Starting A Movement In The League Of Legends North American Scene
By Zac Cameron ·
The changing face of the North American League of Legends Championship Series and what the new teams are doing to build support and create new fans.
With so many new organisations now getting involved in eSports, a big problem arising from it is how to cement your place as a franchise that is worth following. In the past, teams would have to build a fan base from the ground up, relying solely on grassroots efforts by passionate fans and backed by results of tournaments and meet and greets. But times change, and the methods teams can use to reach out and create a following have changed as well. North American League of Legends teams in particular have been making moves to make their names known among the masses as the League of Legends Championship Series (LCS) comes into full swing. Here's a few of them and what they're doing to make sure you know who they are.
The Golden Guardians
The Golden Guardians are one of the new NBA-backed teams that are looking to carve out a place in the LCS. With a roster of well-established pro players, one might be forgiven for thinking that the work is already done but for the people in charge it’s never a good idea to rest on your laurels. The Golden State Warriors made the bold choice of introducing their new affiliate team at one of their games, showing a lot of investment into their new franchise team.
In addition to this, they have been utilising their significant social media presence to showcase their new team to the greater public, such as bringing the NBA Championship trophy to games at the LCS studio. This kind of exposure will allow non-traditional fans to take an interest and potentially grow a fan base that not only stems from traditional sources, but also bridges the gap between the esports fan and the traditional sports fan.
Clutch Gaming
The Golden State Warriors aren’t the only NBA team to take an interest in the NA LCS however. Clutch Gaming, backed by the Houston Rockets, have also made their roster debut, though a little more low key than the Golden Guardians. With several high profile players on their roster already very familiar with fans, Clutch Gaming wasted no time in rolling out merchandise for fans to snap up. They’ve also embraced the art of the interview, getting out updates on how the roster is going while also building hype for coming matches.
OpTic Gaming
OpTic Gaming is a name that’s been around the block before. They come to the table with an already established brand from other eSports, but that hasn’t stopped them from rolling out the red carpet for their NA LCS team. With their already impressive media machine, OpTic Gaming ensures that their pre-existing fans are well aware of their foray into League of Legends. This allows the fans of not only the brand, but also of the individual players to combine their forces and come together and show their support in this new venture.
Loving all of the fan support here at the LCS arena, especially from the tiny ones! #GreenWall #OPTWIN pic.twitter.com/i2lQHDYl7e
— OpTicLoL (@OpTicLoL) January 28, 2018
100 Thieves
The last of our new faces is 100 Thieves. While fairly new to the scene, they have certainly made their mark already with an exciting roster full of fan favourites to support. 100 Thieves looks to take a note of the pages of some of the other, more established organisations, and have put out an internal docu-series that shows life behind the curtain, so to speak. These kind of peeks into the life of the pro team have done wonders for teams such as TSM and Team Liquid, and 100 Thieves is certainly wise to follow suit. Whether this will prove to be enough to carve themselves a place among the greats remains to be seen, but they are certainly off to a strong start.
For all these teams, while winning is an important step to success, building a sustainable culture to support them is equally as critical. While their methods may vary, the end goal is the same; gain a following that will stick by you through thick and thin, allowing you to make decisions not based on what is popular, but what will help the team the most. For now, these teams have put the establishment on notice.
For more information on how the pre-season roster shake-up affected the teams, check out our break down of the new (and old) faces of the NA LCS.