Leading video game development and publishing studio Riot Games has confirmed a new “long-term” partnership with Amazon Prime Gaming. Under the terms of the new collaboration, many of the latest titles from Riot Games will be given an exclusive uplift for Amazon Prime members. This is to be achieved using in-game content features.
The partnership will also see Amazon Prime Gaming become the global sponsor of the leading eSports titles from Riot, namely League of Legends eSports, Wild Rift eSports and VALORANT eSports. Prime Gaming is due to deliver a range of free gaming content during official eSports events surrounding these titles.
The in-game content designed for Amazon Prime members across the Riot Games portfolio
Since the announcement of Riot Games’ partnership, Amazon Prime members have already been able to claim a string of exciting in-game features in the following titles:
- League of Legends
Within the Prime Gaming Capsule, members can already access 650 Riot Points (RP) for League of Legends, as well as an unknown skin worth 1350 RP, a quintet of permanent Champion Shards, an Orange Essence worth 200 RP, a pair of Series 1 Eternals and an XP Boost for 30 days.
- League of Legends eSports
The League of Legends eSports events, such as the League of Legends World Championship, offer Prime members the ability to pick up custom eSports emotes especially for these big tournaments. Prime members will also be able to take advantage of additional emotes during next year’s League of Legends eSports global competitions.
- League of Legends: Wild Rift
Prime members with Wild Rift as part of their mobile game portfolio will be able to get 24 in-game content drops for the next 12 months from November 18. These drops will incorporate random features such as emotes, recalls, baubles, skin poses and skins. It’s a much-needed upgrade for the free-to-play version of League of Legends.
- VALORANT
VALORANT’s existing series will end in the New Year and at the end of this series Prime members will receive 12 months’ worth of enhanced core content for in-game action in VALORANT. These features include a brace of new calling cards and weapon skins, as well as a quartet of sprays and Gunbuddies.
- Legends of Runeterra
Riot’s Legends of Runeterra is also expected to see its most recent series conclude in early 2022. At this time, Amazon Prime members will receive exclusive in-game content monthly to enhance gameplay. This includes three Rare Wildcards, a Tier 3 Prismatic Chest or an Epic Card.
Sylvia Ko, corporate business development lead at Riot Games, described Amazon Prime Gaming as a partner that “shares [its] focus in making it better to be a player” of Riot Games titles. Ko says this not only covers the games themselves but the “broader entertainment experiences” that eSports enthusiasts and casual gamers wish to “engage in”.
Larry Plotnick, general manager at Prime Gaming, believes the extension of its partnership with Riot Games will “bring even more value” to having an Amazon Prime membership. Plotnick believes this deal “raises the value bar” for gamers to sign up to Amazon Prime and get the exclusive “additional [gaming] content” for some of the most popular desktop and mobile games today.
Riot Games has been at the coalface of the eSports industry since its global growth. League of Legends was released in 2009 and has since become one of the most-played desktop games on the planet. In fact, League of Legends itself has been a driving force behind eSports entering the mainstream, with professional tournaments and teams now dedicated to the franchise.
It’s a similar story with many other gaming titles that have developed eSports communities of competitive gamers and teams. The likes of Counter Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO), Dota 2 and even FIFA have ushered in big-money eSports teams, leagues and tournaments around the world. In fact, many of the world’s leading online bookmakers have embraced the eSports scene and reached broadcast arrangements to live stream many eSports events to bettors across the globe. It’s true that eSports betting in Australia has proven particularly popular Down Under, with strong competition for the best eSports odds between operators like bet365, Unibet and PlayUp, all of which specialize in League of Legends betting markets. According to Statista, eSports betting has proven equally successful in Europe and the UK, as the gross gambling yield (GGY) of the British eSports betting market has fluctuated between £1-£2 billion per month.
Prime examples of eSports’ potential as an enduring industry
Earlier this year, the record was smashed for the highest number of viewers for an eSports tournament. The Free Fire World Series 2021 in Singapore attracted an eye-watering 5.4 million viewers, as mobile gamers across the globe tuned in for the latest Free Fire World Series event. The viewing figures smashed the previous record set by Riot Games’ League of Legends at its 2019 World Championship (3.9 million viewers).
Not only did the Free Fire World Series 2021 prove the popularity of watching live streamed eSports, it also underlined that casual mobile gaming titles have the propensity to become competitive eSports titles. Free Fire is the latest to follow in the footsteps of the likes of Clash Royale and PUBG Mobile.
At this year’s Tokyo Olympic Games, eSports was also test-driven with the inaugural Olympic Virtual Series (OVS) approved by the International Olympic Committee (IOC). It was the first time that competitive gaming was staged as an event at an Olympic Games. The events were separated into five key disciplines – sailing, cycling, rowing, motorsport and baseball.
The head of the IOC, Thomas Bach, opted against the inclusion of specific video game franchises like League of Legends, CS:GO and Call of Duty as they were not in the spirit of conventional Olympic values. Nevertheless, the OVS was the first time that eSports of any kind had been mobilized for such a formal sporting event. It sets an exciting precedent for eSports developers like Riot Games that could have the potential to design games suitable for future OVS events.
