History of League of Legends in Timeline
League of Legends is a free-to-play multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) video game developed and published by Riot Games. Inspired by Defense of the Ancients, it launched in October 2009 for Windows and macOS. The game is monetized through purchasable character customization.
2007: League of Legends Demonstration at Game Developers Conference
In 2007, a League of Legends demonstration built in the Warcraft III game engine was shown at the Game Developers Conference, but it received little interest from potential investors.
October 7, 2008: League of Legends Announcement
On October 7, 2008, League of Legends was announced for Microsoft Windows.
April 2009: League of Legends Closed Beta
In April 2009, closed beta-testing for League of Legends began, featuring 17 champions.
October 2009: League of Legends Release
In October 2009, League of Legends was officially released as a free-to-play game for Windows and macOS, monetized through character customization purchases.
October 27, 2009: League of Legends North America Release
On October 27, 2009, League of Legends was fully released in North America with double the initially planned number of champions, totaling 40.
2009: Initial Release Criticism
The League of Legends release in 2009 received some criticism due to the grind required for non-paying players to unlock key gameplay elements, the game being underdeveloped, and the retail version offering an unavailable store credit.
2010: Game Developers Choice Awards
In 2010, at the first Game Developers Choice Awards, League of Legends won four awards: Best Online Technology, Game Design, New Online Game, and Visual Arts, marking a significant milestone in the game's recognition within the industry.
2011: Golden Joystick Award
In 2011, League of Legends won the Best Free-to-Play Game award at the Golden Joystick Awards, solidifying its position as a popular and successful free-to-play title.
2013: Release of Dota 2
In 2013, Valve released Dota 2, where characters are unlocked by default.
2013: Mac Version of League of Legends Released
In 2013, a Mac version of League of Legends was made available, expanding beyond the initial Microsoft Windows launch.
September 2014: Reboot of Fictional Setting
In September 2014, Riot Games rebooted League of Legends' fictional setting, removing summoners from the game's lore to avoid "creative stagnation".
2014: Summoners Role in League of Legends
Before 2014, players existed in-universe as political leaders, or "Summoners", commanding champions to fight on the Fields of Justice.
2014: Pentakill's Debut
In 2014, Riot Games's first venture into music was with the virtual heavy metal band Pentakill, promoting a skin line of the same name consisting of six champions: Kayle, Karthus, Mordekaiser, Olaf, Sona, and Yorick.
2014: Standardized Patch Cadence
In 2014, Riot standardized League of Legends' patch cadence to approximately once every two or three weeks, changing the effectiveness of strategies within the game.
2014: Ultra Rapid Fire Mode Release
In 2014, Ultra Rapid Fire (URF) mode was available for two weeks as an April Fools Day prank. In the mode, champion abilities had no resource cost, significantly reduced cooldown timers, increased movement speed, reduced healing, and faster attacks.
2014: League of Legends Revenue Analysis
In 2014, an Ubisoft analyst estimated that 4% of League of Legends players were paying customers.
April 2015: Riot Discontinues URF Mode
In April 2015, Riot disclosed that it had not brought back the Ultra Rapid Fire (URF) mode due to its unbalanced design resulting in player "burnout" and the high costs associated with maintaining and balancing it.
2015: Release of Heroes of the Storm
In 2015, Blizzard Entertainment released Heroes of the Storm, an intentionally accessible MOBA game.
2016: Introduction of Hextech Chests
In 2016, "hextech chests"—a loot box system—were introduced into League of Legends.
2016: Esports Viewership Milestone
In 2016, League of Legends' esports events outperformed the viewership and attendance of major sports leagues like the NBA, World Series, and Stanley Cup, according to The New York Times, solidifying its position in the esports scene.
2016: League of Legends Estimated Monthly Revenue
In 2016, a SuperData analysis estimated League of Legends' monthly revenues at $150 million per month.
