TFT Paris Open: Community-first Esports

Involving 768 participants, the 2025 Teamfight Tactics Paris Open transcended the typical boundaries of an esports competition.

Beyond its significant $300,000 (~£222,000) prize fund, TFT’s premier competitive gathering served as a tribute to its devoted player base.

Numerous content creators and aficionados converged at the Paris Expo Porte de Versailles, as Teamfight Tactics’ grandest Open event saw contestants engage in multiple rounds of intense play over three days. Ultimately, only eight contenders advanced to the main stage, performing before a capacity audience.

Nevertheless, for the attendees, the TFT Paris Open felt more like a celebration than a competitive esports spectacle. To explore this communal aspect, interviews were conducted with supporters and key figures during Teamfight Tactics’ most significant annual occasion.

While the contestants vied for TFT’s ultimate award, attendees were presented with a diverse array of interactive experiences. Enthusiasts had the opportunity to play Riot Games’ fighting game 2XKO in an arcade area or explore the Riftbound section, showcasing sneak peeks of the forthcoming Spiritforged set.

Centrally located within the venue was the Artist Alley, where sixteen artists from the community exhibited and sold TFT-themed artwork and merchandise. Nearby, queues formed every morning for the official Riot Games merchandise store, as hundreds patiently waited to acquire Riftbound Origin boxes and other exclusive event collectibles.

Adjacent to this was Brunch Studio’s art display, showcasing preliminary designs for the event’s official artwork, where visitors could inscribe messages of encouragement for the players and personalities present. In a distinct section of the event space, a Pengu Pâtisserie offered themed sweets and beverages. Directly in front, Riot Games had arranged a TFT-inspired art gallery, presenting renowned paintings reinterpreted with the game’s distinctive little legends.

Audience engagement extended to discussion panels, gatherings with co-streamers, and Main Stage activities designed to captivate casual guests, including quizzes on lore, community Q&As, and pop-culture trivia. To top it all off, a marriage proposal even took place.

This combination of interactive elements, along with its festive ambiance, caused the TFT Paris Open to resemble a communal gathering more than an esports competition, providing a venue for fans, developers, and creators to collectively celebrate the game. For one American household from Austin, Texas, the TFT Paris Open became a mutually enjoyed family outing.

Matt Landers, accompanied by his wife, Meschelle Stringer Landers, and their two daughters, mentioned he might be the oldest participant competing that day. With their hands laden with souvenirs and their gaze captivated by every facet of the convention floor, the family thoroughly savored their time at the Paris Open.

The parents characterized the game as a preferable alternative to merely “passive screen time,” noting that instead of isolating themselves, their daughters engaged in “a strategy game” that encouraged them to “exercise their minds.”

Matt Landers conveyed that he much preferred his daughters to engage in such an activity rather than simply observing content passively.

Even though the children were quite young to fully grasp all of TFT’s intricate mechanics, Meschelle Landers expressed that it was significant to have an activity the entire family could “endorse and partake in collaboratively.”

The event itself reinforced this concept, providing zones where children could engage with the TFT universe without needing a deep strategic understanding of its gameplay. Families integrated seamlessly into the crowd, appearing completely at home.

The topic of appropriate engagement for children with games like TFT resurfaced in conversation with Ysabelle, who attended the Open with her two young offspring, even though her spouse, Albert ‘Mismatched Socks’ Chen, was not competing this year. Despite the extensive journey from the US, she viewed the event less as a competition and more as a family-centric environment, given that TFT had been a part of her children’s lives since their early years.

She recounted how “newborn Ryan was often visible on Sock’s stream,” subsequently acknowledging that it “would not be undesirable” if their son were to become the next TFT World Champion someday.

Ysabelle admitted that bringing youngsters to esports events remains uncommon, yet she considers TFT to be a unique case. She noted that it is “certainly not typical yet,” observing that for a considerable period, her family was frequently the only one bringing children to conventions and tournaments. Still, she underscored the community’s adaptability, explaining that everyone understands the need to “maintain a PG-13 atmosphere” around children.

The intergenerational attendance at the Paris Open particularly impressed Stephen ‘Mortdog’ Mortimer, TFT’s Gameplay Director, as he explored the site. Observing parents alongside their children and young players engaging with the game alongside their families underscored his belief in what distinguishes TFT.

Mortdog mentioned he “actually conversed with Dishsoap’s father,” finding it “quite remarkable.” He added that the father “stopped by and chatted, enjoying the occasion,” which “brought him great satisfaction, seeing a parent so pleased with their child’s excellent performance.”

