Riot Games seems to be developing its own esports streaming app named "Riot Esports Network" (REN). Will it be an actual competitor for Twitch? Let's see what we know about it so far.
We all know Riot and their games. We've been playing League of Legends for the last 10 years, and now we can observe the dynamic development of Valorant, a shooter that has made a big splash in the FPS market. Many have already tried to succeed and create a modern streaming platform that will gather the interest of gamers and esports enthusiasts — YouTube, Mixr, Hitbox, and many others. They all failed, but will Riot succeed? Or is this not about competition at all?
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Riot Games' Esports App
Riot Esports Network (REN) will eventually be available for both PC and mobile devices and will show all Esports tournaments in League of Legends, Wild Rift, Valorant, and all other competitive games from Riot. According to screenshots shared by Spideraxe30, the app might also allow you to participate in tournament-related events and earn various prizes.
Just got a survey from Riot and it looks like they are developing their own esports app called the Riot Esports Network and it teases some new features like fan battles and pick'ems for the regular season. pic.twitter.com/onQQs7AqRg
— Spideraxe (@Spideraxe30) August 15, 2021
Riot has the essentials — a large community and player base. On top of that, the app can serve as an esports development tool for lesser titles like Legends of Runeterra or Teamfight Tactics and grow their community. It all sounds lovely, except that Twitch continues to exist and does just fine.
Riot Esports Network vs. Twitch
Riot has had a pretty good relationship with Twitch so far. It's where we could watch all the biggest esports events, and League of Legends and Valorant are constantly in the Top 5 of most-watched games. Can Riot Esports Network disrupt this relationship?
Probably not. We think Riot won't want to compete heavily with Twitch, but they may even want to partner with them. Besides, remember that there's no esports every day! On Twitch, we can watch independent streamers from all over the world who have different ideas that Riot probably wouldn't want to support. In short — Expect Riot Esports Network to be Twitch's friend rather than its competitor.
Watch LoL and Valorant Esports With Even More Details
Players, team lineups, builds, gold, and much more should now be even easier to track. With the Riot Esports Network app, you'll always know what's going on. This is something LoL fans have been asking for for a long time as a Twitch plugin. Well, it looks like they're getting more than what they asked for.
- Keep track of who made it to the next Worlds: Which Teams Qualified for LoL Worlds 2021?
Riot Esports Network Features
It looks like one of REN's features will be a “catch-up mechanic” that will help viewers who have just tuned in to watch highlights from the part they missed. This way, you won't miss any essential plays and won't have to watch the entire match from the beginning.
Leaks also show that we can expect a sort of Pick'em System called "Fan Duels". This will be a contest to predict the winner of a specific match or even the entire tournament. The prizes will include fan merchandise and in-game items, but this is not yet officially confirmed.
Winning fan duels looks to give you sticker packs as well as team emotes pic.twitter.com/hxMROSpe38
— Spideraxe (@Spideraxe30) August 15, 2021
Besides that, we don't know too much about the Riot Esports Network yet. However, something makes us think we'll hear about this app before the LoL and Valorant World Championships... which is pretty soon! Meanwhile, have a look at our other articles about Riot's esports:
- LEC Playoffs Begin! (Updated)
- EMEA Challengers Playoffs: Teams, Format, Prizes & More
- CLG LoL Players Told They'll Lose Their Jobs in Live Video
Be sure to also check out our LoL and Valorantsections, where we provide you with the hottest news and guides to help you become a better player.
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