History of League of Legends in Timeline
League of Legends (LoL) is a 2009 free-to-play multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) game developed and published by Riot Games. Inspired by Defense of the Ancients, it focuses on team-based strategy and player skill. Players control characters with unique abilities, battling to destroy the opposing team's base. LoL is monetized through cosmetic purchases and is available on Windows and macOS. It is a leading title in the esports scene.
2007: League of Legends Demonstration
In 2007, a demonstration of League of Legends 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 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.
October 2009: League of Legends Release
In October 2009, League of Legends was released as a free-to-play game, monetized through purchasable character customization, and available for Microsoft Windows and macOS.
October 27, 2009: North American Release
On October 27, 2009, League of Legends was fully released in North America with 40 champions.
2009: Launch Criticisms
In 2009, League of Legends faced criticism at launch for grindy gameplay for non-paying players, underdeveloped features, and frustrating bugs.
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.
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' rate of unlock for champions was described as "a model of generosity", but less than DotA's sequel, 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".
2014: In-Universe Lore
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 created the virtual heavy metal band Pentakill to promote a skin line.
2014: Standardized Patch Cadence
In 2014, Riot Games standardized their patch cadence for League of Legends to approximately once every two or three weeks.
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.
2014: Ubisoft Analyst Report on Paying Customers
In 2014, an Ubisoft analyst estimated that only 4% of League of Legends players were paying customers.
April 2015: URF Mode Controversy
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".
2015: Comparison to Heroes of the Storm
In 2015, it was noted that League of Legends was faster-paced compared to Dota 2 but slower than Blizzard Entertainment's Heroes of the Storm.
2016: Introduction of Hextech Chests
In 2016, Hextech Chests were introduced as a loot box system to League of Legends, providing random cosmetics to players.
2016: Esports Viewership
In 2016, League of Legends' esports events outperformed the NBA, World Series, and Stanley Cup in online viewership and in-person attendance.
2016: 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.
2017: Franchised Systems
In 2017, League of Legends' franchised systems comprised 109 teams and 545 players.
2017: Pentakill's Second Album
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 following games, for one of three positive attributes.
2018: The Game Awards Nomination and Sports Emmy Awards
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, featuring augmented reality.
2018: Marvel Comics Collaboration
In 2018, Riot announced a collaboration with Marvel Comics and debuted League of Legends: Ashe—Warmother and League of Legends: Lux.
2018: Female Character Design Criticisms
In 2018, reviewers criticized League of Legends' female characters for resembling those in "horny Clash of Clans clones".
2018: K/DA Debut
In 2018, the virtual K-pop girl group K/DA debuted with their single "Pop/Stars" at the League of Legends World Championship.
June 2019: Teamfight Tactics Release
In June 2019, Teamfight Tactics, an auto battler, was released as a game mode within League of Legends.
2019: Peak Popularity and Tie-ins
In 2019, League of Legends peaked at eight million concurrent players, leading to tie-ins such as music, comic books, short stories, and the animated series Arcane.
2019: 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: 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 Creation
In 2019, Riot created a virtual hip hop group called True Damage, featuring League of Legends champions.
2019: Print Version 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 games directly related to the League of Legends IP.
March 2020: Teamfight Tactics Mobile Release
In March 2020, the stand-alone version of Teamfight Tactics was released for 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, launched for Microsoft Windows.
August 2020: K/DA's Pre-Release Single
In August 2020, Riot Games released "The Baddest", the pre-release single for K/DA's debut EP.
December 2020: MMORPG Announcement
In December 2020, Greg Street announced that a massively multiplayer online role-playing game based on League of Legends is in development.
2020: Streaming Rights Deal
In 2020, Bilibili acquired the rights to stream international events for League of Legends for a three-year deal.
2020: 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: 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 Original Release
In 2020, Vanguard was originally developed by Riot for their tactical shooter Valorant.
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 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 Release
In 2021, Ruined King: A League of Legends Story, a single-player, turn-based role-playing game, was released for various platforms.
2021: Viego Joins Pentakill
In 2021, Viego was introduced to the Pentakill group.
2022: Song of Nunu Announcement
In 2022, Song of Nunu: A League of Legends Story, a third-person adventure game revolving around the champion Nunu, was announced.
May 2023: Vanguard Anti-Cheat Implementation
Since May 2023, League of Legends uses Riot's custom anti-cheat software, Vanguard, on Microsoft Windows devices.
November 1, 2023: Song of Nunu Release
On November 1, 2023, Song of Nunu: A League of Legends Story was released on Windows and the Nintendo Switch.
2023: Heartsteel Formation
In 2023, Riot formed Heartsteel, a virtual boy band, comprising League of Legends champions.
November 2024: Streamlining Player Rewards Announcement
In November 2024, Riot Games announced they would streamline player rewards, leading to widespread outrage due to the perceived complexity and time investment required to unlock content.
November 2024: Arcane Season 2 Premiere
In November 2024, season 2 of Arcane premiered to similar acclaim, winning 7 Annie Awards in all nominated categories.
2024: Revenue Generation Statistics
At the 2024 Summer Game Fest, game director Pu Liu said that League of Legends revenue is primarily generated by a "single-digit percentage" of players, colloquially known as whales.
2024: Introduction of Gacha Skin Tier
In 2024, Riot Games added a new skin tier to League of Legends that uses a gacha mechanic, requiring players to buy attempts to win the skin, with costs ranging from $200 to $430.
January 2025: Reversal of Streamlining Changes
In mid-January 2025, Riot Games partially reverted some of the streamlined reward changes, including halving the cost of purchasing a champion, and the return of "hextech chests".
2025: Champion Count Reaches 170
As of 2025, League of Legends features 170 champions available for players to control in the multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA).
2025: Forthcoming Media for Season 2
As of early 2025, media for Arcane season 2 is forthcoming.
2025: Monetization Controversies
In early 2025, Riot announced a new skin in the tier that had been long requested by players. PC Gamer's Rick Lane described the strategy as "whale chasing" and "psychological manipulation".
