoming a stage of historical significance, similar to the 2019 World Championship held in Paris and last year's opening ceremony featuring Lil Nas X."
To attract more players and gain attention, esports aims for the Olympics. To make LoL an official competition at the Olympics, similar to the Asian Games, he even went to the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to lobby, putting in special efforts.
President John Needham stated, "Seeing LoL successfully held at the Asian Games sparked a desire to appear at other international sports events like the Olympics. We proposed to the IOC unique advantages that esports has, which traditional sports do not."
Regarding the question of whether "esports is a sport," he answered without hesitation that it is a sport. He said, "I agree with Faker, from T1, who said, 'If the face of competition inspires people, then it is a sport.' Besides, traditional sports emphasize the body, while esports emphasizes mental competition. The process esports athletes go through to prepare for victory is not much different from football, baseball, etc., because they know how much effort and endurance they put in. Therefore, we can confidently call esports a sport."
For Faker, the representative figure of T1, challenging the fourth championship at the World Championship with the most championship titles (3) so far, he raised his thumb, expressing that Faker is the face of esports. Just as Messi and Michael Jordan represent football and basketball, Faker, according to him, symbolizes esports. He explained, "In this finals, the most attention worldwide is also on Faker. In esports and LoL, Faker's presence is significant."
The LCK, which broadcasts in seven languages in real-time, is praised as one of the best leagues globally. President John Needham said, "Esports is different from other sports; it is not affected by geography, and it has the advantage of being watched live from anywhere globally. LCK, where outstanding players are countless, has high popularity, and the continuously emerging LCK stars make us look forward to its future development."
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Post time 24-11-2023 06:07:10