League of Legends: Reborn in Season 3, Tuning the Entire League

Chapter 209 I hope they won't get too excited!
After receiving sponsorship from Samsung, a major corporation touted as a national pride, the MVP team, which had been on the verge of collapse and whose funding had once dried up, transformed from a chicken into a phoenix.

Not only were the owed wages paid, but the mode of transportation for the S3 World Championship was changed to a luxury airliner, plus landing in a luxury hotel ten days in advance to adapt to the American market and adjust the pace of the competition.

After disembarking, they were met by a staff member arranged by the company. As they were checking in, they suddenly heard a discussion outside the lobby.

“The NXG people!” Redmi’s expression was grave.

The other team members also turned their heads after hearing the top laner's soft exclamation.

"It really is them."

Perhaps because of their shared background as junglers, Dandy, with his sharp eyesight, immediately locked onto his target. "I didn't expect that we would be staying at the same hotel."

No one expected that fate would be so kind, as they would just happen to run into what the club considered to be the strongest opponent in this World Championship.

"Leading the way is top laner Norsha. His individual skill isn't outstanding, and his lane dominance isn't strong, but his champion pool is extremely deep. He can pick all sorts of top laners, both conventional and unconventional, making him very difficult to counter in terms of tactical drafting. What's especially rare is his excellent ability to withstand pressure and farm! Of course, when he gains an economic advantage, his offensive coordination with his teammates is even more precise and effective."

"His playstyle is a bit like Looper's!" The fat mouse wearing round-framed glasses glanced around the crowd, and when he didn't see the person he was looking for, he turned to the team's substitute top laner and said. "A hexagonal top laner template, but our guy's overall hexagonal stats are a bit low, haha."

"How many times have I told you? You have to address your seniors respectfully, call them Hyungseok-ge!" Mata interrupted, somewhat regretting that he didn't have a suitable teaching tool at hand. "Don't interrupt, listen carefully to Chengrong-ge's analysis."

Wearing a Samsung jersey, Redmi leaned against the front desk, glancing at the NXG members who were tidying up their luggage in front of the door, and continued, "Then there's their mid and jungle. Mid laner Yihan's stats don't look impressive on paper... Yuzhen, don't underestimate him. Whether it's roaming and supporting, making crucial assassinations, or coordinating with the jungler, his tactical execution is absolutely top-notch."

Dade nodded in agreement. Someone who can be the starting mid-laner for NXG and even rotate with a player of JM's caliber is not someone to be underestimated!

Underestimating the other party?

A few kimchi dishes, and they can get this drunk!
"Jungler Stone is an all-around player, arguably the strongest individual player among the five NXG members, specializing in Lee Sin and Jarvan IV..."

Hongmi knows NXG inside and out; he's not only the team's top laner but also serves as an analyst.

It's safe to say that after this year's World Championships, barring any unforeseen circumstances, he should step down from his current position, hand the baton to the next generation, and become a full member of the training and competition team, dedicating himself wholeheartedly to the training and competition work.

"Aigu, they're all all-rounders. It feels like the five of them at NXG have no weaknesses except for not liking to play individual skills."

There was one thing that Jiang Ming himself didn't realize: in this timeline, NXG, thanks to their undefeated dominant performance in the LPL Spring Split and his "substitute mid-laner's" All-Star rampage, had become the image of a world championship boss in the eyes of teams from other regions.

"Speaking of which, isn't NXG supposed to be without capital? How come JM is so rich?" Fat Mouse, who had experienced hardship thanks to MVP's recent financial difficulties, was very curious.

Speaking of which, after they were confirmed to participate in the World Championship, the club even arranged a luxury hotel for them. He went to Kim Hyuk-kyu and gloated for a long time.

Looking at it now, it seems like I'm the clown.

Mata didn't make Imp uncomfortable with that statement and proactively explained, "NXG has excellent results, attracting many sponsors, including large companies like Suning. With so many sponsors and their club's own good operating efficiency, how could they possibly lack money?"

The NXG members immediately noticed the SSO team members' stares.
Song Yuan nudged Xu Jing in the waist. "Looks like OGN's number one seed. Should we go over and say hello?"

"Let's go!"

She Niu Xu Jing was about to put it into practice, but was stopped by Pang Ran.

"Let's do it tomorrow. It's too late tonight. Ming reminded us to go to bed and get some rest."

"There is still training to come."

"Fine!"

