Keyboards are clicking, monitors are fired up, and players are locked in. It’s been a stalemate for 30 minutes. Suddenly, a team fight breaks out and red side wins. They take the Baron and push the advantage all the way to the Nexus, letting out cheers of victory when it falls.
We’re not in London’s O2 Arena, the Summoner’s Cup isn’t standing in the middle, and no player's screen is flickering as fast as Faker’s, but the emotions run high all the same. It’s the 2024 League of Legends Rumble Finals.
What is Rumble?
Rumble is our annual tournament where Rioters grab a five-stack, break out their mains, and battle it out against other Rioters. There are physical prizes, most notably custom varsity jackets. But, ask any Rioter, and they’d tell you the real prize is the bragging rights.
“When we founded Rumble in 2012, Riot was still in its early days,” said Sue-Min Koh, the creator of Rumble, who is now a Senior Program Manager on our social impact team. “Rumble was born out of this spirit of friendly competition. We already had Rioters playing matches and arguing who the best top laner at the company was. So we wanted to help settle those debates by bringing the competitive experience together in a more permanent and structured way. That’s where Rumble was born.”
Esports at Riot looked a lot different 12 years ago. The first Worlds was held the previous year at Dreamhack Summer in Sweden. League was just three years old and the game’s esports leagues were beginning to take shape.
“The other big benefit of Rumble was really helping Rioters at all levels envision the esports pro experience,” Sue-Min continued. “Being able to put yourselves in the shoes of players is crucial in making the best possible decisions for the player experience and Rumble was a great way to help Rioters understand the experience of competing in esports.”
The first Rumble was a bit of a grassroots effort, with Sue-Min enlisting other Rioters to help out. It grew over time and has even involved taking some field trips to play intramurals against other companies like Amazon, Palantir, and Google.
Once we launched new games, they were added to Rumble. The VALORANT finals this year were as heated as any League match we’ve had in the past. Last year, teams competed in Wild Rift. Next month a TFT Rumble is going global, giving Rioters around the world a chance to compete for our first fully global Rumble. There’s also a future where we may add a certain 2v2 fighting game to the mix bringing the FGC spirit with a 2XKO Rumble.
The Rumble Reasons
So why do we keep doing this thing? It’s been over a decade's worth of investment in this program and it keeps on humming. Even in a particularly busy Fall with Worlds, Arcane, TFT’s next set, and plenty more, hundreds of Rioters made time to practice, compete, and chase that rumble crown. It’s hard to encapsulate all the reasons we Rumble year after year but here are five big ones:
1. Competition is important. It’s the reason for the ranked ladder. It’s why millions of people watch Worlds and Champs. It helps push us to be the best we can be. Rumble provides a pure form of competition where personal skill, teamwork, and strategy can shine.
2. We take games seriously. While Rumble’s competition may be friendly, the focus is serious. You’re not going to find people throwing in Rumble matches, Rumble is sacred. It’s a time to really take the game seriously and try to compete as best you can.
3. Esports at all levels. While there’s no one at Riot who can replace a letter in ZOFGK, there are some damn good players here. That’s why Rumble is offered for all ranks and skill levels, because sometimes it's the silver and gold duels that spawn the fiercest rivalries. The glory days of esports vs. finance Rumble battles are still common jabs.
4. Understanding the player experience. When working at Riot, it's important to understand the player experience at all levels, as the decisions you make can impact every community. Rumble gives every Rioter (even a washed TF one trick like me) a chance to see what it's like to play in a higher stakes competitive environment.
5. It’s just fun. At the end of the day, that’s why we play. Games are a way to get closer with other people, to challenge yourself, and to have a ton of fun along the way. We’ve found Rumble really amplifies the things that make games special.
Rumble and esports have come a long way since 2012 but the core reasons around why we created this event in the first place remain the same. If anything, they’ve been magnified more with more games, tournaments, and communities brought into the fold. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to grind Set 13 to prep for my shot at the TFT Rumble (gold rank) crown.
If you want to watch Rioters of various skill levels battle it out live, check out Rumble’s Twitch Channel.
