League of Legends Worlds Finals live: Korea’s T1 and China’s BLG face off in London

A warm welcome during an ‘esports winter’published at 13:14 Greenwich Mean Time

13:14 GMT

Andrew Rogers
BBC Newsbeat, reporting from the O2 Arena

Hello and thank you for joining us as we cover the very exciting finals of League of Legends Worlds.

There’s no doubt that people here are hyped. Everywhere you look, fans are wearing shirts of their favorite teams in the final: BLG from China, and more often, Korea’s T1.

Politicians and organizers are keen to highlight the economic benefits of this event, and it will undoubtedly provide a boost as people travel in from across the UK and the world. Tickets sold out in minutes.

But it’s not all good news. Some have called the last few years an “esports winter”, because so many teams and tournaments have run into financial troubles and shut down. Arguably, the UK’s esports scene was more vibrant a decade ago, with more teams and more mid-sized events. Since then, money has dried up.

So while bringing Worlds to the UK is a massive vote of confidence, teams and organizers of smaller competitions will be hoping this isn’t just a flash in the pan.