Esports is a riot games: A critical political economic analysis of the closure of the world’s first esports TV network in South Korea

This study examines the evolving power dynamics between OGN, the world’s first esports-dedicated TV network, and Riot Games, the developer and publisher of League of Legends, since 2012, with a specific focus on sponsorship and league administration. As esports takes place in a virtual world, it necessarily requires mediated delivery platforms, such as broadcasters and streaming platforms. At the same time, game publishers hold exclusive rights to their software, protected as intellectual property (IP). Through the lens of critical political economy, this study analyzes the power relations between the broadcaster and game publisher. The findings indicate a gradual decline in OGN’s influence over the South Korean professional League of Legends league (LCK), while Riot Games progressively strengthened its power through streaming technologies and IP ownership. This study highlights the closure of OGN as indicative of the consolidation between global game publishers and media platforms in esports. This consolidation, however, weakened team finances and fan experiences within the esports ecosystem, undermining both economic sustainability and audience engagement. The findings also point to potential tensions between publishers and streaming platforms, suggesting that users may face growing constraints in how they access and experience esports content.