2016: League of Legends Music Team Expansion
In 2016, the League of Legends music team had four full-time composers and a team of producers creating audio for the game and its promotional materials.
2017: The Game Awards Nomination
In 2017, League of Legends was nominated for Best Esports Game at The Game Awards, recognizing its contribution to the esports scene.
2017: League of Legends Franchised System
In 2017, League of Legends' franchised system comprised 109 teams and 545 players.
2017: Grasp of the Undying Album Success
In 2017, Pentakill's second album, Grasp of the Undying, reached number one on the iTunes metal charts, showcasing the success of Riot's virtual band venture.
2017: Honor System Rework
In 2017, Riot reworked the "Honor system", allowing players to award teammates virtual medals after games for one of three positive attributes. Acquiring these medals increases a player's "Honor level", rewarding them with free loot boxes over time.
2018: K/DA Debut with "Pop/Stars"
In 2018, K/DA, a virtual K-pop girl group composed of Ahri, Akali, Evelynn, and Kai'sa, debuted with their single "Pop/Stars" at the League of Legends World Championship, sparking widespread interest.
2018: The Game Awards Nomination and Sports Emmy Award
In 2018, League of Legends was nominated for Best Esports Game at The Game Awards. At the 39th Sports Emmy Awards in 2018, League of Legends also won Outstanding Live Graphic Design for the 2017 world championship. During the championship, Riot used augmented reality to have a computer-generated dragon fly across the stage.
2018: Collaboration with Marvel Comics
In 2018, Riot announced a collaboration with Marvel Comics and released the comics League of Legends: Ashe—Warmother and League of Legends: Lux.
2018: Criticism of Female Character Designs
In 2018, Strom criticized that the female characters in League of Legends still resembled those in "horny Clash of Clans clones".
June 2019: Teamfight Tactics Release
In June 2019, Teamfight Tactics, an auto battler game, was released by Riot Games.
2019: League of Legends Peak Player Count and Tie-ins
In 2019, League of Legends regularly peaked at eight million concurrent players. Its popularity led to tie-ins such as music, comic books, short stories, and the animated series Arcane.
2019: The Game Awards - Best Esports Event
In 2019, League of Legends won Best Esports Game at The Game Awards, also at The Game Awards, Riot won Best Esports Event for the 2019 League World Championships.
2019: League of Legends World Championship Viewership
In 2019, Riot Games reported 44 million peak concurrent viewers for the League of Legends World Championship finals.
2019: True Damage Debut
In 2019, Riot created True Damage, a virtual hip hop group featuring Akali, Yasuo, Qiyana, Senna, and Ekko. The vocalists performed their debut song, "Giants", at the League of Legends World Championship.
2019: Print Release of League of Legends: Lux
In 2019, a print version of League of Legends: Lux was released, following its initial digital release in 2018.
2019: 10th Anniversary Game Announcements
In 2019, for the 10th anniversary of League of Legends, Riot Games announced several games directly related to the League of Legends intellectual property, including Teamfight Tactics for mobile, Legends of Runeterra, and League of Legends: Wild Rift.
March 2020: Teamfight Tactics Mobile Release
In March 2020, a stand-alone version of Teamfight Tactics was released for iOS and Android mobile operating systems, featuring cross-platform play with the Windows and macOS clients.
April 2020: Legends of Runeterra Launch
In April 2020, Legends of Runeterra, a free-to-play digital collectible card game featuring characters from League of Legends, launched for Microsoft Windows.
August 2020: Release of "The Baddest" by K/DA
In August 2020, Riot Games released "The Baddest", the pre-release single for All Out, the debut EP from K/DA.
December 2020: MMORPG Announcement
In December 2020, Greg Street, vice-president of IP and Entertainment at Riot Games, announced that a massively multiplayer online role-playing game based on League of Legends is in development.
2020: The Game Awards - Best Esports Event
In 2020, League of Legends won Best Esports Game at The Game Awards, also at The Game Awards, Riot won Best Esports Event for the 2020 League World Championships.
