History of League of Legends in Timeline

League of Legends is a free-to-play multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) game developed and published by Riot Games, released in October 2009. Inspired by Defense of the Ancients, it's monetized through purchasable character customization and is available on Windows and macOS. Players control a "champion" with unique abilities and battle against other players or AI-controlled opponents. The game's objective is to destroy the opposing team's "Nexus", a structure located at the heart of their base, protected by defensive towers and other obstacles.

2007: Game Developers Conference Demonstration

In 2007, a demonstration of League of Legends built in the Warcraft III game engine was shown at the Game Developers Conference, but received little interest from potential investors due to concerns about the free-to-play model.

October 7, 2008: League of Legends Announcement

On October 7, 2008, League of Legends was announced for Microsoft Windows.

2008: Agreement with Tencent

In 2008, Riot reached an agreement with Tencent to oversee the game's launch in China.

April 2009: Closed Beta-Testing Begins

In April 2009, closed beta-testing for League of Legends began, with seventeen champions available at the launch of the beta.

October 2009: League of Legends Release

In October 2009, League of Legends was released as a free-to-play game for Windows and macOS, monetized through purchasable character customization. The game, developed by Riot Games, was inspired by Defense of the Ancients.

October 27, 2009: Full Release in North America

On October 27, 2009, League of Legends had its full release in North America with twenty champions available.

2009: Critical Reception and Launch Issues

In 2009, many outlets said League of Legends was underdeveloped. There were criticisms of the grind required for non-paying players to unlock key gameplay elements, and a physical version of the game was seen as an inadvisable purchase.

2010: Game Developers Choice Awards

In 2010, League of Legends won four major awards at the first Game Developers Choice Awards: Best Online Technology, Game Design, New Online Game, and Visual Arts.

2011: Golden Joystick Award

In 2011, League of Legends won Best Free-to-Play Game at the Golden Joystick Awards.

March 2013: Mac Version Release

In March 2013, a Mac version of League of Legends was made available.

2013: Comparison to Dota 2

In 2013, League of Legends was compared to Dota 2, with League of Legends being noted as more generous in unlocking champions than Dota 2.

September 2014: Fictional Setting Reboot

In September 2014, Riot Games rebooted the League of Legends' fictional setting, removing summoners from the game's lore to avoid "creative stagnation".

2014: In-Universe Lore Before Reboot

Before 2014, League of Legends' players existed in-universe as political leaders, or "Summoners", commanding champions to fight on the Fields of Justice.

2014: Pentakill Debut

In 2014, Riot Games debuted Pentakill, a virtual heavy metal band, to promote a skin line of the same name.

2014: Standardized Patch Cadence

In 2014, Riot standardized their patch cadence to approximately once every two or three weeks for League of Legends.

2014: Ultra Rapid Fire (URF) Mode Release

In 2014, Ultra Rapid Fire (URF) mode was available for two weeks as an April Fools Day prank. The mode featured champion abilities with no resource cost, significantly reduced cooldown timers, increased movement speed, reduced healing, and faster attacks.

2014: Analyst Estimates on Paying Customers

In 2014, an Ubisoft analyst estimated that 4% of League of Legends players were paying customers.

April 2015: URF Mode Discontinued

In April 2015, Riot disclosed that they had not brought back Ultra Rapid Fire (URF) mode because its unbalanced design resulted in player "burnout".

2015: Comparison to Heroes of the Storm

In 2015, League of Legends's pace was compared to Heroes of the Storm, with League of Legends being faster than Dota 2 but slower than Heroes of the Storm.

2016: Monthly Revenue Estimate

A 2016 analysis by SuperData estimated League of Legends' monthly revenues at $150 million.

2016: Hextech Chests Introduction

In 2016, "hextech chests"—a loot box system—were introduced into League of Legends.

2016: Esports Viewership Milestone

In 2016, League of Legends's esports events outperformed the National Basketball Association, the World Series, and the Stanley Cup in online viewership and in-person attendance.

2016: Music Team Size

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.

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.

2017: Honor System Rework

In 2017, Riot reworked the "Honor system", allowing players to award teammates with virtual medals for positive attributes, increasing a player's "Honor level" and rewarding them with free loot boxes.

2017: Franchise System Teams and Players

In 2017, the franchise system for League of Legends comprised 109 teams and 545 players.

2018: K/DA Debut with "Pop/Stars"

In 2018, K/DA, a virtual K-pop girl group, debuted with the single "Pop/Stars" at the League of Legends World Championship, garnering significant attention.

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2018: The Game Awards Nomination and Sports Emmy Award

In 2018, League of Legends was nominated for Best Esports Game at The Game Awards and won Outstanding Live Graphic Design at the 39th Sports Emmy Awards for the 2017 world championship.

