League of Legends (LoL) remains one of the most popular and top-ranked eSports games in 2024, and this is due, in part, to the game’s eventful competitive history and vast community of players. Despite having existed for over a decade, the game recently recorded arguably its most significant milestone yet: breaking the record for the most viewed eSports competition ever.
The event, South Korea’s 2023 LoL Worlds competition, garnered a peak concurrent viewership of 6.4 million in its over 116-hour runtime (excluding Chinese viewership), far eclipsing the previous record set during the Free Fire World Series 2021 in Singapore. Much of this viewership stemmed from the presence of the popular eSports team T1, which ultimately won the competition as Faker became a four-time world champion.
Within this landmark achievement, three individual broadcasts (the Korean, English, and Vietnamese broadcasts) also set viewer records during the competition’s first finals match, underscoring just how many fans watched the event globally.
For the LoL community, these records represent the competitive dedication and passionate fandom that have stoked the game’s popularity since its 2009 release. LoL is a game of ever-evolving strategy and high-level skill, making it a timeless challenge for competitors and an equally lasting source of entertainment for eSports fans. The records broken at Worlds are a bold testament to these facts, pushing the already vibrant LoL community to exciting new horizons.
In turn, these breakthroughs have allowed the community to grow, becoming more inclusive, diverse, and increasingly focused on making a far-reaching social impact. Team Liquid’s LCS Game Changers initiative, for instance, has worked to expand gaming access and equity for marginalized demographics. The Riot Games Social Impact Fund, another such initiative, perhaps best captures this notion on its website:
“League of Legends players have a history of deeply caring about their communities … when the gaming community comes together, we can accomplish truly remarkable things.”
In gaining record-breaking viewership, 2023 Worlds helped bolster this impact, broadening the LoL community’s reach and appeal to new generations of gamers and fans. This fact reaffirms LoL’s prominence as both a competitive division and a valuable contributor to eSports culture. Even as the gaming industry continues to reach for bold new mediums and paradigms, the LoL community is sure to remain an eSports cornerstone for decades to come.