A hidden arena in Adlershof

The Riot Games Arena provides e-sports with an impressive stage—and at the same time serves as a pilgrimage site for thousands of fans

Since its beginnings in the 1990s, e-sports has achieved remarkable popularity. Long gone are the days when competitions took place in dark living rooms; today they fill major arenas such as London’s Wembley Stadium, with audiences of more than 12,000, or Cologne’s Lanxess Arena, which holds up to 20,000 people. One of the scene’s key players, the US game developer and publisher Riot Games, is now based at Adlershof. The science and technology hub is a Zukunftsort, a site generating future innovation. In 2014, the company decided to relocate from Cologne to Berlin to gain space for offices and its own production studio, along with a strong technical infrastructure and good transport links.

Each year, around 17,000 people make their way to the Riot Games Arena on the premises of Studio.Berlin to experience their favourite Twitch or YouTube players live. Depending on the tournament schedule, the in-house multiplayer titles League of Legends and the tactical five-on-five shooter VALORANT are played here. Once caught in the time loop, it is easy to lose track of hours. As was the case in late August 2025, during the final VALORANT match day of the season in Adlershof.

Two teams face off: Team Liquid from the Netherlands and Team GIANTX from Spain. In the foyer—which also houses a shop and gaming PCs for visitors—fans can place their bets by tossing balls into containers to predict the winner. A light green ball stands for Team Liquid, a light purple one for Team GIANTX. Most of the balls are light green. In an indoor type of amphitheatre, more than 200 fans follow every move of the competing five-player teams on large LED screens, cheering them on with clappers and are on the edge of their seats. The players—alle of them male—stare at their screens with intense concentration. The action is commentated much like a football match: “A beautiful triple swing!” Three players have just targeted their opponent from different angles to eliminate them. All this unfolds at breathtaking speed. The matches are also followed online. “The traffic is considerable,” says Hans Christian Lueneborg, who has been director of Esports Content Services EMEA (Europe, the Middle East and Africa) at Riot Games for the past nine years. More than 40 cameras are used in Adlershof to film the competing teams, many of them remotely controlled. Worldwide, a single VALORANT show reaches 44.3 million views; League of Legends attracts as many as 50 million. Around 80 per cent of viewers are based in China, where e-sports enjoyed a special status even before being officially recognised as a sport. The players give everything for hours on end and must be in peak physical condition, as they are granted only a ten-minute break halfway through each match.

Supporting them is a vast team of around 500 staff members, including nutrition experts, physiotherapists and coaches. Lueneborg manages 25 professional teams in the Berlin–Brandenburg region: “Every day is completely packed. We make sure the pros get all the minerals and vitamins they need and physical exercise as well. Training matches—so-called scrim sessions—also follow a clearly defined pattern.” The minimum annual salary for a player is 60,000 euros, with top professionals earning six-figure sums. Prize money at the highest level reaches up to 2.25 million dollars for VALORANT (global championship), while the League of Legends World Championship offers double that amount. Professional players must be at least 18 years old; few are over 20.

Roughly ten years later, many careers are already over, as twitch reflexes begin to decline. “I know players who have moved into development roles at major hardware manufacturers, designing mice and keyboards for gamers; many dream of founding their own game studio, while others leave the industry altogether,” says Lueneborg. Former professionals often transition into coaching or the business world, where they enjoy strong prospects—having acquired key skills such as teamwork, leadership and strategic thinking during their time as e-sports professionals.

Susanne Gietl for Potenzial

Riot Games