Xu Jing felt a little regretful; as a stamp collector, he had wanted to ask for their contact information.

The Samsung team was the first to complete the registration. The team leaders on both sides exchanged polite glances and then turned to leave.

The players went into their respective rooms according to the domestic assignments. Song Yuan, who had always been a lone wolf in Sigma, was now sharing a room with team leader Wang Wang.

There was no idle chatter; the fatigue of the journey had already exhausted everyone's energy. After a quick wash, everyone wrapped themselves tightly in their blankets and fell into a deep sleep as soon as they got into bed.

……

Jiang Ming and Lin Jingyi did not travel with the contestants.

It wasn't that he wanted to spend some time alone with his senior.

Riot Games sent them an invitation to visit their newly built headquarters before the tournament.

Firstly, we want to thank "JM" for his contributions to the promotion of League of Legends over the past year, and secondly, we invite him to fulfill his responsibility as a representative of player feedback and provide reference for the creation of the new map for the next season.

Well, the key point is actually the latter.

Before 2012, Riot Games mainly promoted League of Legends by leveraging the original Dota 2 team.

However, since Tencent acquired 100% ownership, the game's profitability has been excellent: the number of players is about to exceed 100 million from over 80 million, monthly active users exceed 40 million, and daily concurrent users have exceeded 5 million, making LOL the number one online game in the world.

Riot Games is eager to break free from the Dota 2 influence in its game content, making it especially important to listen to the opinions of JM, a top-tier player and the player with the most League of Legends fans worldwide.

I must speak up for Tencent here. Some idiots who just parrot others always like to attack them with labels like "plagiarism" or "capital buyout".

In reality, many startups that start from scratch would love to encounter a "conscientious" investor like Tencent. Think about it, Tencent not only provides ample financial support, but even if they achieve 100% ownership, they usually won't interfere with the company's normal operational decisions.

Such "rich and easy" sponsors are extremely rare in the business world.

Do not believe?

Look at what happened to that little chicken dictionary!

At this stage, Riot Games values ​​player feedback quite a bit, unlike later on when it displayed an arrogant attitude of "the designers are teaching you how to play the game," implying that "you can say whatever you want, but I'll admit defeat if I listen."

Of course, they took the initiative to invite Jiang Ming not only because they valued his contributions to the promotion of LOL and his globally recognized status as a "top player," but also because of his identity as the owner of the NXG club.

If the labels of promoter, top player, and club operator existed individually, Riot Games would at most remember the name "JM," and would never have received the respect he has today.

The key was Jiang Ming's series of strategic moves, coupled with the politically correct veneer he gained through Jinling University, which allowed Riot Games and Tencent, the company behind it, to clearly see a feasible path for esports to become standardized and commercialized.

Now that such an amazing figure has emerged in the esports world, wouldn't it be a waste not to make good use of him? (Rio's headquarters entrance!)

In front of the red fist sign.

(It looks something like this. A friend of mine took this picture. This one has been refurbished. The license plate from 13 looks like it was smashed by a Yonhap News Agency vehicle. I don't know if it was driven by a female Irelia player.)
"Hello, dear Jiang, this is Mike. Welcome to our new headquarters!" A bearded man wearing a Riot Games badge stood at the door and opened his arms to Jiang Ming. "On behalf of Tryndamere and Ryze, I welcome you. They should have been the ones to greet you, but unfortunately, they had to fly to the Asia region for a very urgent meeting today."

"Oh, is it because of the Asian Games?"

After a brief hug, Jiang Ming asked curiously, while Lin Jingyi generously extended her hand, replacing the other party's overly enthusiastic Western-style greeting.

Lin Jingyi was very careful about the distance between herself and other men. Although her boyfriend didn't seem like a controlling person, she still tried to avoid physical contact as much as possible.

Mike was somewhat shocked after hearing Jiang Ming's words.

Did the other party already know that League of Legends might be selected as a demonstration sport for the Asian Games?
Jiang Ming, who had read the other party's thoughts, added: "Back when we were at the All-Star Game in Shanghai, a senior colleague of mine who works within the system talked to me about related matters."

"Oh, no wonder!"

Mike suddenly realized that it was someone from the industry; he knew all too well the power of these insiders.

He himself struggles to make ends meet just paying off his domestic university loans, while the children of some high-ranking officials and dignitaries can get into Harvard and MIT simply by filling out an application form. It just goes to show that the biggest difference between people in the great United States lies in that birth certificate.

