Riot Games, publisher of “League of Legends,” is hitting the play button on esports events.
The Los Angeles-based game maker will hold its League of Legends Mid-Season Invitational (MSI) in Reykjavik, Iceland starting May 6, with the championship on May 23. Beginning the next day at the same site: The Valorant Champions Tour Masters Reykjavík, which will be the first holding of live international competition involving the popular 5-on-5 shooting game, launched in June 2020.
Nearly 46 million people watched the “League of Legends” world championship event in October 2020 in Shanghai. But Riot Games decided against holding an in-person mid-season competition during the upsurge of the COVID-19 pandemic.
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![Participants compete on their computers during the group stage of the 'League of Legends' world championships in Berlin, Germany, on Oct. 13, 2019.](https://www.gannett-cdn.com/presto/2021/03/01/USAT/6f66e49b-ad5c-4755-aa5c-b5f8eddad222-AP_Germany_E-Sports.jpg?width=660&height=441&fit=crop&format=pjpg&auto=webp)
Competition in the League of Legends MSI will involve the top 12 teams from the regional leagues.