One of the Two Most Developed League of Legends Regions
As is well known, in the League of Legends scene, one of the two most powerful regions is LCK and LPL. Throughout the history of professional League of Legends, these two regions have the most international titles, with LCK absolutely dominating the Worlds stage while MSI has been the playground for LPL. However, in recent years, LPL has been somewhat at a disadvantage. LPL representatives have not performed well at Worlds, especially in 2023 when all four representatives from this region were defeated by T1 alone. In MSI 2024, Bilibili Gaming was also knocked out by Gen.G in the finals of the tournament.
This is why, combined with the fact that many legendary superstars of LPL are underperforming or taking breaks, the tournament has lost significant appeal. Specifically, according to a recent statistic, tickets for the finals between Weibo Gaming and Bilibili Gaming are selling poorly. In fact, the organizers have even offered discounts but cannot salvage the situation. Accordingly, ticket prices for the finals were reduced by 10%. Tickets for the regional qualifying matches were also reduced by a minimum of 13% and a maximum of 23%, but the situation is still not optimistic.
Additionally, some fans have reported receiving a 50% discount voucher, specifically to purchase tickets for the 13th anniversary celebration of League of Legends in China. However, only a limited number of fans received this voucher.
Has League of Legends Lost Its Appeal in China?
However, the poor ticket sales could stem from various reasons. Firstly, the finals, though between BLG and WBG, show a significant disparity in the current performance of both teams, with BLG appearing far stronger while WBG struggled to reach the finals. Moreover, the ticket prices for the finals are over 1000 yuan at the highest and 388 yuan at the lowest. Although reduced by 10%, these amounts are still considerable and do not significantly impact ticket prices. Not to mention, the finals on August 30 will feature WBG vs. BLG. On August 31, there will be a BO5 between LNG and TES/WBG, while September 1 will see NIP against JDG, and September 2 is yet to be determined. These teams all have players who attract fans, but they do not compare to the stature of TheShy or Uzi.
In fact, there is currently no player in LPL with the consistency and influence as Faker from LCK. Coupled with the not-so-great international results and the competition from many other games, especially on mobile, it is not surprising that League of Legends is gradually losing its appeal.