The successful conclusion of the inaugural league of legends National City Hero Championship, especially the epic grand finals and the golden rain at the anointing of the "Break Army" team, was not limited to China.
In the internet age, excitement and miracles cannot be stopped by national borders.
Highlights of the grand finals, especially Piercing Cloud's championship-deciding Vayne pentakill, were subtitled in multiple languages and spread virally across global mainstream gaming communities and video platforms like YouTube and Twitch.
"What kind of competition is this? The visual effects are too shocking!"
"Is that ADC a god? Does this kind of play really exist?"
"China already has such a mature esports event? This stage, this atmosphere, it's completely on par with any traditional sport!"
"This game called 'league of legends' looks so interesting, why don't we have it here?"
The reactions from overseas players and gaming media quickly shifted from initial surprise and curiosity to strong interest and high praise.
They were shocked by the grand scale of the event, the professional production quality, the fervent atmosphere on site, and the top-tier competitive level displayed by the players.
This completely overturned many overseas players' stereotypes of Chinese esports as "backward" and "niche."
This wave of enthusiasm sweeping across global gaming communities immediately attracted close attention from major overseas game publishers and capital giants.
Their business acumen was far sharper than that of ordinary players.
The commercial value and cultural potential behind a game that could ignite a country of over a billion people in such a short time and successfully host a top-tier event of this scale were self-evident.
Thus, within just a few weeks after the grand finals, the Riot Games headquarters experienced unprecedented busyness.
Top publishers and representatives from investment institutions from major global gaming markets like North America, Europe, Southeast Asia, and South Korea practically wore out the company's doorstep.
In the reception rooms, business elites of various complexions, accompanied by translators and thick business plans, waited for their meeting with Qin Feng.
At this moment, Qin Feng was meeting in the conference room with Mr. Smith and his team, the Vice President of Global Interactive, one of the largest game distribution platforms in North America.
"Mr. Qin, congratulations on hosting an unparalleled event!" Mr. Smith got straight to the point, his tone filled with admiration, "The game quality and competitive depth of league of legends are astonishing, and your successful event operation further proves its immense market potential.
Global Interactive possesses a vast distribution network covering North America and Europe and rich operational experience, and we are very eager to cooperate with your company to bring this outstanding game to players worldwide."
He presented an extremely generous draft agency cooperation agreement, with terms that were truly magnanimous and a very sincere revenue-sharing ratio.
The conditions offered by several other agents seeking cooperation, whether old European nobility or experienced institutions from esports powerhouse South Korea, were also extremely tempting.
They all saw the potential for league of legends to become the next global blockbuster game.
However, in the face of these olive branches, which would make any game company's heart race, Qin Feng's attitude remained clear-headed and strategically unyielding.
In another crucial internal decision-making meeting, facing some internal voices who believed they should sign agency agreements quickly to seize the global market, Qin Feng stood in front of a whiteboard and wrote down two keywords: "Agency Rights" and "Event Rights."
"Everyone, the expansion into overseas markets is imperative," Qin Feng surveyed everyone, his tone steady yet carrying immense weight, "But we must clearly understand what we are releasing, and what we must firmly hold in our hands."
He pointed to "Agency Rights": "The localized operation of the game itself, server maintenance, marketing, daily customer service... these tedious tasks can be entrusted to partners who better understand the local market.
They can help us land faster and attract players.
We can share these rights, exchanging efficiency and market for a reasonable share of revenue."
Then, his finger landed heavily on the words "Event Rights," and his voice suddenly became firm and powerful: "However, on a global scale, the construction of the league of legends esports system, the hosting rights for top-tier events (especially the World Championship), the right to formulate event rules, and the ultimate management rights of professional leagues... these core powers must be 100% controlled by us, Riot Games!"
The conference room fell silent, everyone feeling the resolute determination in Qin Feng's words.
"Esports is not just a tool for game promotion; it is the soul of this game, the core engine for maintaining its long-term vitality and cultural influence!" Qin Feng continued to elaborate, his gaze sharp, "If we hand over the event rights, it's equivalent to entrusting the game's soul and future to others.
Different agents will have different interests; they will distort the competition system for short-term gains, over-commercialize, and might even fragment the global esports ecosystem due to internal competition.
That would be a disaster!"
He recalled the magnificent memories of esports development in another world, which further strengthened his conviction.
"What we want to build is not a loose alliance of game agents, but a unified league of legends esports universe with common goals and values!" His voice carried the passion of a pioneer, "The future World Championship must become the highest sanctuary that all regions, all players, and all fans aspire to, just like the World Cup is to football, and the Olympics are to sports! And the key to this sanctuary must be held in our own hands!"
"Therefore," Qin Feng finally concluded, "Reply to all agents seeking cooperation.
Game operation agency rights can be discussed.
But the ultimate decision-making power regarding global esports affairs belongs to Riot Games, with no room for negotiation.
Those willing to accept this, we welcome cooperation; for those who cannot, the door is over there."
This directive was executed without compromise.
When Qin Feng's tough and clear conditions were presented to the various agents, it undoubtedly caused a huge shock and intense internal discussions.
Some agents thought Qin Feng was too arrogant and difficult to cooperate with; but some more far-sighted agents, after carefully evaluating the potential of league of legends and the esports blueprint Qin Feng depicted, realized the greater, long-term value contained within.
Ultimately, several powerful and far-sighted agents chose to accept Qin Feng's conditions.
They understood that being tied to a giant that could define the future of the esports landscape, even with concessions in certain powers, would yield immeasurable long-term returns.
The initial framework for overseas agency cooperation began to gradually be built upon Qin Feng's firm control over the core cornerstone of "Event Rights."
The news spread, once again sparking heated discussions inside and outside the industry.
Some praised Qin Feng's courage and foresight, believing he was playing a global game of chess; others secretly questioned him, thinking he held core powers too tightly, which might affect the speed of the game's global promotion.
But Qin Feng remained unshaken.
He stood before the global map in his office, looking at the regions that would soon be marked with the league of legends flag, his gaze profound.
He knew that holding the rights to host the competitions firmly in his hands was not just for commercial gain, but also to protect the pure spirit of competition, and to build, according to his ideals, a truly unified, fair, and infinitely possible global esports epic.
The domestic throne had been crowned, and the voyage to conquer the world had just set sail.
The global era belonging to league of legends was slowly unfolding under his firm control.