Each of the ten players controls a character, known as a 'champion', with unique abilities and differing styles of play. In the game, two teams of five players battle in player versus player combat, each team occupying and defending their half of the map. The game is available for Microsoft Windows and macOS. Since its release in October 2009, the game has been free-to-play and is monetized through purchasable character customization. Inspired by Defense of the Ancients, a custom map for Warcraft III, Riot's founders sought to develop a stand-alone game in the same genre. League of Legends ( LoL), commonly referred to as League, is a 2009 multiplayer online battle arena video game developed and published by Riot Games.