2020: League of Legends World Championship Viewership
In 2020, Riot Games reported 45 million peak concurrent viewers for the League of Legends World Championship finals, showing the game's continuing popularity.
2020: Valorant Release
In 2020, Riot developed Vanguard for its tactical shooter Valorant.
2020: Streaming Rights Deal with Bilibili
In Fall 2020, the rights to stream international League of Legends events in China, such as the World Championships and the Mid-Season Invitational, were sold to Bilibili for a three-year deal reportedly worth US$113 million.
April 2021: Regional Leagues
As of April 2021, Riot Games operates 12 regional leagues internationally, four of which—China, Europe, Korea, and North America—have franchised systems.
2021: The Game Awards - Best Esports Event
In 2021, League of Legends won Best Esports Game at The Game Awards, also at The Game Awards, Riot won Best Esports Event for the 2021 League World Championships.
2021: Ruined King: A League of Legends Story Release
In 2021, Ruined King: A League of Legends Story, a single-player, turn-based role-playing game, was released for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch, and Windows, marking the first title released under Riot Games's publishing arm, Riot Forge.
2021: Viego Joins Pentakill
In 2021, Viego was introduced to the virtual heavy metal band Pentakill.
2022: Song of Nunu: A League of Legends Story Announcement
In 2022, Song of Nunu: A League of Legends Story, a third-person adventure game revolving around the champion Nunu's search for his mother, was announced for a planned release.
May 2023: Implementation of Vanguard Anti-Cheat Software
Since May 2023, League of Legends uses Riot's custom always-online anti-cheat software, Vanguard, on Microsoft Windows devices.
November 1, 2023: Release of Song of Nunu: A League of Legends Story
On November 1, 2023, Song of Nunu: A League of Legends Story, developed by Tequila Works, was released on Windows and the Nintendo Switch.
2023: Formation of Heartsteel
In 2023, Riot formed Heartsteel, a virtual boy band, comprising the champions Aphelios, Ezreal, Kayn, K'Sante, Sett, and Yone. The debut single "Paranoia" was released in October of that year.
2023: Gacha Game Mechanic Used by Riot Since 2023 in Teamfight Tactics
Riot started using gacha game mechanics in Teamfight Tactics since 2023.
November 2024: Arcane Season 2 Premiere
In November 2024, the second season of Arcane premiered to similar acclaim, winning seven Annie Awards in all nominated categories.
November 2024: Streamlining Player Rewards Announcement
In November 2024, the studio announced that they would streamline player rewards in an upcoming patch, describing the game's various progression tracks and currencies as "needlessly complex", causing widespread outrage.
2024: Revenue Generation from a Small Percentage of Players
At the 2024 Summer Game Fest, game director Pu Liu said that revenue is primarily generated by a "single-digit percentage" of League of Legends players.
2024: Introduction of a New Skin Tier
In 2024, Riot Games added a new skin tier to League of Legends, describing them as a luxury good obtainable via a slot machine mechanic.
January 2025: Reversion of Streamlined Player Rewards Changes
In mid-January 2025, game director Andrei van Room said they had "screwed up", and the developer partially reverted some of the streamlined player rewards changes, including halving the cost of purchasing a champion, and the return of "hextech chests".
2025: 171 Champions in League of Legends
As of 2025, League of Legends has 171 champions, and Riot Games periodically overhauls the visuals and gameplay of the oldest in the roster.
2025: Forthcoming Home Media Releases for Arcane Season 2
As of 2025, home media releases for the second season of Arcane are forthcoming.
2025: Controversy over Hall of Fame Skin and Monetization Strategy
In early 2025, Riot announced a new skin that had been long requested by players after the "Hall of Fame" skin was revealed. PC Gamer's Rick Lane described the strategy as "whale chasing" and "psychological manipulation".
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