League of Legends World Championship Prize Pool Increases to $4 Million
The prize pool for the League of Legends World Championship has reached $4 million, thanks to fan contributions. This increase in prize money comes after the conclusion of the tournament’s group stage.
Fan Contributions Boost Prize Pool
Riot Games, the developer of League of Legends, recently announced changes to its esports infrastructure. For the first time in League history, 25 percent of the sales from the Championship Zed and Championship Ward skins will contribute to the prize pool. Additionally, each team will receive 30 percent of the sales from team icon purchases.
Breakdown of Prize Distribution
Instead of adding the sales figures directly to the prize pool, the contributions made by fans will be distributed according to the following breakdown:
1st place: 40 percent
2nd place: 15 percent
3rd/4th place: 7.5 percent (15 percent total)
5th-8th place: 4 percent (16 percent total)
9th-12th place: 2.25 percent (9 percent total)
13th-16th place: 1.25 percent (5 percent total)
Crowdfunding in Esports
Although the League of Legends prize pool is nowhere near the levels of Dota 2’s world championship, which exceeded $20 million, the fact that it has almost doubled demonstrates the effectiveness of crowdfunding in competitive esports.