In the last 30 days, “League of Legends” averaged 180 million monthly players– roughly 50 million more than previous months and continues to rise. This number is roughly 17 times larger than the second biggest MOBA (multiplayer online battle arena), “Dota 2,” which sits at 11 million monthly players.
Fundamentally, the games seem pretty much the same. Players play characters on an isometric map, with the goal to break the enemy base. Although the game’s visuals differ, the components are the same. Both games have minions, objectives and the same map layout.
Despite being such similar games, “League” always seems to come out on top and garner the most attention. This is the case for many reasons.
Recently, Riot Games, developers of “League of Legends,” have invested heavily into diversifying their content and making the world of “League of Legends” larger than the game.
For many years, Riot has made cosmetics in the game for its characters. Some of these “skins” have come out to resemble bands, and Riot has released original music on popular streaming platforms and made music videos for them.
K/DA is their take on the K-POP genre. Obviously, it is a great marketing tactic to help build interest in the cosmetics, but it also helps expand the game’s audience. K/DA’s music still has 3 million monthly listeners on Spotify, and their music hit the top of trending on YouTube upon release.
Riot has several more groups such as Pentakill or True Damage, but are not as successful as K/DA.
Late last year, Riot released an animated show called “Arcane.” The show had massive success internationally, and hit globally most-watched upon each episode’s release. Riot also did a series of large-scale Disney resort-esque events in Los Angeles, where they built areas from the show and hosted watch parties.
Riot’s commitment to their non-video game content largely sets them apart from other game developers and gives people who are not invested in their games something to digest.
Their in-game content is produced at such a rapid rate that there is something new every time you log in–new cosmetics, new characters, new events, etc.
Their competitors attempt to match their output, but Riot is just too big to beat out. Valve, developers of “Dota 2,” releases a new hero once or twice a year, while Riot releases six or seven.
With so many tournaments and the wild success and viewership of “League of Legends,” there is always something going on to keep old players interested and to bring in new players. While watching streams of ”League,” players even earn a chance to win in-game content.
Riot has developed other games such as “Valorant” and “Teamfight Tactics,” which have specific tie-ins to their posterchild game, “League of Legends.” Sometimes they hold events between games that players can earn rewards in for the other Riot games.
This firm grasp Riot has upon the gaming industry is reminiscent of Blizzard’s control of the PC landscape with games such as “World of Warcraft” and “Diablo.” From early on, Riot has established itself as a trusted brand that brings great multi-media products.
This dominance is only expected to expand, as more products such as their “League of Legends” fighting game, and a second season of “Arcane” are on the horizon.
