Women in Games France launches esports incubator program

Women in Games France has announced today the launch of I-WIG, a new incubator program to help promote women's representation in the esports industry. Riot Games France will support the incubator's first season.

"The actions of Women In Games France aim to make women more visible and better represented in the different sectors of the industry," said Women in Games France president Audry Leprince. "We sought to understand the factors which could impede women's access to the competitive scene. The difficulty to practice and to join historically masculine professional teams frequently come up as causes.

"The incubator, which trains talent, is, for us, the best response. By providing support and a framework to skilled women players, we are convinced that eventually a greater representation of women in the esports scene is possible."

I-WIG's first season will focus on Riot's League of Legends and will endeavor to make access to the game's competitive scene easier for women. To begin with, the program will support five women players working to become professionals, offering individual coaching and opportunities for mixed professional organizations. The incubator lasts from January through August of 2019.

Riot Games France hopes to provide concrete solutions for the lack of visibilty of women in esports. The company noted as part of the announcement that only 10-15% of its active League of Legends players in France are women, and only 5% are part of the competitive scene despite 28% of esports fans in France being women according to a Baromètre France Esports poll.