It appears League of Legends developer Riot Games is keen in their ways of growing their hit MOBA game into a global eSport. Over the weekend, the company snatched up several domain names related to the League of Legends Championship series and eSports in general.
The first domain registration, uncovered by Fusible, was for ChampionshipSeriesLeague.com. Purchased and registered through internet brand protection company MarkMonitor, this appears to fall in line with the League of Legends Championship Series. Riot announced the Championship Series in August 2012. The plan is to have a global league of top professional, salaried teams that features multiple matchers per week and playoff events leading up to a World Championship. It's a grand vision, but one Riot Games is totally capable in achieving.
Further proof of their dedication is some more domain acquisitions centered around terms like "league" and "esports". For instance, they registered LeagueeSports.com (WHOIS) and LoLeSport.com (WHOIS). Riot Games appears ready to take the next step in growing the eSport community. They've always been open about their vision to one day have eSports like League of Legends on the same level as traditional sports like football, baseball, and soccer.
If eSports want to be taken seriously and really make the jump to the next level, then they need dedicated professional programming. Perhaps Riot is looking to turn these domains into ESPN-like websites filled with the latest League of Legends news, reports, and recaps. As always, Riot is secretive about their domains, so it's likely we won't know anything until they announce it.
