The big picture: The League of Legends World Championship is returning to China for the second year in a row as developer Riot Games recently announced that the 2021 finals will be held as an in-person event later this year. Organizers will likely implement some health and safety precautions, but with vaccines becoming widely available, festivities could be a bit more robust this year.
The gaming extravaganza is scheduled to kick off on November 6 from the Universiade Sports Centre in Shenzhen. The 60,334-capacity stadium typically plays host to the Shenzhen Football Club, which competes in the Chinese Super League.
Riot Games held last year's finals in Shanghai. As Engadget recounts, organizers relied on an "isolation bubble" to help protect competitors and staff from Covid-19. The event largely went off as planned, although a couple of teams and participants weren't able to make the drip due to pandemic-related travel issues.
esports teams from China and South Korea have largely dominated the LoL World Championships in recent years, but Europe has come on strong as of late. Team Cloud9 finished in third place in 2018, the best showing from an American group since 2011.
More information on the 2021 League of Legends World Championship will be shared at a later date, Riot said.
Image courtesy Roman Kosolapov