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League of Legends kicks off new professional league

Riot Games bets on eSports with its Championship Series

League of Legends developer Riot Games has announced the Championship Series professional league for the game, beginning in 2013. The new league will include regular season matches every week, HD streaming broadcasts of games, salaries and extensive prize pools for competing teams.

"Talking to players around the world, they repeatedly asked if we could kick League of Legends eSports into higher gear," said Brandon Beck, co-founder and CEO of Riot Games. "The new League of Legends Championship Series is our answer. Millions of fans tune in every time we support a major League of Legends tournament, so we're broadening that support in an unprecedented way."

The regular season matches during the Championship Series will give way to regional playoffs and a World Championship. The top three teams from the current Season Two competitions in North America and Europe will be pre-qualified for the Championship Series.

"[Intel Extreme Masters, Major League Gaming, and the IGN Pro League] are invaluable partners, and we'll continue to work closely with each of them in Season 3 as they foster the next generation of League of Legends competitors," said Dustin Beck, vice president of eSports at Riot Games.

The European Season Two regionals will take place at Gamescom in Cologne, Germany, from August 16 to August 19. The North America Season Two regionals will take place at PAX Prime in Seattle, from August 30 through September 2.

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Mike Williams avatar

Mike Williams

Reviews Editor, USgamer

M.H. Williams is new to the journalism game, but he's been a gamer since the NES first graced American shores. Third-person action-adventure games are his personal poison: Uncharted, Infamous, and Assassin's Creed just to name a few. If you see him around a convention, he's not hard to spot: Black guy, glasses, and a tie.