The 2021 League of Legends World Championship Sets Record Viewer Numbers
The 2021 League of Legends World Championship reached unprecedented levels of viewership, with the final match attracting the largest number of fans in the tournament’s history. Riot Games announced that the grand final series between EDward Gaming (EDG) and DWG KIA recorded over 73 million peak viewers, marking a 60 percent increase compared to last year’s event.
Esports Charts, a platform that tracks viewership, previously reported that the peak viewership reached over four million viewers during the finals, excluding Chinese audiences. However, Riot Games and Stream Hatchet, their esports analytics partner, reported a total of 73 million viewers by considering the huge Chinese market for League of Legends. This year’s championship was the fourth consecutive World Championship to feature a representative from the LPL (League of Legends Pro League) in the grand final.
A Remote Tournament with Highest Viewer Engagement
The 2021 World Championship achieved record-breaking viewership despite being held entirely remotely. In the previous year, all rounds of the tournament, except for the final, took place without a live audience in Shanghai. The 2020 finals between DAMWON Gaming and Suning had 46 million peak viewers, setting a new record for League of Legends esports.
This season, the entire World Championship was conducted inside a “bubble” environment at the Laugardalshöll Arena in Reykjavik, Iceland. Originally scheduled to be held in China, the tournament was relocated to Europe just weeks before its planned start date due to travel restrictions and COVID-19 protocols.
2022 Championship Returns to North America
The 2022 League of Legends World Championship will make its return to North America for the first time since 2016. The tournament will take place in four cities: Mexico City, New York City, Toronto, and San Francisco. The competitive season is set to kick off on January 14, with both North America’s LCS (League Championship Series) and Europe’s LEC (League of Legends European Championship) commencing their matches.
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Keywords: League of Legends, World Championship, viewership, records, LPL, Europe, remote tournament, North America