Riot Games

Riot Games is an American gaming company founded in 2006 that specializes in video game publishing and esports tournaments. Riot is known for its flagship League of Legends, a free-to-play, online battle game that has 67 million global players and culminates each year in a world championship as spectacular as any traditional sporting tournament: packed-stadium crowds, a million-dollar prize, and ESPN-like coverage courtesy of Riot's online esports network. Riot has been instrumental in helping to build the billion-dollar infrastructure of esports, taking loosely organized events that were initially created mainly by fans and turning them into a professional league of divisions and tiers. The company's annual collegiate series uLOL awards more than $660,000 in scholarships.