Over 1.5 million League of Legends players have already signed up for a shot at winning a free seat at the 2020 World Championship finals on Oct. 31, according to industry analyst Daniel Ahmad, despite the promotion starting less than one day ago.
League players had roughly two days to sign up for the lottery, which closed out on Oct. 14. The winners were decided on Oct. 16. They’ll have to confirm their request within 24 hours after receiving a confirmation SMS and must pay a deposit, which will be reimbursed after attending the event. Otherwise, their seat will be given to someone else.
This number is even more impressive because to sign up, fans must have a League account that’s at least level 30, as well as a Chinese phone number and verification of their identity, according to Ahmad. Some fans may change their minds about entering this giveaway, though, since they’ll have to pay a deposit to attend the event—even if it’s reimbursed.
On the other hand, this is a unique opportunity for fans to see a live major event in 2020 since the Worlds finals will be the only major offline sports event of the year in China.
The number of players who are signed up for this giveaway should continue to rise until the registration phase is closed on Oct. 14.
Last week, Riot announced that the Worlds finals would be able to welcome 6,312 attendees in the Pudong Football Stadium of Shanghai to watch the crowning of this year’s champions and the opening ceremony, which will include two performances from virtual group K/DA and the artists of the Worlds’ anthem, “Take Over.”
Those who will win a seat will have to pay a deposit that will be reimbursed after attending the show. There will be no tickets, but only a list with the IDs of fans who will get the seats. A system of face recognition will also be operated at the event to prevent the spots from being sold.
The city of Shanghai and Riot Games collaborated to ensure the security of the audience during the show by enforcing social distancing and optimal sanitary conditions due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The available seats won’t be next to each other to respect social distancing, and the attendees will have to prove they haven’t contracted the virus. Their temperature will also be checked upon entry.
Due to the global pandemic, Worlds went from rotating to various Chinese cities to taking place almost entirely in a Shanghai studio without an audience. Only the finals will be hosted in the Pudong Stadium. The ceremony will feature a performance from K/DA and another from the artists of the 2020 Worlds anthem, Jeremy McKinnon, MAX, and former K-pop star Henry Lau.
