*the figures mentioned in this article were taken from the site Esports Charts.
Although it is true that League of Legends viewership seems to be down in the West, this is not the case everywhere in the world. the 2022 LCK Spring Split broke league recordwith over 74 million hours watched (addition of the watch time of each viewer). The LPL on the other hand seems to be downbut the figures available are not reliable for this league because they do not take into account local spectators, who watch on Chinese streaming platforms not disclosing their figures. Nevertheless, seeing audiences drop in the West remains quite worrying.
Possible reasons
In a previous article, we discussed lack of renewal in the league as one of the possible reasons for the drop in ratings. Indeed, see always the same teams fighting for the podium without new teams appearing can be redundant. It is also plausible that the spectators simply too many LoL to watchwith the appearance of national leagues. If a French spectator follows the competition in France, it is possible that he is less motivated to also watch European matches at the weekend, preferring to indulge in other activities.
The other possibility would simply be that the pool of players (and therefore potential spectators) either in the process of to get old. League of Legends now has 12 yearsand it would seem logical that a good part of the loyal players of the first hour have simply moved on, by having for example a family life. They would therefore prefer to devote their free time to other occupations what to watch LoL. This could also explain streamer audience declines on the game. Before the latter occupied the first places of the Twitch ranking, but for a few years multigaming content creators have taken their place. Many testimonials seen on different forums say that these players have today no more time or desire to tryhard the gamereplacing their ladder games with a ARAM. Of main hobbyLeague of Legends became the little sweetness that they allow themselves from time to time, without wanting to replay more diligently.
Some also refer to a change in game balancing. At the start of League of Legends, the team with the best player won generally the party. Today, some have the impression that it is rather the team with the worst player who will lose the game, even if the best player is also in this team. It’s almost better to have 4 medium level mates, only 2 strong and 2 weak. Even if we do not fully share this point of view, this reflection has come up several times in this kind of debate, and not to mention it would have been a lack of honesty.
Difficulties in renewing the pool of players?
In a perfect world, for one player who leaves, another should take his place. But League of Legends might just be victim of his bad reputation. If you think about it calmly, it’s true that the game is best known for being toxic only for the fun it provides, at least apart from some players. The most popular streamers on the game were often known for their toxicity (Sardoche, Tyler1 etc..) more than for their patience and their calm (although some clearly possess these qualities).
Add to this that the game is getting old, as is its concept and its mechanics. Even if it has evolved a lot in 12 years, the basic principle remains the same. Some teenagers see it more as a boomer game as the ultra hype game of the moment, and that’s normal. It may be time for Riot Games to completely rethink the game, even release a sequel more modern in its gameplay and approach. The second solution seems to us the best, because despite everything we love this old LoL and we don’t want to see it completely disappear for a new wave version.
Is LoL dying?
The answer is probably Yes and no. Yes because we have to admit thatit will probably never be the hype game again, the one that absolutely must be tested. That time has passed, and now LoL will start to decline little by little. Especially since this MOBA has something to give the vertigo for beginners with its 160 champions and other mechanics that must be learned. What was doable in weeks when the game had only fifty characters now takes months, especially given the number of unique character mechanics.
No because somewhere League of Legends is like WoW. It’s a game that has so much marked the players and his era that he will remain popular for at least several years. Players of Blizzard’s MMO know that his death has been prophesied for over 10 years, yet he still stands, and that many other studios would consider making the MMO’s current numbers already a huge success. It will probably be the same for LoL, which will remain as probably the essential game of the decade 2010-2020.
esport-lol
League of Legends has a very established competitive scene with a very developed backbone. But a new rule could come to revolutionize everything. The latter is being tested in China and we can’t wait to see the effects.