Rip Curl International Qualifier Leah Lepront Carries South Africa to…

Riot Games is currently learning a very expensive lesson about international gambling laws. A Brazilian court just handed down a massive ruling, ordering the League of Legends developer to pay roughly $3 million over its use of loot boxes.

The lawsuit, spearheaded by an association protecting children and adolescents, claims that Riot has been exposing underage players to unregulated gambling mechanics. Along with the hefty fine, the court ordered Riot to pull all randomized microtransactions from the Brazilian client until it can prove that minors cannot buy them.

While cracking down on predatory gaming practices sounds great on paper, the wording of this ruling has left many tech lawyers and gamers scratching their heads. The court decided that any sale of a randomized digital asset to minors is subject to penalties.

That definition is wildly broad. It completely ignores the context of how these assets are actually sold, what is inside them, or how the user interface presents them.

Take Hextech chests, for instance. For years, the community has generally praised Hextech crafting as a rare example of engaging, non-predatory monetization. You can earn them entirely for free just by playing well; the drop rates are completely transparent, and they do not pressure players with hyper-aggressive casino styling.

Ask any esports fan what actually bothers them about modern gaming monetization, and they will tell you it is not the humble Hextech chest. The real villain here is the aggressive shift toward gacha mechanics.

Riot has been leaning heavily into luxury, low-odds gacha systems lately, like the infamous $500 Faker Ahri skin bundle or capsule milestones that require hundreds of dollars to guarantee a specific cosmetic. These systems use psychological FOMO, a fear of missing out, to get players to roll the dice repeatedly for a fraction-of-a-percentage chance of a digital outfit.

That is the exact kind of behavior that riles up the community and catches the attention of government regulators.

One Redditor said of the increased presence of gacha in League of Legends: “I haven’t been playing League for a bit due to not finding the time. I saw the Sahn Uzal skin, only to quickly realize it sadly falls under the ‘Exalted’ scam. I still don’t see how these skins warrant a, what is it, 10x price increase from Ultimate skins.”

They added that gacha shouldn’t be used for “prestigious” or “premium” skins, which should be earned through grinding the game itself.

Added another frustrated player: “I think the fact that there is no feasible way to ‘grind’ for the gacha currency is INSANE. There are like three pulls in each paid pass, which means you need to farm roughly 27 passes just to guarantee an Exalted skin.

“Also, these currency units are available when you PAY for the pass. This is probably the s****iest form of gacha I’ve ever seen in a game, and I play FGO, a gacha game that has a pit of 330 pulls…”

In most gacha games, the gacha cosmetics can be earned through currency that’s made through dailies, events, story completion, and gameplay. It’s a way to keep you grinding. But at least it’s an option. In League of Legends, however, the only way to try your luck with their gacha mechanic is to pay money. Actual money. This has made League of Legends feel very slimy.

Said one player: “Even the whales won’t pay for a $400 skin, but they will absolutely gamble $400 for it.”

This entire legal mess highlights a deeply frustrating trend for the hardcore esports crowd. Over the last few years, it feels like the actual competitive aspect of League of Legends is taking a backseat to the digital fashion show.

Fandom hubs used to be filled with deep discussions about patch notes, map macro, and pro-player drafts. Now, the hype cycle is completely dominated by cosmetic announcements, ultimate skins, and battle passes. Likely due to developers getting desperate for the extra cash.

League of Legends isn’t alone in this. Overwatch realized long ago that the cosmetics were the real attention draw over competitive updates, especially if the skins are for popular heroes like Mercy. The skins that come with a new season have often overshadowed the game modes and competitive balance updates released alongside them.

Said one X user: “For a community that was so up in arms about not getting a PvE with a skill tree, we sure have no problem ignoring the game mode that features a skill tree… Like, what are we doing?”

Esports fans are growing increasingly upset that the game client seems more focused on becoming a high-end clothing boutique than a finely tuned competitive arena. This multi-million-dollar ruling in Brazil might be the exact wake-up call Riot needs to reassess where it is putting its energy.

But the reality is, most players are casual. Collecting skins is often a bigger draw for casual players than increasing their rank. And I think this harkens back to arguments I’ve made in the past: Esports is still a niche aspect of gaming. It’s not the majority of gamers. Most gamers don’t even know who Faker is. Well, unless you live in South Korea.

Gacha will always make more money than esports for a game title. In fact, esports may even need those gacha mechanics to get funded at all. It’s a bit of a necessary evil, but esports fans still hope Riot finds a better way to do it that doesn’t feel as greedy and damaging to the community.

Witnessing a lesser-known team conquer an established name in esports and traditional sports is a sight to behold. Whether it’s on the football pitch or the main stage of a high-profile tournament, the idea of a team defying the odds frequently captures the imagination of fans across the world.

