32 million guests pass through the gates of the League of Legends clubhouse every month. None ever see the owner, Ryan Games, but whispers abound about the construction of a new Oceanic wing on the south side of the old building.
Nobody saw the contractors, nor heard the server being cut to size. Yet here it is, waiting to be filled with the familiar noises of victory and anguish.
Riot’s new Oceania studio have taken to Twitter to announce the news: “OPEN BETA is live!!!”
The server will support Australia, New Zealand, Guam, New Caledonia, French Polynesia, Fiji and the Northern Mariana Islands. Players can already transfer from the existing NA, LATAM, Russia, Turkey, EUNE and EUW servers for an instant ping improvement. The switchover is temporarily free, and comes with an 100% IP and XP boost incentive for the duration of the beta.
To transfer, acquire a free OCE token via the ‘Other’ tab of the in-game store. Riot advise against waiting if you want to secure your handle on the new server – new sign-ups and name changes will be enabled in a few days’ time.
Players won’t be able to buy RP during beta as Riot are still finalising their pricing for the region – though they anticipate costs will be similar or identical to those on existing servers. Still, the only new skin you’ll be getting here is the Ziggs’ Pool Party outfit, which will be given away to Oceanic players sometime after PAX Melbourne.
Earlier this month, studio manager Mirko Gozzo said that the Oceanic outfit’s long-term goal is to make professional eSports just as viable in that region as it is in Europe and the US.
“This might take some time though as PRO eSport needs to be fostered from the bottom,” said Gozzo at the time. “Therefore for the first period we will focus on semi-pro organisation development.”
Riot are celebrating the server launch with an online tournament running from July 6 to July 14. Its top four teams will compete for cash prizes at PAX Melbourne on the weekend beginning July 19.
For more of the nitty gritty of league standings and the like, check the FAQ. Will you be hopping over in the hope of a more pleasant ping?