Riot Games Reveals ‘LoL Park’ in Seoul

For spectators, the stadium provides a much more intimate viewing experience than most of the stadiums that esports events are typically held in. The main stage is a circle, with two teams encompassing each semi-circle. A relatively small number of spectators are there to watch the fray—the capacity is about 500. Those up front are less than 10 feet away from the action, even being able to see their monitors through a see-through divider. There is also a four-panel display with screens that show the action, like the Jumbotrons that one would see in other stadiums.

LoL Park comes equipped with several facilities that make the stadium usable year-round during any day of the week. It also features sleek and a muted design that makes it a stylish feat of internal architecture.

There are a few key features of the main stage that make it an innovation for esports organization. One feature is that there is a coach box at the edge of the stage, which serves to answer some of the coaching dilemmas that professional esports have faced for nearly a decade. There are practice rooms with PCs set up as well as whiteboards for physically writing notes and strategies.

LoL Park is outfitted with several interview rooms and conference rooms to make the LCS experience even more professional. We might expect to see streams become more akin to televised broadcasting, especially with more announcer screen time.

Year-Round Usage and Important Features of LoL Park

One of the key features that differentiate LoL Park from traditional stadiums is the other facilities that allow it to operate (and profit) every single day of the year, as opposed to exclusively during events.

To start, one of the most essential features of LoL Park is a PC bang, a Korean internet and gaming café, with a hundred seats and computers. The PC bang is also meant to be a room for simultaneous playing and watching while events are going on.

There’s also a dedicated store exclusively for Riot Games merchandise with plenty of new goodies. At a recent showcase, they showed off clothes, figurines, 3D printed models of pro players, and accessories for people to get their hands on. Not only that, but there is an in-house eatery—the Bilgewater Café—that serves plenty of glorious on-theme snack food.

The stadium includes a Riot-exclusive room, which we assume to be kind of a “box seat” for high-value customers. Otherwise, it might be a Riot employee’s “home away from home,” where they can get work done close to the action. It might also be a place for them to gather data and analytics about their viewers.

For super-fans there are zones of the Park dedicated for interviews with the players. The decision to include something like this will likely cut down on stress and pre-show clutter for Riot’s top players. If there is any lesson that companies like this can learn from traditional sports communities and companies, it’s that you need to treat your players with respect and any solitude they require.

Regarding League-specific decoration, there is also room for giant murals and sculptures of characters battling as they do in the game. The aim is clear for Riot—they want this stadium to be high-end. The developers and players have probably been to enough venues to know what they can do well to make it a comfortable location for players and spectators.

Riot Games plans to open the stadium piece by piece. The PC bang portion is opening first currently in September with plans to open the main stage for the first time during the 2018 World Championship Play-In. By January of 2019, all facilities should be up and running full steam.