LOS ANGELES (AP) — Riot Games has named John Needham its new global head of League of Legends esports, putting him in charge of the world’s most popular competitive video game and its 13 professional leagues.
Riot announced the promotion Wednesday. The current co-heads of esports, Jarred Kennedy and Whalen Rozelle, will remain with the company in other leadership positions.
Needham previously helped oversee LoL’s top-level leagues in Europe and North America. Clubs from those regions have had breakthrough success in the past year in a game long dominated by South Korean and Chinese teams. Europe’s G2 Esports recently beat North America’s Team Liquid to win the Mid-Season Invitational, the first time teams from those regions met in the final of a major, international LoL event since 2011.
Rozelle and Kennedy have overseen the past three world championships, growing the elite competitive scene to over 100 pro teams with more than 800 players. Last year’s world championship drew nearly 100 million viewers, on par with that of this year’s Super Bowl.
Kennedy will oversee a division focused on new business, and Rozelle will lead a group exploring new esports initiatives, according to a news release from the company.
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