The afterglow of the Star Sea Cup World Invitational had not yet faded, but Qin Feng's gaze was already set on a more distant future. A week after the championship celebration, a strategic meeting that would determine the fate of China's esports was being held in the largest conference room at Riot Games headquarters.
Around the oval conference table sat the core backbone of the company's various departments: Zhao Dong, Head of Event Operations; Wu Tong, Head of Game Development; Chen Ran, Marketing Director; Li Ming, Head of Technology; and Lin Haoming, Manager of the Star Sea Team, who had just returned with honors. In front of each person was a thick document, its cover emblazoned with the striking title—"league of legends Professional League Development Plan."
"Everyone," Qin Feng stood in front of the projection screen, his gaze sweeping over everyone present, "What did the success of the Star Sea Cup prove? It proved that China's esports already possesses all the conditions for professional and systematic development. Now, it's time to take the next step."
He pressed the remote control in his hand, and the preliminary plan for the professional league appeared on the screen.
"First, regarding the basic structure of the league." Qin Feng began to elaborate in detail, "I plan to establish the league of legends Professional League, or LPL for short. The inaugural league will have 12 fixed slots."
A murmur arose in the conference room. Zhao Dong was the first to ask: "President Qin, fixed slots mean these teams will be permanent members of the league? This is completely different from the cup tournament model we've held before."
"Exactly." Qin Feng nodded, "The fixed slot system can ensure the stability of the teams, allowing them to make long-term plans, invest in youth training, build bases, and cultivate players. This is what professional sports should look like."
Wu Tong pushed up his glasses: "Then how will the slots be allocated? Direct invitation?"
"No," Qin Feng shook his head, "We will adopt a bidding process for the slots. Each slot will start at 8 million, and the highest bidder wins. This fund will be used for the league's infrastructure construction and ecological development."
"8 million?" Marketing Director Chen Ran gasped, "Isn't that price too high?"
"Believe me," Qin Feng said confidently, "This price is excellent value for money. Think about how many endorsements and sponsorships Manager Lin received after the Star Sea Team won the championship?"
Lin Haoming smiled and interjected: "Indeed, just in the week since winning the championship, the commercial collaboration invitations we've received have exceeded the total of the previous three years."
Qin Feng switched slides, displaying the league's competition format plan.
"The league will adopt a double round-robin best-of-three regular season format, and the playoffs will be a double-elimination system." He explained in detail, "This ensures fairness in competition and also provides teams with more room for error."
Technology Head Li Ming asked: "What about the venues? Will we still rent large venues like for the Star Sea Cup?"
"No," Qin Feng gave a surprising answer, "I plan to build a dedicated LPL esports arena in Shanghai. This won't be a temporarily rented venue, but a professional arena specifically designed and built for esports competitions."
He displayed concept drawings: a modern venue with 3,000 seats, equipped with state-of-the-art lighting and sound systems, optimized specifically for esports events.
"This will be China's first professional esports arena," Qin Feng's voice was full of passion, "We want esports competitions to have professional venues just like traditional sports!"
The subsequent content made everyone present feel Qin Feng's determination.
"A robust support system for professional players is key to the healthy development of the league." Qin Feng's expression became serious, "We will establish a comprehensive player contract system, stipulate minimum wage standards, set up a player's union, and establish a pension system."
Lin Haoming couldn't help but interject: "A pension system? That's rare even in traditional sports."
"Precisely because esports players have shorter careers, we need to guarantee their future even more." Qin Feng said firmly, "A young man of 18 dedicates his most precious youth to esports; we have a responsibility to ensure they can live with dignity after retirement."
He continued, "In addition, we will also establish a player salary cap and luxury tax system to prevent wealthy teams from monopolizing top players and maintain competitive balance in the league."
Regarding commercial development, which Chen Ran was most concerned about, Qin Feng's plan was equally inspiring.
"The league's commercial rights will be divided into three parts: league broadcasting rights, team sponsorships, and content distribution." He explained in detail, "We have already begun negotiating broadcasting rights cooperation with major live streaming platforms, and the broadcasting fees for the inaugural league are expected to reach nine figures."
This figure shocked everyone present.
"Furthermore, each team will receive a share of the league's revenue, while retaining the rights to home venue sponsorships and team merchandise development." Qin Feng said, "We want investing in esports to no longer be a money pit, but a continuously profitable business."
Wu Tong raised a crucial question: "Where will the players come from? Relying solely on existing 'King of the Road' players is clearly not enough."
"Good question." Qin Feng nodded, "We will establish the LDL Development League as the LPL's youth training base. At the same time, we will cooperate with major universities across the country to establish an esports scholarship system, discovering talent from university campuses."
He looked at Lin Haoming: "The Star Sea Team must take the lead in establishing a comprehensive youth training system to supply fresh blood to the entire league."
"No problem." Lin Haoming immediately agreed, "We are already planning the Star Sea Youth Training Camp."
Zhao Dong expressed realistic concerns: "Such a huge plan will certainly encounter many difficulties in execution. Teams' willingness to invest, player management, event operations—every link is a challenge."
"I know." Qin Feng frankly admitted, "Any new thing will face doubts and challenges. But think about before the Star Sea Cup was held, how many people thought we couldn't succeed?"
He stood up, looking firmly at everyone: "We are making history. Not everyone gets the chance to participate in an industry from nothing to something, from its infancy to prosperity. Everyone present today will be a witness and creator of China's esports history."
The conference room fell into a brief silence, everyone digesting this grand blueprint.
Finally, Qin Feng concluded: "The success of the Star Sea Cup is just the beginning. What we want to build is not just a league, but a complete esports ecosystem. To make esports players respected professionals, to make esports competitions a part of mass entertainment, and to make esports culture a shared memory of the younger generation."
"This path may be difficult, but as long as we work together, the golden age of China's esports will surely be ushered in by our own hands!"
The meeting ended with enthusiastic applause. Everyone left with brisk steps, their eyes sparkling with excitement and anticipation. They knew that from today, China's esports would turn a new page.
And outside the conference room window, Shanghai's night sky was brilliant with stars, as if foretelling the bright future of the esports industry.