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If you haven't heard of League of Legends, you've probably been living under a rock.  It's one of the most popular free-to-play games on the web right now, and has turned Riot Games from a small, independent developer into arguably one of the biggest names in modern gaming. Look it up. 

Today, Riot made an announcement about the future of eSports and the part it's going to play. Toward the beginning of 2013, the top League of Legends players on the planet will get together to compete in the League of Legends Championship Series, a professional league which will feature teams from all across the planet. There'll be regular season matches each week, and HD streaming broadcasts will be globally available free of charge. 

Brandon Beck, co-founder and CEO of Riot Games shared a bit more on the development.

"Talking to players around the world, they repeatedly asked if we could kick League of Legends eSports into higher gear. The new League of Legends Championship Series is our answer. Millions of fans tune in every time we support a major League of Legends tournament, so we're broadening that support in an unprecedented way." 

We'll be seeing the top eight teams from North America and Europe along with the best of the best from Asia do battle against one another, with both prize pools and financial compensation culmination in a salary that'll make "professional League of Legends player" a sustainable career. 

The Season Two North American and European Regional competitions run August 16 through August 19 in Cologne Germany, and August 30 through September 2 at PAX Prime in Seattle, Washington. The top three teams for each of these regionals will qualify, while the best teams from the Challenger Circuit (with events hosted by Intel Extreme Masters, MLG, and the IGN Pro League) will also factor in to who gets selected for the League of Legends Championship Series.

Source: Riot Games press release

Nicholas Greene   FollowTech_Light A gamer at heart, Nick started writing when he was a child. He holds a BA in English, works as a freelancer, and loves every minute of it. One day, he hopes to net himself a career in game design - but that's something for the future.

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