League of Legends started off as a simple DotA-inspired MOBA game, but it quickly evolved into a cultural phenomenon. Riot Games' debut title exploded in popularity in the years following its 2009 release, to the point that it eventually became one of the most successful games of all time. Thanks in part to its free-to-play business model, League of Legends has been played by more than 150 million gamers worldwide and has generated over $1 billion dollars in revenue on an annual basis. Despite ongoing complaints about its toxic community, aggressive monetization, and lack of approachability towards newcomers, no game has truly been able to dethrone it.