×
You will be redirected back to your article in seconds

Riot and Alienware Partner Up for ‘League of Legends’ Esports Deal

By

Liz's Most Recent Stories

View All

Riot Games partnered with Alienware for exclusive use of its hardware during official esports competitions, the companies announced Tuesday at CES 2019, in Las Vegas.

Alienware will power the esports competitions of “League of Legends” as official display partner in major events, including the “League of Legends” Championship Series and the League of Legends European Championship. Alienware will also power  four international competitions: NA vs EU Rift Rivals, the Mid-Season Invitational, the World Championship, and the All-Star Event, according to a press release.

Competitors will use Alienware Aurora R8 desktops, along with AW2518H 240Hz G-sync gaming monitors. The universality of hardware used should make for a more even competition. Plus, the PCs will all run Dell’s SupportAssist, meaning any potential technical issues can be diagnosed proactively, “before they have a chance to critically impact a match,” according to the press release.

Alienware will be the official competition PC and display partner for some time, as it was announced that this partnership with Riot is a “multi-year” deal.
“For the pros competing in the LCS and LEC, this [partnership] introduces not only a major improvement in the overall performance and responsiveness of the new 2019 PC league hardware but also helps to elevate the competitive experience by ensuring that the hardware used by teams climbing to the top throughout the regular season are the same that will support them in international play as well as throughout the 2019 ‘League of Legends’ World Championship,” the press release stated.
Alienware and Riot also teased that a “variety of exciting broadcast innovations” surrounding the “League of Legends” esports scene are coming, though it’s unclear if we will hear more at CES 2019 or sometime in the future.

 

Popular on Variety

  • Variety Kit Harington Game of Thrones

    Kit Harington on 'Game of Thrones' Ending, Women of Westeros

  • Why Laurie Metcalf's Hillary Clinton Won't

    John Lithgow and Laurie Metcalf on Playing the Clintons: 'There's a Tremendous Undertow of Melancholy'

  • Kevin Costner

    Kevin Costner on Oscar Netflix Controversy: 'Movies Are for Theaters'

  • Director/Writer/Producer Jordan Peele arrives as Universal

    Jordan Peele on the Message Behind 'Us'

  • Charlize Theron,Seth Rogen

    Charlize Theron, Seth Rogen Weigh in on Theatrical vs. Streaming

  • Kathy Bates arrives for the world

    Kathy Bates on Netflix Awards Debate: Short Theatrical Releases Are 'Dirty Pool'

  • 'Broad City's' Abbi Jacobson, Ilana Glazer

    'Broad City's' Abbi Jacobson, Ilana Glazer Talk Series' End, Favorite Episodes

  • Why 'Captain Marvel' Matters

    Cast of 'Captain Marvel' On Why Carol Danvers Matters

  • Remembering Luke Perry 1966 - 2019

    Remembering Luke Perry 1966 - 2019

  • A still from Leaving Neverland by

    'Leaving Neverland' Director on Making Michael Jackson Abuse Documentary

More Gaming

  • 'Red Dead Online' Spring Update Will

    'Red Dead Online' Spring Update Will Add Hostility System, Play Styles

    “Red Dead Online” is getting a big update this spring with some new features, developer Rockstar Games announced on Tuesday. “Alongside incorporating player feedback and addressing existing issues, the beta period has allowed us to lay the groundwork for the more advanced aspects of ‘Red Dead Online’ still to come,” it said in a post [...]

  • Anthem

    BioWare Says 'Anthem' Launch Was Rougher Than Expected

    BioWare general manager Casey Hudson is assuring “Anthem” players that the team is working hard to improve the online game after its rocky launch last month. “Anthem” released worldwide on Feb. 22 and received very mixed reviews from critics. Variety’s own Dan Solberg called it a “disjointed and clunky experience where the contact high of [...]

  • Jade Raymond to Lead Google's New

    Jade Raymond to Lead Google's New First-Party Game Development Studio

    Long-time video game producer Jade Raymond will lead Google’s new first-party development studio, called Stadia Games and Entertainment, the company announced during the Game Developers Conference on Tuesday. The studio will create games for Google’s new streaming service Stadia, which promises seamless 60 FPS and 1080p resolution on any device running a Chrome browser. Game [...]

  • 'Doom Eternal' Coming to Google's New

    'Doom Eternal' Coming to Google's New Stadia Service

    Id Software’s upcoming action sequel “Doom Eternal” is coming to Google’s new game streaming service called Stadia, the two companies announced during the Game Developers Conference in San Francisco on Tuesday. Google’s Stadia promises seamless 60 FPS and 1080p gameplay on any device with a Chrome browser, including tablets, phones, laptops, and televisions (via a [...]

  • Google Unveils Its New Stadia Controller

    Google Unveils Its New Stadia Controller

    Google officially unveiled its new video game streaming service Stadia during the Game Developers Conference in San Francisco on Tuesday, along with a new controller. Where other wireless game controllers typically use Bluetooth, the Stadia Controller uses Wi-Fi to connect directly to a game running in Google’s data center. It can identify which screen or [...]

  • The Struggles of South African Indie

    The Struggles of South African Indie Game Development

    Breaking into the game industry is a daunting endeavor. Often times independent solo developers feel isolated from everyone else and their perception of how things work is easily shaped by public discourse and their own expectations. Breaking into the industry from South Africa is even tougher since you’re an entire continent away from the main [...]

  • Google Stream Detailed, Named Stadia

    Google's Stadia Aims to Turn Any Screen Into a Powerful Gaming Console

    Stadia is Google’s game streaming service that is designed to let you play high-end games on most modern screens — be they phone, laptop, tablet, computer or TV — with very little download time and no loss of fidelity, the company announced Tuesday at the Game Developers Conference. The service is launching in 2019. Cost [...]

More From Our Brands

Access exclusive content

© 2019 Penske Media Corporation

ad