A pitch concept for Riot Games, exploring how to transform passive esports viewership into identity-driven fandom — turning spectators into stakeholders through quiz-based personalization, social progression, and cosmetic expression.
Riot Games has built one of the world's most recognizable esports ecosystems around League of Legends — but viewership peaks at tournaments and drops sharply in between. The challenge: how do you keep fans engaged year-round, not just when the stakes are highest?
As a Riot fan myself, I connected deeply with the brand's emphasis on identity and community. This project started from a personal question: why do I care so much during Worlds, and so little after?
Through 12 user interviews, I mapped the moments where casual viewers fell off — and why. The friction wasn't about the game itself. It was about not having a stake in what was happening on screen.
Most new viewers didn't have a team to root for. Without tribal affiliation, watching felt directionless.
The richness of Riot's universe was overwhelming for newcomers — too much to absorb, no clear entry point.
Between tournaments there was nothing to do — no way to express fandom, track progress, or stay connected.
Riot's proven model for in-game engagement maps a clear emotional journey — Rally translates this to the esports viewing experience:
Rally is a companion platform built around three interconnected systems, each targeting a different layer of the engagement funnel.
A short, high-personality quiz that matches new viewers to an esports team based on their values and play style. Rooted in the same sorting logic as beloved fandoms — your team finds you. Once matched, the platform surfaces that team's story, players, and lore as a personalized entry point.
A seasonal pass tied to your matched team — earn XP by watching matches, completing challenges, and engaging with lore drops. Rewards unlock exclusive cosmetics, digital merch, and narrative content. The system creates meaningful stakes outside of match outcomes.
Individual XP also contributes to a fan community total — your team's fandom competes against rival fanbases in weekly challenges. This creates tribal energy, social accountability, and reasons to recruit new fans into your community.
The most engaged users weren't the ones who understood the game best — they were the ones who felt seen. Designing for identity attachment matters more than designing for information delivery.
New fans need a structured on-ramp. The Match Quiz reduces decision fatigue and gives people permission to care — something that's easy to undervalue in esports product design.
Cosmetics tied to real fandom milestones feel different than pay-to-win. Clarity around what's earned versus purchased was critical to user trust in the progression system.