The city of Nice hosted the French League of Legends League (LFL) on Wednesday, February 2, and Thursday, February 3. The southeastern metropolis is the first to host this competition on two consecutive days. This event reflects the expansion of the e-sports world.
664 million hours watched. That’s the audience League of Legends achieved in the year 2021. The game, published by Riot Games, has been around since 2009 and continues to be just as popular. This admiration for the franchise has led to its professionalization. In 2014, the United States organized the first competition where players are recognized as professionals. Since then, the French League of Legends League was created in 2019. How can we explain the growing magnitude of video games year after year?
“With the democratization of the internet, it’s becoming increasingly easy to organize and follow these kinds of events,” explains Antonin Jaeck, 23, a League of Legends fan. Mathias Leblanc is in Nice to support his favorite team, Karmine Corp. He’s among the 300 supporters who have traveled there: “You experience emotions and sensations that are indescribable. These are exceptional moments that must be lived at least once in your life.”
With the return of in-person competition, more than 2,000 people were present last night to watch the seventh matches of the LFL. A peak audience that reached over 950,000 people. “What’s interesting in this kind of competition is not necessarily the physical qualities, it’s the mental capacities. The strategy, the reflexes, the adaptation, all these characteristics make it an incredible sport,” says Luka Honse, 24.
Large reception halls, a giant screen, special effects, Nice is investing in the e-sport market. The organization of the event has been prepared since last June. It takes place at the Acropolis complex. The presence of the deputy mayor, Magali Altounian, alongside Bertrand Amar, co-producer of the LFL, at the introductory conference, is indicative of the metropolis’s involvement in the digital sports industry. In order to promote a sector that is gaining more and more traction, the capital of the Alpes-Maritimes is the first city in France to host two consecutive nights of championship for this competition.