2018: Collaboration with Marvel Comics

In 2018, Riot announced a collaboration with Marvel Comics and debuted League of Legends: Ashe—Warmother and League of Legends: Lux.

League of Legends: Ashe-Warmother

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2018: Criticism of Female Character Design

In 2018, a reviewer named Strom criticized the female characters in League of Legends for resembling those in "horny Clash of Clans clones", pointing out a lack of diversity in their designs.

June 2019: Teamfight Tactics Release

In June 2019, Teamfight Tactics, an auto battler, was released and later made a permanent game mode.

2019: Peak Player Count and Tie-ins

In 2019, League of Legends regularly peaked at eight million concurrent players. The game's popularity led to various tie-ins such as music, comic books, short stories, and the animated series Arcane.

2019: The Game Awards Win

In 2019, League of Legends won Best Esports Game and Best Esports Event (for the League World Championships) at The Game Awards.

2019: League of Legends World Championship Finals 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, and the vocalists performed their debut song, "Giants", live during the League of Legends World Championship opening ceremony, featuring a collaboration with Louis Vuitton.

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2019: Print Release of League of Legends: Lux

In 2019, a print version of League of Legends: Lux was released.

2019: 10th Anniversary Announcements

In 2019, for the 10th anniversary of League of Legends, Riot Games announced several new games related to the League of Legends IP, including Teamfight Tactics, Legends of Runeterra, and League of Legends: Wild Rift.

2019: World Championship Viewership

The 2019 League of Legends World Championship registered over 100 million unique viewers, peaking at a concurrent viewership of 44 million during the finals.

March 2020: Teamfight Tactics Mobile Release

In March 2020, Teamfight Tactics was released for mobile operating systems iOS and Android with cross-platform play.

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: K/DA Releases "The Baddest"

In August 2020, Riot Games released "The Baddest", the pre-release single for All Out, the debut EP from K/DA.

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December 2020: Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game Announcement

In December 2020, Riot Games announced that a massively multiplayer online role-playing game based on League of Legends was in development.

2020: The Game Awards Win

In 2020, League of Legends won Best Esports Game and Best Esports Event (for the League World Championships) at The Game Awards.

2020: League of Legends World Championship Finals Viewership

In 2020, Riot Games reported 45 million peak concurrent viewers for the League of Legends World Championship finals.

2020: Vanguard's Origin

In 2020, Vanguard was originally developed by Riot for their tactical shooter Valorant.

2020: Streaming Rights Deal with Bilibili

In Fall 2020, the rights to stream international League of Legends events in China were sold to Bilibili for a three-year deal reportedly worth US$113 million.

April 2021: Regional Leagues Operated by Riot Games

As of April 2021, Riot Games operated 12 regional leagues internationally, including franchised systems in China, Europe, Korea, and North America, comprising 109 teams and 545 players.

November 2021: Arcane Series Premiere

In November 2021, the animated series Arcane premiered on Netflix internationally and Tencent Video in China, receiving critical acclaim and later winning four Emmy Awards and nine Annie Awards.

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2021: The Game Awards Win

In 2021, League of Legends won Best Esports Game and Best Esports Event (for the League World Championships) at The Game Awards.

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 various platforms under 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, was announced for a planned release.

May 2023: Vanguard Anti-Cheat Implementation

Since May 2023, League of Legends uses Riot's custom always-online anti-cheat software, Vanguard, on Microsoft Windows devices.

November 1, 2023: Song of Nunu: A League of Legends Story Release

On November 1, 2023, Song of Nunu: A League of Legends Story, a third-person adventure game, was released on Windows and Nintendo Switch.

2023: Heartsteel Formation

In 2023, Riot formed Heartsteel, a virtual boy band, and released their debut single "Paranoia" in October.

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2023: Gacha Game Mechanic Origins

Since 2023, Riot used gacha game mechanics in Teamfight Tactics.

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.

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November 2024: Streamlining Player Rewards Announcement

In November 2024, the studio announced 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

At the 2024 Summer Game Fest, game director Pu Liu said that revenue is primarily generated by a "single-digit percentage" of players, colloquially known as whales.

2024: Luxury Skins Tier Added

In 2024, Riot Games added an additional skin tier to League of Legends, describing them as a luxury good, obtainable via a slot machine mechanic.

January 2025: Reward System Reversion

In mid-January 2025, game director Andrei van Room said they had "screwed up" the reward system, and the developer partially reverted some of the changes, including halving the cost of purchasing a champion, and the return of "hextech chests".

2025: Champion Count

As of 2025, League of Legends has 170 champions, and Riot Games periodically overhauls the visuals and gameplay of the oldest in the roster.

2025: Forthcoming Home Media Release for Arcane Season 2

As of 2025, home media releases for Arcane's second season are forthcoming.

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2025: New Skin Controversy

In early 2025, Riot announced a new skin in the tier that had been long requested by players, described as "whale chasing" and "psychological manipulation".