This year’s IEM Cologne Major has reached the playoffs, with eight of the world’s best Counter-Strike teams battling in the LANXESS Arena for a chance to lift one of the most prestigious trophies in competitive gaming.

Two of the eight teams have navigated their way to Counter-Strike’s cathedral after overcoming the hurdles of a last-minute roster change and a lack of experience in Tier 1 tournaments. Despite their adversities, the underdogs have a genuine chance of springing a surprise against the favored powerhouse rosters.

Two days before the opening stage, Russian organization BetBoom revealed that rifler Pavel “S1ren” Ogloblin wouldn’t feature in the starting lineup for the first phase of the Major. Despite hopes of S1ren rejoining the team later in the tournament, it was later confirmed that Daniil “d1Ledez” Kustov will remain with the team for the duration of the tournament.

A last-minute overhaul of a roster days before taking to the server in the biggest Counter-Strike tournament of the year immediately lowered expectations for a BetBoom side displaying a recent uptick in form. Even with S1ren absent, the team cruised through Stage 1 with a flawless 3-0 record. Stage 2 was another strong showing despite a stand-in. Aside from a defeat to Team Spirit, BetBoom recorded wins over GamerLegion, M80, and Monte to advance to Stage 3, the final round before the playoffs.

The third stage of a Counter-Strike Major is where the world’s strongest teams enter the competition. Opening victories over The MongolZ and Team Falcons preceded two defeats at the hands of FURIA and Team Vitality, setting up a do-or-die best-of-three against FUT Esports for a chance to take a seat at the Cathedral.

Superior defensive strategies made all the difference for BetBoom, securing a 2-0 sweep over FUT Esports to secure its first playoff appearance at a Major. The last-minute roster change, combined with a Stage 1 start, is a testament to the team’s resilience and intent to succeed against some of Counter-Strike’s big guns.

South America continues to produce a wealth of talent capable of performing on the big stage. After finding form at regional tournaments, 9z has become the latest team from the region to excel despite fielding a roster of relative unknowns.

The trio of Matias “HUASOPEEK” Ibañez Hernandez, Luciano “luchov” Herrera, and Ignacio “meyern” Meyer has never competed at a Counter-Strike Major in their careers, but has showcased incredible potential with a top-eight finish at PGL Astana earlier this year. After beating FlyQuest, Astralis, and TYLOO in Stage 2, the South American side had earned its chance to battle against Counter-Strike’s juggernauts.

9z began turning heads in round two of Stage 3, scoring a shock 2-1 victory over Team Vitality, a team many believe will go on to lift the trophy. A Team Spirit rematch in round three followed. After three gruelling maps that required overtime, Team Spirit emerged victorious. Although 9z lost, giving another world-class team a run for its money, it earned the South Americans plenty of new fans rooting for 9z to qualify.

With momentum and plenty of newfound attention on its side, 9z bested The MongolZ comfortably in the fifth and final round of Stage 3, booking its place in the top eight. An all-South American duel against FURIA awaits 9z in what could be a changing of the guard for the region’s Counter-Strike scene.

The recent dominance of Team Vitality has introduced a sense of predictability for Counter-Strike, resulting in some members of the community choosing not to tune into Tier 1 tournaments.

A deep run for underdog teams allows fans to become emotionally invested in players looking to make an impact and disrupt the status quo. Armed with a narrative to follow and a sense that anything can happen, underdogs play an integral role in the wider context of a tournament.

The final Major of the Global Offensive era in 2023 played host to Into the Breach’s unexpected journey to the playoffs. The small UK organization hastily assembled a roster in time for the European RMR, defeating Sprout, Virtus.pro, and B8 to earn a place in the Legends Stage.

Success against FaZe Clan, ENCE, and Fnatic in the Legends Stage booked Into the Breach’s place in the Champions Stage, much to the delight of the UK fans in attendance and viewers watching from home. While the team wasn’t able to defeat Team Vitality in the quarter-final, Into the Breach’s unorthodox playing style and British personality became a significant talking point in CS:GO’s swansong.

Outside of Counter-Strike, Dota 2 has had its fair share of underdog stories that defy the odds and lift the Aegis. In 2018, OG Esports headed into The International with an overhauled roster, cementing its place as a long shot for outright victory. Throughout the tournament, the inexperienced team defeated the likes of Evil Geniuses and tournament favorites PSG.LGD is one of the biggest underdog stories ever seen.

BetBoom’s and 9z’s journey to the playoffs has injected a breath of fresh air into a scene where only a handful of teams are in contention for championship glory. If BetBoom overcomes Aurora Gaming and 9z bests FURIA, the Cinderella stories for both sides can become a notable talking point alongside Team Falcons’ quest for its inaugural Major and Team Vitality looking to cement its legacy as one of the most dominant esports rosters in history.