Nostalgia within the gaming industry is a surefire way for developers and publishers to generate huge profits. In the majority of cases, the remaster or re-release of a popular title from years gone by generates huge interest among fans looking to take a trip down memory lane.
The launch of an old title rarely captures the attention of the esports scene, however, which always uses the most up-to-date iteration at high-profile tournaments. Despite this, releases of classic versions and ports of popular franchise entries now give competitive gaming an excellent chance to jump on the nostalgia bandwagon.
League Classic has huge potential
During the finals of the Mid-Season Invitational (MSI), Riot Games unveiled League Classic, an iteration of the MOBA designed to serve as a greatest-hits celebration of its early years. Featuring 60 champions, old-school mechanics, and overpowered items, the game will be guided by a dedicated community voting system and a balance philosophy designed to keep the feeling of nostalgia alive.
Soon after Classic appeared, League of Legends’ esports scenes quickly capitalized on the potential of gaining huge attention by embarking on a trip down memory lane. The LCS will host a Classic showmatch between TSM and Counter Logic Gaming (CLG), one of North America’s most iconic rivalries.
While Riot Games hasn’t revealed which players are returning to the big stage, the hype generated has already demonstrated the value of nostalgia in esports. The announcement post on social media garnered over 340,000 views and 3,000 likes from fans already formulating their dream rosters.
Former TSM top laner Marcus “Dyrus” Hill is one of several former pros who competed during the era of League Classic, and he revealed that competing over a decade ago was one of the most enjoyable moments of his life.
“I got to live the dream, play against some of the best players in the world, and make a lot of memories with the people who helped make League what it was,” he revealed. “It’d be nice to see all the OGs again, give the longtime fans some nostalgia, and show the newer players that I wasn’t always washed.”
For fans of European League of Legends, the LEC is also hosting its own showmatch, with many members of the community wanting legendary names from Fnatic and G2 Esports to battle on Summoner’s Rift once again.
Without League Classic, the potential to reignite historic rivalries and provide retired players one last dance wouldn’t be possible.
A golden opportunity for Call of Duty
Nostalgia frequently appears in the Call of Duty franchise in the form of multiplayer maps and weaponry featured in the latest annual release. The launch of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Remastered in 2016 also showed Activision’s awareness of the impact of a throwback and its ability to attract interest in its product.
A decade later, the publisher has decided to play the nostalgia card once more with PlayStation ports of Call of Duty: Black Ops and Call of Duty: Black Ops 2. Their launches have surpassed expectations, overtaking the hotly anticipated Grand Theft Auto 6 on the PlayStation charts and proving a healthy appetite for old-school Call of Duty action.
Black Ops 2 was a simpler time for Call of Duty esports. An open ecosystem where MLG, UMG, Gfinity, and EGL would host several tournaments across the season in addition to Champs, enabling both amateur and professional teams to compete in the same tournament. As a result, lesser-known teams managed to spring surprises against the established names, a feat rarely achieved thanks to the current split between the CDL and Challengers circuits.
Capturing the attention of longtime franchise fans presents the Call of Duty League (CDL) with an excellent opportunity to cash in on the Black Ops hype for Call of Duty: Black Ops 7’s Championship Weekend. The season-ending tournament for the 2025/26 season will see the best players in the world competing for huge prize money and a chance to lift Call of Duty’s biggest accolade. Alongside the main event, the CDL can use the Black Ops 2 port to its advantage.
The concept of a showmatch to generate hype before a Grand Final is nothing new in esports. With Champs also revealing this year’s All-Star rosters and the Team of the Year, a best-of-five using Black Ops 2, a title renowned for its competitive pedigree, is a surefire way of cashing in on the renewed interest of the community.
Esports rarely taps into earlier builds or titles that laid the foundation for what the scene has become today. With Riot Games already organizing show matches for League Classic and Activision opening the door for Call of Duty to run a similar initiative, taking an occasional trip down memory lane could help publishers recapture the attention of fans who may have drifted away from the world of competitive gaming.
