We know, there have been concerns about League of Legends: Wild Rift as a dying esports scene, and we can’t blame them. Really. Not much action went down between 2023 and earlier this year, bar the WRL Asia Season 2. Plus, now that Mobile Legends: Bang Bang esports is kicking off in China, Riot’s got their work cut out trying to keep Wild Rift going strong, especially with more big teams jumping ship to MLBB.
Word on the street is, three major teams from China dipped out of the Wild Rift esports scene right after the WRL Asia S2 finals on March 2nd. And get this, JD Gaming, one of China’s big guns, is holding off for Riot’s word on the next WRL Asia season while dipping their toes into MLBB esports. This is a major setback, especially since the big names of WRL Asia recently jumped ship to MLBB esports, scoring a slot in the M5 tournament in the Philippines back in December 2023.
And to rub salt in the wound, there’s talk that a certain individual which used to work for Wild Rift esports production in China jumped ship to Moonton for the MLBB esports gig this year. Since then, Riot’s been tight-lipped about their plans for Wild Rift esports this year.
But wait, there’s more bad news! Wild Rift esports took a real hit in popularity this season. Esports Charts noticed that the peak viewership of WRLA S2 paled in comparison to its rivals outside of MLBB, especially against Honor of Kings and Pokemon Unite, which are also being marketed in China. Even the latter, a niche game, pulled in over 49 thousand peak viewers in the Asia region, leaving WRLA in the dust.
New venture
Besides facing off against competitors, Wild Rift seems to be taking a backseat for Riot in China. They just kicked off the Valorant Champions Tour series in the country, and judging by the hype from the Chinese viewers, Riot’s likely to keep their focus on this new scene for a good while.
Additionally, Riot’s got more than just Valorant competitions lined up for Chinese players. The company just dropped the bomb that 2XKO (formerly Project L) is their next big esports venture, especially in Asia. 2XKO is going head-to-head with heavy hitters like Tekken, Street Fighter, and Smash Bros, aiming to carve out a niche in the fighting game market.
The impact
The drop in interest in the WRLA series won’t just hit China—it’s gonna ripple across other regions too, especially Southeast Asia. Heads up: SEA’s been cooling off on both the WR esports scene and the game overall.
Over the past couple of seasons, only Thailand, Vietnam, and the Philippines have stayed in the loop with the WRL Asia Pacific circuit to snag a spot on the WRLA main stage. Meanwhile, heavy-hitting teams from countries like Indonesia, Malaysia, and Myanmar have called it quits, and there’s been zero buzz about any significant WR esports action from them.
Without a clear picture of WRLA’s future in China, there’s no real drive for other countries to keep their WR divisions alive. Some team even straight-up said the uncertainty of WR esports’ future was why they disbanded their WR squad. It’s not a stretch to think other teams might feel the same and switch focus to other competitions.
Looking at all this, it seems like WR esports is gonna take a dive this year unless Riot shakes things up and lays out a clear, stable competitive roadmap. Market vibes say they can’t just ride on LoL’s coattails to push the mobile version anymore. If you think we are just joking, see: the Saudi Esports Federation went with the relatively new Honor of Kings for the Esports World Cup 2024, signaling that WR just isn’t grabbing the attention of gamers worldwide like it used to.
