League Of Legends’ World Champs Commercial Is A Missed Opportunity

League Of Legends’ World Champs Commercial Is A Missed Opportunity

The League of Legends World Championship is one of the biggest prizes in esports. Given the field’s struggles to be taken more seriously – even as it draws in bigger crowds and bigger bucks – this trailer for the event seems a bit out of place.

While it’s a slick piece of production, it also plays to just about every League of Legends stereotype there is. The hoodies. The darkened child’s bedroom. The anger. There’s even the literal smashing of a keyboard, portrayed as some kind of necessary rite of passage on the way to becoming a champion.

I think it’s a bit of a shame! It’s a game whose pro scene is full of drama and cut-throat competition, not to mention a fanbase of millions. Why not sell LoL’s biggest event of year using the elements that bring people to it in the first place? The spectacle, the excitement! Yeah, there’s a little bit of hugging in the clip, but most of it is so dark. Why draw attention to negative behaviour like smashing a keyboard?

It seems odd to almost pander like this to a hardcore fanbase. Surely they already know about the event, are already hyped, and an expensive trailer should be selling this to potential new fans?

(Unless, of course, I’m reading this entirely wrong and Riot don’t care about that, and this is supposed to be simply hyping up the converted)

This feels like the NFL selling a commercial using a big white guy in a flannel shirt swilling a beer on his couch on a Sunday afternoon, while the action on-screen cuts to a penalty for unnecessary roughness. Real it may be, but it’s not the best look for anyone on the outside looking in, curious to see what all the fuss is about.

But then, like I said, maybe I’ve read this totally wrong! If you’re a hardcore League fan, and this vid speaks to you and has you super excited for the Worlds, then maybe that’s all that needed to happen, and I’m expecting too much/the wrong thing from a single animated advertisement.


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