League of Legends news » League of Legends World Tour - Singapore and Malaysia

The next stop on the League of Legends World Tour takes us to the sister nations of Singapore and Malaysia.

Situated next to one another on the Malay Peninsula, Singapore and Malaysia are both home to vibrant gaming cultures. Having officially joined the international League of Legends community in May of 2010, they are also two of the most well-established regions playing League of Legends to date. MOBA style games were already a familiar part of gaming culture in Southeast Asia when League of Legends launched, along with many FPS and MMORPG titles. This familiarity helped fuel rapid growth in the region, a trend that has only increased as the game continues to evolve. As a matter of fact, in 2011 alone the League of Legends playerbase in Singapore and Malaysia more than doubled in size!

Most Singaporean and Malaysian gamers prefer to get their gaming done from home, but the success of League of Legends has boosted the popularity of internet cafes and LAN centers. Enthusiastic players from both nations turn out to compete at huge number of events, resulting in an extremely close-knit community. An impressive number of fan art and creations have come from both nations, and teams often cross the border to compete in each other’s tournaments.

As passionate competitive players, Singapore and Malaysia’s foray into competitive League of Legends began with the Ring of Champions tournament – an invitation-only tournament held while the service was still in closed beta. Broadcast across the region from a special event site, this tournament showcased many of the more prominent MOBA players from the region putting their skills to the test for the chance to compete at the World Cyber Games 2010 Grand Finals. Since this time we have seen teams from these countries competing on the international stage in both the Intel Extreme Masters Series and the Season One Championship.

But the prevailing competitive spirit in Singapore and Malaysia isn’t limited to big eSports personalities and prestigious international events. The region is also home to many League of Legends tournaments dedicated specifically to helping initiate new gamers into the competitive scene. These events include both the Teemo Rookie Cup, a tournament series limited to players who have never finished in the top 3 of a League of Legends tournament, and the Alienware Youth Tournament, which was only for students. Events such as these have produced many players who have gone one to achieve much larger competitive success, including team Mezameyo, who subsequently placed third in Singapore’s WCG 2011 qualifier.

While Singapore and Malaysia have already impressed us with their passion for League of Legends over the years, the evolving local metagame in these regions combined with the open, supportive attitude of the competitive community lead us to believe we’ll be seeing a lot more from these players in the future. We look forward to seeing what these players bring to the table as we go forward in 2012!