SYNOPSIS

How do you create the No. 1 esport in the world from the No. 1 PC game in the world? Content, of course.

In 2015, Riot Esports launched the Content Initiative, a multidisciplinary in-house creative team charged with creating a flowing, cross-channel content ecosystem, rooted in core watching motivators, that built trust with players and drove awareness of, interest in, and engagement with competitive League of Legends.

CREDITS

Ariel Horn - Executive Producer

Pep Perez - Creative Director

Andrew Conti - Brand Lead

Jeff Holsey - Senior Producer

Trey Stafford - Senior Producer

CLIENT

Riot Games

ROLE

Content Lead

Editor-in-Chief

Strategy Director

Creator

Producer

RIOT GAMES

ESPORTS CONTENT

RESULT

Long-term fans of teams, pros, and regional leagues; a robust, active online community; and millions and millions and millions and millions and millions and millions of hours of organic Watch Time.

The second most-common reason why people watch League of Legends esports is to learn how to get better at the game. Which makes sense. League is a hyper-competitive strategy game, played by more than 100 million people in the world every month. Getting good is a way of life, and pro gamers are the best around. Stands to reason that people would want to watch what they do and bring those moves into their own game.

Oddly, those that fell within this “LoL Learner” viewer segment were among our worst detractors. Our segmentation also revealed that there was a strong correlation between a person having a favorite player and a person having a positive perception of esports. LoL Learners didn’t typically have a favorite pro.

In this, we saw an opportunity to grow viewership by connecting esports fandom to players’ passion for mastering the game. This program generated over 50 million organic views across web and social between 2015 and 2017, and continues to be a pivotal category in Riot Games’s global content strategy to this day.

DEEP DIVE:

ESPORTS EDUCATION

The Mechanics series premise is simple: Find a cool play, then increase clarity with motion graphics as a <:60s social clip. End with a CTA that raises awareness of that player’s upcoming match.

The “Welcome Back Doublelift” promo, which meme’d the return of one of esports’ biggest stars, drove record viewership to Team Liquid’s match against Dignitas, garnering 3 million viral views and thousands of emojis in the process.

One of the main sources of pain for the esports viewer is that some of the most exciting moments in League are nigh incomprehensible as they’re happening. 10 people smashing 6, 7, 8, 9... buttons, over the course of 10 or so seconds, buried under a mess of particle effects.

The Breakdown stretches that moment out to 6 minutes, and has generated more than 30 million views to date.

The Pocket Picks video series drew a direct link between some of the games most popular champions and the pros who made those champions into signature picks.

This series generated over 14 million organic views across YouTube and Social channels, largely on the back of its killer thumbnail art. “My name is...” remains a go-to meme on the League of Legends subreddit.

Hated by many, cherished by all, the Top 20 Players at Worlds interactive web and video series has driven conversation and helped millions of fans prepare for the League of Legends World Championship -- an Emmy-winning live broadcast event that has generated billions of hours of Watch Time globally since 2012.

The Esports Content Initiative produced original episodic content to support and build viewership for the NALCS regional league, while also delivering campaign work on a global stage during impactful moments and premier events, such as the League of Legends World Championship.

We operated under the following mandate:

Inspire fans to regularly engage and keep current throughout the season by creating emotional hooks into teams and stars
Elevate iconic moments to enshrine lasting memories and build multigenerational fandom
Connect pros’ mastery of the game with players’ desire to learn & improve their own play
Compel fans to share their passion with people they know
Build local community, regional allegiance, and international prestige by engendering pride in being a fan
Produce fast-fail experimental programming to find Riot Esports’ next big hit (R&D)

Please see below for a representative example of content programs that contributed to Riot Esports wider business objectives: Awareness, Team Fandom, New Stars, Skills Mastery, and League Prestige.