Wang Sicong’s Invictus Gaming swept European powerhouse Fnatic 3-0 to take home the 2018 ‘League of Legends’ World Championship.
As the Chinese team dealt the death blow to their opponents’ base in the final of Sunday’s “League of Legends” World Championship, the Mandarin-speaking commentator lost what little was left of his cool-headed veneer.
“We are the champions! The champions of champions!” he yelled, his voice cracking as confetti rained down on the 26,000 spectators who had gathered at the arena in Incheon, South Korea.
The commentator’s jubilation was shared by millions in China watching from internet bars, their homes, and paid viewing events at larger venues. Videos of young fans lighting fireworks and bellowing at the top of their lungs in their university dorms flooded Chinese social media on Sunday night. To make good on a lost bet, one student even raced across his college campus in his underwear.
To China’s esports fans, they had been waiting for this moment for years. Never before has a Chinese team claimed the title of “League of Legends” world champion. But that doesn’t mean China isn’t dedicated to the game, which is owned by Tencent, one of the country’s “big three” internet companies, and played by over 110 million people in China, according to one estimate from June of last year. The game pits two teams of heroes against each other in tactical five-on-five battles: The team that destroys the enemy base wins. Read the full article here.
– This is original content by Sixth Tone and has been republished with permission.
