The star power of the League of Legends Worlds semifinal between T1 and JDG propelled it to a higher peak viewership than the 2021 grand finals.
While League of Legends regional viewership has taken a hit, Riot Games’ Worlds is still a smash hit, as proven with over four million viewers tuning in for the semifinals between T1 and JDG. With T1 in the grand finals, fans are hopeful this year’s grand finals, held on Nov. 19, will break the record set in 2022.
Using the phrase “star power” to describe the grand finals matchup might be underselling. T1 still has Faker, an all-time great of League of Legends, who has had a career filled with stellar peaks and remarkable consistency across the years. While he isn’t what he was in his youth, the fact that he continues to reach the grand finals of Worlds after a decade of competition is nothing short of incredible. He’s the most popular player across the entire esports landscape, and Riot Games is fortunate to have his presence and storyline in the finals.
While the table is set for a great grand finals, the record may not be smashed. T1 vs JDG was the match everyone was looking forward to before Worlds began, and there might be a diminished interest in the finals between T1 and Weibo Gaming.
The peak viewership of the semifinals shows League of Legends is still healthy from an international standpoint, even if the regional viewership in the West is struggling. The challenge for esports titles across the industry has always been translating high peaks for huge tournaments to steady viewership during their regular season. Getting a lot of viewers for a high-profile match is nice, and it’s certainly common for the average esports fan to tune into Worlds. Now, will they tune into LCK, the LCS, or LEC? That question needs to be answered for industry stability during a turbulent 2023.
