E-sports, after many fits and starts over the years, has finally started to take off thanks to the popularity of games like League of Legends and StarCraft II. Riot Games has established a “Championship Series” of e-sports events, with prizes in the millions of dollars that they hope will create an ecosystem where gamers can attempt to go pro.

“We don’t have our sights set on replacing soccer right now, but we definitely think that e-sports has a place as a large, important, mainstream competitive activity,” said Riot Games co-founder Brandon Beck. “I fundamentally believe that e-sports will be an Olympic event in my lifetime.”

“It’s important for companies to not just say they’re excited about e-sports, but to actually make commitments: from a development standpoint and from a financial standpoint,” he said. “These players have to make a massive commitment to become pro-athletes, so there has to be a viable career path for that to grow into anything.”

Find out more about Riot Games and League of Legends in this exclusive [a]list interview.

Source: GamesIndustry International