Telia teams up with Riot Games for new Nordic eSports league

Swedish telecommunications giant Telia Company has joined forces with Riot Games and DreamHack to create a Nordic League of Legends regional eSports competition.

The collaboration will kick off this summer with the first Telia Esports Series in June, featuring Riot Games’ popular multiplayer battle arena game League of Legends.

Riot Games already has League of Legends leagues in North America, Europe, China and Korea, with the new Nordic series becoming part of an international gaming and League of Legends ecosystem.

“Esports is one of the fastest-growing sports in the world,” said Telia Finland CEO Heli Partanen. “Together with Riot Games, we want to make the Nordic countries a significant part of the global esports ecosystem and provide the players and viewers with world-class esports content and experiences. Only our imagination is the limit in our co-operation.”

The co-operation with Riot Games will allow the Telia Esports Series to expand beyond Finland to Sweden, Norway and Denmark.

All four countries will have their own national leagues with gamecasts in their native languages. The best two teams from the Telia-produced national leagues will progress to the Telia Masters tournament, from where the best teams will advance to the Northern League of Legends Championship (NLC) and then play their way to the European league.

“The new competitive gaming ecosystem that we will create together with Telia and Dreamhack, will allow highly talented, competitive players from across the region to flourish on home soil,” said Mo Fadl, head of publishing Nordics at Riot Games.

“It will also create a pathway for amateur players to join the professional ranks and give League fans an opportunity to get behind the best players that the region has to offer, engaging with broadcasts and possible local events.”