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 available on Windows and macOS. The game is monetized through purchasable character customization.
2007: Game Developers Conference Demonstration
In 2007, a League of Legends demonstration built in the Warcraft III game engine was shown at the Game Developers Conference, receiving little interest from potential investors.
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 Games reached an agreement with Tencent to oversee the launch of League of Legends in China.
April 2009: Closed Beta-Testing Begins
In April 2009, closed beta-testing began for League of Legends, 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.
October 27, 2009: Full Release in North America
On October 27, 2009, League of Legends was fully released in North America with double the initially aimed number of champions, totaling around 40 available champions.
2009: Critical Reception and Launch Issues
In 2009, League of Legends received mixed reviews and faced criticisms over the grind required for non-paying players, underdeveloped features, and launch issues such as long queue times and frustrating bugs. Some features available during the beta were removed for the release, even for those who purchased the retail version.
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, expanding the game's accessibility beyond Microsoft Windows.
2013: Comparison to DotA
In 2013, League of Legends was compared to DotA, with GameSpot's Tyler Hicks noting that new players would learn League of Legends faster. Jackson said League of Legends's rate of unlock for champions as "a model of generosity", but less than Dota 2.
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". The Fields of Justice were replaced by a new fictional setting—a planet called Runeterra.
2014: In-Universe Lore and Setting
Before 2014, players existed in-universe as political leaders, or "Summoners", commanding champions to fight on the Fields of Justice—for example, Summoner's Rift—to avert a catastrophic war.
2014: Pentakill's Formation
In 2014, Riot Games created Pentakill, a virtual heavy metal band, to promote a skin line of the same name.
2014: Standardized Patch Cadence
In 2014, Riot Games standardized League of Legends' patch cadence to approximately once every two or three weeks.
2014: Estimated Percentage of Paying Players
In 2014, an Ubisoft analyst estimated that only 4% of League of Legends players were paying customers, which was significantly lower than the industry standard.
2014: Ultra Rapid Fire Mode Release
In 2014, the 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.
April 2015: URF Mode Discussion
In April 2015, Riot disclosed that they had not brought back the Ultra Rapid Fire (URF) mode because its unbalanced design resulted in player burnout, and the costs associated with maintaining and balancing URF were too high.
2015: Comparison to Heroes of the Storm
In 2015, League of Legends was compared to Blizzard Entertainment's Heroes of the Storm, with Strom saying the game was faster-paced than Dota 2 but slower than Heroes of the Storm.
2016: Esports Viewership Surpasses Traditional Sports
In 2016, League of Legends's esports events surpassed the viewership and attendance of the NBA, the World Series, and the Stanley Cup.
2016: Estimated Monthly Revenue
In 2016, a SuperData analysis estimated League of Legends' monthly revenues at $150 million per month.
2016: Introduction of Hextech Chests
In 2016, hextech chests, which are purchasable virtual "chests" that provide random cosmetics, were introduced to League of Legends, and later faced criticisms as a form of gambling. In January 2025, they were brought back after they were removed in November 2024.
2016: Music Team Expansion
In 2016, the League of Legends music team consisted of four full-time composers and a team of producers creating audio for the game and promotional materials.
2017: Nomination for Best Esports Game at The Game Awards
In 2017, League of Legends was nominated for Best Esports Game at The Game Awards.
2017: Pentakill's Album Reaches Number One
In 2017, Pentakill's second album, Grasp of the Undying, reached number one on the iTunes metal charts.
2017: Rework of the Honor system
In 2017, Riot reworked the "Honor system", allowing players to award teammates with virtual medals for positive attributes and increasing their "Honor level" to earn rewards.
2017: Franchise System Overview
In 2017, Riot's franchise system comprised 109 teams and 545 players.
2018: Nomination for Best Esports Game at The Game Awards and Sports Emmy Awards
In 2018, League of Legends was nominated for Best Esports Game at The Game Awards. Also in 2018, League of Legends won Outstanding Live Graphic Design at the 39th Sports Emmy Awards for the 2017 world championship, featuring a computer-generated dragon using augmented reality.
2018: K/DA's Debut
In 2018, Riot Games created K/DA, a virtual K-pop girl group composed of four champions to promote a skin line. The group's debut single, "Pop/Stars", premiered at the League of Legends World Championship.
2018: Collaboration with Marvel Comics
In 2018, Riot announced a collaboration with Marvel Comics and released the first comic, League of Legends: Ashe—Warmother and League of Legends: Lux.
2018: Criticism of female characters' design
In 2018, a reviewer, Strom, criticized the female characters in League of Legends for resembling those in "horny Clash of Clans clones," highlighting concerns about their design and representation.
