The League of Legends World Championship is currently underway in South Korea. For the first time in the modern history of the tournament, a North American team has made it to the semifinals of the video game championship.
Los Angeles-based esports organization Cloud9 trounced the South Korean team Afreeca Freecs 3-0 to secure a spot in the semifinals, where they will face London-based Fnatic.
The other side of the bracket is filled out by G2 and Invictus Gaming, organizations based out of Europe and China, respectively.
Cloud9 outplayed Afreeca, aggressively pressing any advantage gained and shutting down any chances of a comeback. Cloud9’s win over Afreeca dashed the South Korean crowd’s hometown favorite, and was the first time a South Korean team hasn’t made the semifinals (or that a North American team beat a Korean team in a best of five).
The total prize pool for the tournament is guaranteed to be at least $2.25 million, with a cut of digital merchandise sales adding to that number. The winning team is expecting a payout north of $840,000.
Released in 2009 by Riot Games, League of Legends is a MOBA (Muliplayer Online Battle Area) where two teams of five players pick fantastical characters called “champions” and compete to destroy the other team’s base, or “nexus.”
Teams must pick a synergistic combination of champions in a back-and-forth draft system, while simultaneously avoid getting countered by the strengths of the opposing team’s choices.
Among the most popular esports, League of Legends regularly sees millions of dollars in prize pools distributed throughout the competitive season, along with millions of global viewers who watch streams of competitions.
Professional play has historically been dominated by teams from Asia and Europe, with North America lagging behind. At previous World championships, Cloud9 has made it to the quarterfinals on multiple occasions, but never made it to the semis.
Despite this achievement for Cloud9 and North America, the region’s other representatives at the World Championship, 100 Thieves and Team Liquid, were both knocked out in the group stage of the tournament.
Other big names in North American esports like Counter Logic Gaming and Team SoloMid failed to impress in the competitive season.The global esports industry is growing. The New York Times reports the market is expected to be worth $1.6 billion by 2020, and reach a global audience of 380 million consumers.
The bulk of the worth is derived from sponsorship and advertising, both of individual players and teams, but also of large tournaments on the same scale as the League of Legends World Championship. Esports is mimicking traditional sports, with sold-out arenas drawing huge crowds and superstar players making a living off of their exertional ability.
Teams employ coaches, trainers and additional support staff in addition to the players themselves. G2 and Invictus Gaming play on Oct. 27, and Cloud9 faces Fnatic on Oct. 28, the winners meeting in the finals on Nov. 3.
All of the teams are strong, and there is not yet a clear favorite to take the championship.