Riot Games has announced the Origin Series, the first tournament series in League of Legends: Wild Rift and the publisher’s first foray into mobile esports.
The Origin Series will be the first in a line of tournaments in which players from Europe, CIS, Turkey, the Middle East, and North Africa compete for a spot in an offline tournament this August. The teams will compete for a share of a €300,000 (~£ 258,000) prize pool.
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Wild Rift is a mobile version of League of Legends. The game was announced this March and is a direct competitor to other mobile MOBA games such as Arena of Valor and Mobile Legends.
Riot Games announced in early May that it planned to host more regional tournaments, and they are following through with the announcement of the Origin Series. Smaller regional tournaments will be held throughout the summer, and the offline finals will take place in September of 2021.
Hans Christian Duerr, Head of Esports for Wild Rift, Europe and MENA commented: “We’re excited to launch the first League of Legends: Wild Rift intercontinental esports circuit for Europe, MENA, CIS, and Turkey, building on the momentum and hype displayed by our dedicated players and fans. League of Legends: Wild Rift Origin Series is set to bring mobile esports to the next level and shine a light on new talents yet to be discovered.”
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Since Wild Rift became available early this year, there has been a steady stream of tournaments, primarily hosted in the SEA region. This is the first time Riot Games has officially organised a Wild Rift tournament in Europe. It’s worth noting that Wild Rift is one of the games that will be played in the ESL Premiership this year.
Esports Insider says: If the Origin Series is any indication, Riot Games seems to be looking at Wild Rift seriously. This comes at a tough time for Wild Rift, however, with games like Arena of Valor being very tough competition in Asia, the largest mobile market in the world.