Game developer Riot Games has announced that the finals of the 2021 League of Legends World Championship will be broadcast in cinemas.
According to the release, over 70 cinemas across Europe will host the finals on November 6th, with tickets are already available on the official website for the event. As with every year, finals will still be available on known streaming platforms.
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The project is made possible with the help of distribution company Piece of Magic and American theatre company National Amusements.
The trend for movie theatre companies to partner with esports brands is not new. Recently, USA-based movie theatre company Cinemark and esports firm Mission Control partnered to bring esports to cinemas across the United States. In 2018, a number of UK cinemas hosted showings of the IEM Katowice finals between Fnatic and FaZe Clan.
For the 2019 League of Legends World Championship, a number of cinemas across Europe broadcasted the finals between G2 Esports and Chinese team Fun Plus Phoenix. More than 45 cinemas broadcasted the 2019 finals in Spain alone, with dozens more across Europe joining the initiative.
A Riot Games spokesperson stated: “Enjoy the electrifying atmosphere of a live event in your local cinema, beamed directly from the Laugardalshöll Indoor Sporting Arena in Reykjavík, Iceland. The Finals will be broadcast live on 6 November at 14:00 CEST, in over 70 cinemas across Europe, giving fans the chance to be immersed in an esports experience like no other.”
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The Lolincinemas website helps find a cinema that will broadcast the finals easily and reserve tickets for the grand final in November. This year’s Worlds is taking place in Iceland after plans to host the event in China where changed following the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
Esports Insider says: Watching esports on a big screen certainly isn’t better than doing it on a stadium, however, the initiative does provide a suitable replacement given COVID restrictions. With over 70 cinemas around Europe showing the Finals in November it’ll be easy for a lot of fans to gather around and cheer for their favourite team.