Seoul to hold Esports festival at Gwanghwamun Square during LoL Worlds

Esports

Published: 19 Sep. 2023, 12:47 Updated: 19 Sep. 2023, 17:21

Seoul to hold Esports festival at Gwanghwamun Square during LoL Worlds

The League of Legends World Championship 2023 poster [SEOUL METROPOLITAN GOVERNMENT]

The Seoul Metropolitan Government will hold an Esports festival at Gwanghwamun Square in central Seoul during this year’s League of Legends (LoL) World Championship final to promote the city as an Esports hub.

The LoL World Championship is one of the most popular Esports tournaments in the world, with over 10,000 people watching the event in person. Last year’s final saw 18,000 spectators and 5.15 million concurrent viewers.

The tournament will take place in Korea this year for the first time since 2018, with a large number of local and international Esports fans expected to attend the event.

2023 League of Legends Worlds to be held in Seoul, Busan

To mark the event, the city will set up facilities at Gwanghwamun Square to allow attendees to play games developed by Riot Games — the video game developer that produced LoL — enjoy a music concert and also watch the LoL World Championship final game live on Nov. 19.

A stage for an outdoor cheering event for a 2023 U-20 World Cup match between Korea and Italy in Argentina is being installed at the Gwanghwamun Square in central Seoul on June 8. [NEWS1]

The decision to host the event at the center of the city came after Seoul Metropolitan Government signed a business agreement with Riot Games on Friday last week.

“Gwanghwamun Square is not only the center of Seoul, but it is also one of the most historically important places in Korea that already plays host to global sporting events like the World Cup and Olympics as well as various culture and civic events,” Deputy Mayor of the Seoul Metropolitan Government’s Economic Policy Division Kim Tae-kyoon was quoted as saying in a press release. “This global event will introduce Seoul’s charm to people worldwide and will also serve as an opportunity for them to enjoy and experience various cultures.”

Esports fans will also be able to gather at multiple venues across Seoul, as the city is holding not only the LoL World Championship final, but also the tournament’s Play-In-Stage and Swiss Stage in October.

The Play-In-Stage, a pair of four-team double-elimination brackets that act as preliminaries for the tournament, will take place at LoL Park in central Seoul from Oct. 10 to 15.

The two qualifying teams from the Play-In Stage will then join the 14 other prequalified teams for the five-round Swiss Stage, which pits teams with the same win-loss record against each other until they achieve either three wins or three loses. The Swiss Stage will be held at KBS Arena in western Seoul between Oct. 19 and 29.

The tournament will then head south to Busan for start of the knockout stage, consisting of quarterfinals and semifinals, at Sajik Indoor Gymnasium from Nov. 2 to Nov. 12.

Finally, the world final, a best-of-five between the two semifinal winners, will be held at Gocheok Sky Dome in western Seoul on Nov. 19.

Gocheok Sky Dome [SEOUL METROPOLITAN GOVERNMENT]

“Thanks to Seoul’s active cooperation, we are able to hold the 2023 LoL World Championship final at Gocheok Sky Dome,” Secretary General of League of Legends Champions Korea Lee Jung-hoon was quoted as saying in a press release. “Since we can be with fans at Seoul’s iconic venue Gwanghwamun Square and this is also the first big Esports event to be held at the venue, we will meticulously prepare for it in order for the fans to enjoy it with pride.”

This year’s tournament was slightly delayed from the normal September start to allow time for the Asian Games, to be held in Hangzhou, China, from Sept. 23 to Oct. 8. League of Legends is one of seven Esports that will be competed at the Games.

BY PAIK JI-HWAN AND JIM BULLEY [paik.jihwan@joongang.co.kr]