BackPUBG could soon have big competition on smartphones
There is no confirmation on when League of Legends will come to mobile, or whether it will come to India but this could be an opportunity for the game to make inroads hereLOL could battle the company’s own mobile sensation, PUBG Mobile
PremiumChina’s Tencent Holdings is working on what could be its next mobile sensation. According to a report by Reuters, the world’s most popular PC game, League of Legends (LOL), is coming to mobile.
Reports say that the game had over 100 million active users till last year, and its 2018 World Championships brought in over 205 million concurrent viewers, setting new records for viewership numbers.
However, there have been talks about the game’s popularity declining over the year. Some reports have speculated that LOL will be dying in 2019, which is probably why Tencent is developing the mobile version, to give the game a jump start.
Also Read | Women advance through the ranks in India’s gaming arena
Interestingly, if it gains popularity on mobile, LOL could battle the company’s own mobile sensation, Playerunknown’s Battleground (PUBG) Mobile. PUBG Mobile had over 200 million registered users back in December 2018, according to reports. The game is also extremely popular in India at the moment, and multiple tournaments have been organised around it.
It’s worth noting though that LOL and PUBG belong to different genres of gaming. While the former is more of a strategy game, the latter is a “first person shooter". This could keep the games from competing directly, by drawing gamers with differents tastes. But given that mobile games are simplified versions of their PC or console variants, the user base could clash.
Furthermore, while games like PUBG, FIFA and DOTA have significant following in India, LOL hasn’t yet made the same mark. It’s possible that a mobile game for the same will draw users, much like it did for PUBG.
The Indian mobile gaming industry has been burgeoning over the past year or two. The PUBG Campus Championship held late last year has 250,000 registrations and crores in prize money. While there is no confirmation on when LOL will come to mobile, or whether it will come to India, this could be an opportunity for the game to make inroads here.
Unlock a world of Benefits! From insightful newsletters to real-time stock tracking, breaking news and a personalized newsfeed – it's all here, just a click away! Login Now!
