Riot Games has long used eSports to promote its game, but today they released the first part of a three part series to promote the upcoming 2014 Season World Championship. Titled “Road to Worlds” this first part of the series takes a look at the humble beginnings of professional League of Legends and the first season’s championship, specifically focusing on the champions of that year, Fnatic.
It then moves on to the game’s second season and takes a closer look at the underdog story of the Taipei Assassins, the eventual champions of Season 2. From the teaser at the end of the video, the second entry in the series will likely focus on Season 3, and the final episode will focus on hyping the upcoming tournament.
The production value of the documentary is top notch, which is unsurprising for a company of Riot’s size and dedication. It pulls out a lot of old footage, some of which I had never seen before, so longtime fans will enjoy seeing a bit of new stuff while also marvelling at how far the game has come. The interviews with parents and family members of the players are also incredibly well done and lend some emotional weight to the piece, and show the human side of players that we sometime don’t get to see.
The series also has something for the people who have never seen the competitive side of League of Legends, or who are only vaguely familiar with the game. By focusing on the story of the players, interspersed with relatively small amounts of in game footage, the video draws you in and gets you excited to watch what unfolds, especially in light of the coming finals, which will be held at the undoubtedly sold out Sangam Stadium, the home of the 2002 FIFA World Cup.
As a big fan of the game and long time follower of the competitive scene I enjoyed this look back at the game’s roots. I’d highly recommend anyone who enjoys, or is interested in League of Legends or eSports to take the time to watch it, if just to see how far competitive gaming has come in the past handful of years. Be on the lookout for part two, releasing on September 12th and part three, which debuts on September 15th.