Karmine Corp in LEC and its arena, Rekkles in Korea and the Worlds in France

The year 2024 promises to be intense for the French League of Legends community, which will see one of its flagship clubs, Karmine Corp, join the European level of the competition, starting this January. Later he will enter Les Arènes d’Evry, a venue where the club will be resident. At the same time, star Rekkles is heading to conquer Korea, while France will also host the quarter and semi-finals of the world championships.

A new year begin. Esports is evolving quickly! Each year sees its share of turning points. So, what to expect for 2024? Answer with Laure Valée, franceinfo esports consultant

franceinfo: Should we expect big events and change in esports in 2024?

Laure Valée: There have been a lot of changes already last year in 2023, which notably saw the esports economy slow down a little, but the industry is still looking to grow and develop, in terms of events, performance of teams and players.

What are the big esports moments awaiting us in 2024?

For those who have followed our columns for several months, we have talked a lot about a really popular club at the moment, called Karmine Corp, a French club active for almost three years now, on several titles esports. Well they arrive at the highest level of European competition in the game League of Legends, what they dreamed of since the creation of the club. Karmine Corp enters the LEC this Saturday, January 13.

Another notable development expected this year, something that surprised fans, is the arrival of Swedish player Rekkles in South Korea. He is an international star, an emblematic player of League of Legends who flies off to play for the T1 academy team, LoL world champion team. He’s one of the first Western players to play in a Korean competition, so something to follow very closely!

France this year will have its share of major events. With a stadium entirely dedicated to esports emerging and a world championship organized on our soil?

We are going to experience great esports moments in France this year. Indeed, Karmine Corp will be the first club in Europe to have its own dedicated venue. They will be residents of the Agora arenas in Evry, near Paris. A venue that can accommodate up to 3,000 people, where fans can gather to watch matches and other events organized by the team.

And above all, at the end of the year, another highly anticipated moment, the League of Legends world championships which will be hosted by France and Paris. The quarter-finals and semi-finals of the competition will take place at the Adidas Arena. A room built to host the badminton events of the Paris Games this summer. So the arena will be reused for esports a little later.

Another notable subject in esports in 2024, inclusiveness, the place of women?

There have already been a lot of developments over the last two years, whether on the part of video game publishers, or clubs which have set up teams, and trust and help young people to become professional players. However, I expect more from the clubs, and for the competition calendar, that we always see more women integrating into esports.