June 2019: Teamfight Tactics Release
In June 2019, Teamfight Tactics, an auto battler game, was released and later made a permanent game mode the following month. It's available for iOS, Android, Windows, and macOS with cross-platform play.
2019: Peak Concurrent Players and Tie-ins
In 2019, League of Legends regularly peaked at eight million concurrent players, leading to various tie-ins such as music, comic books, short stories, and the animated series Arcane.
2019: Best Esports Game at The Game Awards and Best Esports Event
In 2019, League of Legends won Best Esports Game at The Game Awards, and Riot won Best Esports Event for the 2019 League World Championships.
2019: Peak Concurrent Viewers for World Championship Finals
In 2019, Riot Games reported 44 million peak concurrent viewers for the League of Legends World Championship finals.
2019: True Damage's Formation and Debut
In 2019, Riot created a virtual hip hop group called True Damage, featuring champions Akali, Yasuo, Qiyana, Senna, and Ekko. The group's debut song, "Giants", was performed live at the League of Legends World Championship opening ceremony.
2019: Print Version of League of Legends: Lux Release
In 2019, a print version of League of Legends: Lux was released.
2019: 10th Anniversary Game Announcements
In 2019, for the 10th anniversary of League of Legends, Riot Games announced several games related to the League of Legends IP.
2019: League of Legends World Championship Viewership
The 2019 League of Legends World Championship registered over 100 million unique viewers and peaked at a concurrent viewership of 44 million during the finals.
March 2020: Teamfight Tactics Mobile Release
In March 2020, a stand-alone version of Teamfight Tactics was released for mobile operating systems iOS and Android.
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"
In August 2020, Riot Games released "The Baddest", the pre-release single for All Out, the debut EP from K/DA.
December 2020: Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game Announcement
In December 2020, Greg Street announced that a massively multiplayer online role-playing game based on League of Legends is in development.
2020: Best Esports Game at The Game Awards and Best Esports Event
In 2020, League of Legends won Best Esports Game at The Game Awards, and Riot won Best Esports Event for the 2020 League World Championships.
2020: Origin of Vanguard Anti-Cheat Software
In 2020, Riot Games originally developed their custom anti-cheat software, Vanguard, for their tactical shooter game, Valorant.
2020: Peak Concurrent Viewers for World Championship Finals
In 2020, Riot Games reported 45 million peak concurrent viewers for the League of Legends World Championship finals.
2020: Streaming Rights Deal with Bilibili
In Fall 2020, the rights to stream international events 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 operates 12 regional leagues internationally.
2021: Best Esports Game at The Game Awards and Best Esports Event
In 2021, League of Legends won Best Esports Game at The Game Awards, and 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 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.
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 was released on Windows and Nintendo Switch.
2023: Heartsteel's Formation
In 2023, Riot formed Heartsteel, a virtual boy band, comprising the champions Aphelios, Ezreal, Kayn, K'Sante, Sett, and Yone. Heartsteel's debut single "Paranoia" was released in October.
2023: Use of Gacha Mechanic
Since 2023, Riot has been using gacha game mechanics, similar to the new skin tier in League of Legends, in Teamfight Tactics.
November 2024: Premiere of Arcane Season Two
In November 2024, Arcane's second season premiered to similar acclaim.
November 2024: Announcement of Streamlined Player Rewards
In November 2024, Riot announced that they would streamline player rewards, which caused widespread outrage due to the perceived complexity of the game's progression tracks and currencies.
2024: Revenue from Small Percentage of Players
At the 2024 Summer Game Fest, game director Pu Liu stated that revenue for League of Legends is primarily generated by a "single-digit percentage" of players, colloquially known as whales.
2024: Addition of Luxury Skin Tier
In 2024, Riot Games added a new luxury skin tier to League of Legends. These skins cannot be directly purchased but are acquired through a slot machine mechanic, costing between $200 and $430.
January 2025: Partial Reversion of Changes and Return of Hextech Chests
In mid-January 2025, Riot partially reverted some of the changes to player rewards, including halving the cost of purchasing a champion, and brought back "hextech chests" which are a loot box system introduced in 2016.
2025: Number of Champions and Visual Overhauls
As of 2025, League of Legends has 170 champions, and Riot Games periodically overhauls the visuals and gameplay of the oldest champions in the roster.
2025: Number of Champions Available
As of 2025, League of Legends has over 170 champions available to play. Throughout each match, champions gain levels by earning experience points and can acquire items to increase their strength.
2025: Forthcoming home media releases for Arcane Season Two
As of 2025, home media releases for Arcane's second season are forthcoming.
2025: Monetization Controversies
In early 2025, Riot announced a new skin in the luxury tier, prompting PC Gamer's Rick Lane to describe the strategy as "whale chasing" and "psychological manipulation", highlighting the latest monetization controversies.
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