For Mortdog, such occurrences have altered his perspective on the enduring nature of Teamfight Tactics.

Mortdog elaborated, stating, “Typically, when you develop a game, you hope individuals will appreciate it for approximately two or three years, which is satisfactory. However, the fact that we have been established for six years and are experiencing continued growth […] instills enthusiasm in me.”

He articulated that the concept of current youngsters and adolescents potentially continuing to play TFT decades from now is “rather extraordinary,” especially considering the game’s ongoing expansion six years into its existence.

This perception of time passing has also become apparent in his professional life. Mortdog lightheartedly commented that Riot Games is currently recruiting individuals who are younger than his career span as a game designer, characterizing it as “somewhat surreal” to realize his tenure in game development exceeds the lifetimes of some colleagues.

Yet, far from fostering a sense of detachment from the community, this realization has affirmed how profoundly Riot’s titles have become embedded across multiple player generations.

Ultimately, the sustained expansion of Teamfight Tactics as an esport is intrinsically linked to its community.

Laura Hassert initially entered the TFT ecosystem as a player during the pandemic, subsequently transitioning into esports and event management, which included contributions to the Guardian Angel League.

From her viewpoint, both personally and as an event planner, the Paris Open achieved success because Riot Games adeptly harmonizes communication, structural organization, and overall atmosphere.

She highlighted features such as the Artist Alley as proof that Riot Games comprehends the true motivations behind people’s attendance at its events, which extend “beyond merely winning, to fostering a sense of belonging within a community.” Nevertheless, she identified areas for enhancement and progression, particularly concerning activities for guests who are not yet TFT players.

Despite this, her concluding assessment was that Riot Games “undeniably executed it flawlessly.”

That impression of discovering one’s own community was particularly vivid when discussing the experience of ‘Paper.’ A German fine arts student, she brought a handcrafted Smolder puppet to the event, a creation that required approximately a year to construct from scratch. Smolder’s extending wings, animated eyes, and luminous flames rendered her unmistakably prominent on the TFT Paris Open floor.

What began as a personal artistic endeavor rapidly evolved into a means of connecting with the community. She expressed her astonishment, stating, “I find it incredible that everyone is present. I’ve finally met so many individuals I’ve known online for many years now.”

A particular moment perfectly illustrated this transition from online adoration to in-person interaction.

Paper recounted that “a year prior, I received an invitation to the Arcane event, where I saw Scarra, but I was too timid, too apprehensive to approach him.” She then shared how, this year, the situation reversed: “He was among the first individuals to approach me and request a photograph! I was utterly dumbfounded.”

This deep commitment to Teamfight Tactics and its community has also garnered recognition from organizations such as Gentle Mates and Solary, both of which maintained a booth at the gathering.

A production manager for Gentle Mates clarified that TFT occupies a fundamental position within the organization’s ethos. He asserted that “TFT is a game Gentle Mates regards with the same importance as VALORANT or other titles from Riot Games,” adding that their presence signified Gentle Mates’ dedication to supporting players “regardless of the game they choose.”

By the conclusion of the weekend, the TFT Paris Open had demonstrated itself to be much more than merely the game’s most extensive Open event to date.

Nonetheless, despite the multitude of interactive attractions, at its essence, the event remained an esports competition that necessitated the recognition of a victor.

More than 200 personal computers were arranged throughout the floor, systematically divided into sections representing various lobbies, all fully occupied on the initial day as contenders progressed through numerous stages of competition.

As the weekend progressed, the participant count in each segment gradually decreased until the top eight earned their places for the ultimate confrontation on Sunday. Brazilian competitor Luis ‘Toddy’ Hüttl was among the first to secure a spot in the final lobby, met with cheers from supporters. However, in the end, it was Ge ‘Huanmie’ Wuxin who seized the Tactician’s Belt, triumphing in the decisive final lobby by deploying a well-executed Void composition.

While the allure of the Tactician’s Belt and its substantial six-figure monetary award attracted competitors from across the globe, it was the ambiance extending beyond the main competitive arena that truly characterized the event.

Encompassing family-oriented zones, communal art displays, informal gaming areas, and instances of authentic engagement among attendees, the Paris Open functioned as a tribute to both the game and Riot’s community. If any clear message emerged from the Teamfight Tactics Paris Open, it was that TFT’s future trajectory will be shaped not solely by its competitors, but equally by the evolving culture surrounding it.