From 200,000 Won to 3,000,000 Won 'Suddenly'... Soaring Popularity Leads to 10x Price Increase in Resold Gyeonggi Tickets

Scalped Ticket Prices Soar with LoL World Championship Popularity
CGV Cinema Live Broadcast Tickets Also Sold Out

The professional gaming competition determining the world number one in the popular online game 'League of Legends (LoL)' is gaining global popularity. Tickets for the finals are being sold on the black market at prices more than 10 times the face value.

LoL holds the annual global professional gaming tournament called the LoL World Championship, also known as the 'Worlds Cup.' Among gaming enthusiasts, the Worlds Cup has enjoyed popularity comparable to that of the FIFA World Cup.

A post on a secondhand trading platform about obtaining tickets for the so-called 'LoL World Championship' matches. Prices have surged to more than 10 times the face value.
[Image source: Screenshot from secondhand trading platform]

As the popularity of esports, competitive gaming sports, has risen, the difficulty of obtaining tickets has also increased significantly. The official ticket prices for the match to be held on the 19th at Gocheok Sky Dome in Guro-gu, Seoul, range from 80,000 KRW for the cheapest Tier 8 seats to 245,000 KRW for the most expensive Tier 1 seats, but black market prices have already surged up to about 10 times higher.

On the 17th, Tier 8 seats were being sold for 300,000 KRW on secondhand trading platforms, nearly four times the face value. Posts seeking single Tier 1 seats for 2 to 3 million KRW can also be found frequently.

Earlier, on the 12th, the semifinals between T1 and China's 'JD Gaming' held at the Sajik Indoor Gymnasium in Busan also demonstrated overwhelming popularity by filling all 6,000 seats.

[Image source=Used goods trading platform capture]

CGV cinemas also benefited from the Worlds Cup. CGV plans to broadcast the Worlds Cup finals live at over 30 theaters nationwide, most of which are already sold out.

The ticket price is 28,000 KRW, nearly double the price of a regular 2D screening (15,000 KRW). Despite this, visitors continue to flock to watch.

Meanwhile, the main stage for the Worlds Cup, 'LoL,' is an online game released in 2009 by the American game company Riot Games. It is a game where multiple players form teams to compete against opposing teams, making it suitable for adopting sports rules.

The Worlds Cup was first launched in Sweden in 2011 and has continued for 13 seasons, gaining tremendous popularity. This year, the Worlds Cup was held in Korea.