LEAGUE OF LEGENDS 5 MILLION DOLLAR PRIZE POOL

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Riot Games Announces First Details of League of Legends Season Two – Five Million Dollar Prize Pool is the Biggest in eSports History

Selected as an Official Title by the Top Three eSports Organizations, League of Legends Aims to Continue Breaking Viewership Records in Second Competitive Season

DUBLIN, IRELAND – August 15, 2011 – Riot Games today announced the first details surrounding the second competitive season for its hit multiplayer online battle arena game, League of Legends. With a record-setting five million dollar prize pool, League of Legends Season Two will mark the next step in what has already become one of the biggest eSports titles in history.

League of Legends has been selected by the top eSports organizers in the world as an official title: Major League Gaming, the Electronic Sports League (where League of Legends is an official title of the Intel Extreme Masters Series), and the World Cyber Games. Set to kick off this fall, Season Two will feature a spectrum of ongoing competitions, from massive pro-level tournaments to weekly open registration events, giving players countless opportunities to vie for their share of the unprecedented five million dollar prize pool.

“Season One of League of Legends was a resounding success, with over 1.7 million viewers tuning in to our first-ever championships,” said Marc Merrill, president of Riot Games and executive producer on League of Legends. “The competitive scene in League of Legends has grown like wildfire, and the five million dollars in prize money on the line is a testament to how massive the scene has become and is just the first glimpse of what our players have in store for the upcoming season!”

“Competitive gaming is hard-coded in Riot’s DNA. It’s been thrilling to watch the level of competitive play that evolved in Season One!” said Brandon Beck, CEO of Riot Games. “Players will certainly step up their game in Season Two – so it’s only fair that we step up ours.”

League of Legends, Riot Games’ debut title, celebrated its first anniversary on Oct. 27, 2010. Since its launch in North America and Europe, over 15 million players have downloaded the game to engage in session-based, multiplayer battles against rival teams, with more than 1.4 million players enjoying League of Legends every day. Built by a veteran development team, League of Legends combines elements of both strategy and competitive action genres. With plans to launch in China, Korea and other regions in 2011, the League of Legends community continues to grow.

About Riot Games, Inc.
Riot Games is a direct-to-consumer video game developer and publisher of premium, competitive online games. The company was established in 2006 and has quickly become a leading global developer and publisher of premium free-to-play online video games for hardcore gamers, launching their debut title, League of Legends, in October 2009. To date, more than one million gamers play League of Legends every day. For more information, please visit www.riotgames.com and eu.leagueoflegends.com.

 

I think this is the reaction from Riot when Valve announced their prize pool:

A quote from the LoL forums:

Summoners!

With League of Legends fans setting viewership records in the Western world for the League of Legends Season One Championship, we’re as excited as you are to kick Season Two off in style. As you’ve helped us become one of the most popular online titles to date, we thought it was only appropriate that League of Legends Season Two should boast the largest prize pool in eSports.

The League of Legends Season Two prize pool will feature a record setting $5 million prize pool!

The thriving eSports community surrounding League of Legends continues to grow at an incredible pace, and it’s the enthusiasm of competitors from across the globe that has engendered this special opportunity. And with League of Legends featured as an official title in such landmark eSports organizations as Major League Gaming, Electronic Sports League, and the World Cyber Games, this substantially increased prize pool is just the first glimpse into what we have planned for the upcoming season.

The money will be funding prizing for local, national and international tournaments to foster and grow the League of Legends eSports scene. For starters, the new season will feature weekly livestreams of our ongoing regional tournaments in North America, and across both European enviornments, so stay tuned for more information on these broadcasts and to see a lot more of League of Legends enthusiasts like Phreak, ZenonTheStoic and Nikasaur.

League of Legends Season Two is coming this fall, summoners! And with $5 million on the line this time around, the League of Legends eSports scene just got even more exciting!