"It is indeed something being discussed at the Asian Games. Incheon is interested in making League of Legends a demonstration sport, but there are still some obstacles in the process."

"However, I think if China can provide some support, it shouldn't be a problem."

"Haha, it will succeed."

Jiang Ming was unaware that the other party had entered a state of self-hypnosis.

After exchanging a few pleasantries, they followed the other party to tour the new headquarters of Riot Games.

Riot Games' new headquarters is located in West Los Angeles, in the Element LA office park. The site is enormous, covering a whopping 28 square feet. The building was renovated by Hudson Pacific Properties and features industrial-style designs such as high timber truss ceilings and sawtooth skylights.

Upon entering the gate, you'll find a very iconic statue – Anne and Tibbers.

If I remember correctly, Annie is the name of the CEO's daughter. Now I know why the CEO has so many skins.

Of course, there's also the ex-girlfriend "Katarina" who was used to test the new hero and was constantly getting beaten up!
"Take a picture for us!"

It can only be said that taking photos is an irresistible genetic trait for all women, even senior female students.

Upon seeing the Anne and Tibbers statue created by renowned artist Steve Wang, Lin Jingyi couldn't wait to pull Jiang Ming to stand in front of it.

Then comes the all-powerful scissor hand gesture—the peace sign!
Jiang Ming wasn't particularly interested in taking photos as souvenirs. Rather than taking a photo that he would never look at again, he preferred to examine the lifelike details of this fist-themed cultural symbol in person.

Behind the statue is a long corridor. Because the exterior walls of the statue are decorated with large areas of glass, the interior is very well lit.

It's so much better than the old headquarters in Santa Monica.

The passageway ends at the office area, which, in Mike's words, should be called a collaborative space.

The meeting rooms are very unique, named directly after heroes. For example, the designer's lab is called Jinx's Lab, and the employee fitness area is called Vi's Gym.

"Good heavens, no wonder the version changes in later generations are more and more abstract, and the heroes released are more and more gay. The root of the problem lies here."

Jiang Ming thought to himself, "This is what I'm complaining about."

The version designed from the lab of the madwoman Jinx, with employees passionately fighting each other in the gym, is bound to be abstract.

There aren't many employees in the work area yet; some of them are still in Santa Monica, and the entire staff won't be moved over until the end of this year.

No one was surprised to see two Asian faces in the room; Jiang Ming was not an isolated case among visitors during this period.

"This is our lounge area, the Bilgewater Brewery!" Mike's face was beaming with pride; this themed bar, decorated according to his own ideas, was his favorite spot.

"We have coffee, snacks, and craft beer. Would you like a drink?"

"my pleasure!"

When in Rome, do as the Romans do. Jiang Ming and Lin Jingyi each accepted a freshly ground cup of coffee from the other.

The bar is decorated with pirate-style wooden barrels and nautical maps. People usually rest here or hold small meetings. Next door is a real private lounge and an atrium, which is planted with various drought-resistant plants. The environment is very nice.

"Alright, now let's take a look at today's topic!"

Mike said mysteriously, "I promise you'll be very surprised."

Jiang Ming: ...

Alright, I guess I'll have to be an Oscar winner soon.

Riot Games hasn't revealed any new maps outside of the game so far. If they don't react with some exaggerated reactions, they'll probably think there's a wolf in the wolf's den within their own company.

It was during Jiang Ming's visit to Riot Games headquarters that he participated in a feedback meeting on the new map design.

Ten days passed quickly, and the opening ceremony of the 2013 League of Legends World Championship officially arrived.

At 8 a.m. on the 15th in Los Angeles, which was exactly 1:10 a.m. in China, Mo Ziye, who was forced to stay in China and whose resentment was enough to support an evil sword immortal, uploaded the pre-match video prepared by his boss to the internet.

"Hmm, he's very humble in China, but he's always up to no good when it comes to the World Championship. It seems the boss is still a young man at heart."

Looking at the uploaded video in his hand, Mo Ziye felt remorse for his past suspicion that his boss was not a twenty-year-old college student at all.

Unlike other teams that typically post training photos, player lifestyle pictures, or team-building activities before a match, NXG, whose show has always been top-notch since its inception and whose style is far ahead of the competition, is no exception this time.

"Hopefully, players from other regions won't get too excited when they see this!"

(End of this chapter)