Esport fans have an appointment in Montpellier next September. The Hérault city will host the finals of the LEC, the highest level of League of Legends video game competition in Europe, on September 9 and 10, the video game publisher announced on Friday. “Riot Games is proud to announce the return to France of one of its major international competitions: the League of Legends EMEA Championship (LEC) finals,” the publisher said in a statement.
A powerhouse of the industry for more than a decade, League of Legends, the world’s most popular computer game, has played a major role in the popularity and professionalization of esports, video game competitions. The objective of the players, gathered in teams of five, is to destroy the opponents’ base while protecting their own. “Announced last February, the finals will be held on September 9 and 10 at the Sud de France Arena in Montpellier”, where thousands of spectators are expected. The LEC Finals are indeed the highlight of the competitive season in Europe.
Another event scheduled the day before
The finals of the EMEA Masters, the second European level, will also take place in Montpellier the day before, Riot Games said. This is the fifth time that France has hosted a major international League of Legends esports event. At the end of 2019, the final of the World Championships, the most popular competition of the year in the world of esports, took place at the Accor Arena in Paris.
The metropolis of Montpellier, the seventh largest city in France, has focused part of its economic development on the cultural and creative industries sector for more than 20 years. It hosts renowned schools in the field of video games and 3D animation, as well as internationally renowned studios such as Ubisoft, Blue Twelve and Fortiche.
