Riot
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Documents about Riot
Major Changes Planned for League of Legends Esports in 2025
Riot Games is implementing a significant restructuring of its global League of Legends esports ecosystem for the 2025 season.
- Riot Games is consolidating its global League of Legends esports structure by reducing the number of top-tier leagues from eight to five for the 2025 season.
- The 2025 overhaul includes the introduction of an all-new competitive event at the beginning of the season to expand the global calendar.
- Riot is implementing a new tier-2 promotion and relegation ecosystem in select regions to support the restructured professional landscape.
New Major Event Added to 2025 LoL Esports Calendar
Riot Games is expanding its global League of Legends esports calendar for 2025 by introducing a third major international event.
- Riot Games is expanding the 2025 League of Legends esports calendar to include three major global events, with a new, unnamed tournament launching in March 2025.
- The new March event will feature five regional slots, with participating teams determined by performance in the Split 1 January competitions.
- The 2025 World Championship will feature 17 total teams, with qualification slots influenced by performance at the Mid-Season Invitational (MSI).
Riot on Third-Party LoL Esports Events in 2025
Riot Games is adjusting its 2025 League of Legends global esports calendar to accommodate third-party tournament organizers.
- Riot Games will create a window in the 2025 League of Legends esports calendar in August, following the Mid-Season Invitational, to accommodate third-party events.
- While Riot has not confirmed participation in specific events, this scheduling adjustment provides space for teams to compete in third-party tournaments, such as the Saudi Arabian government-backed Esports World Cup.
- Riot maintains a hands-off organizational approach to third-party events but likely collects licensing fees for competitions run by outside entities.
Riot Reveals LoL Esports APAC League for 2025
Riot Games has announced the formation of a new consolidated APAC League for League of Legends esports, set to launch in 2025.
- Riot Games will launch a consolidated APAC League for League of Legends Esports in 2025, merging the existing PCS, VCS, LJL, and LCO leagues into a single regional structure.
- The inaugural 2025 APAC League will feature eight Tier-1 teams, with selection based on the 2024 Summer Split playoff results from the PCS and VCS.
- Future seasons will implement a promotion and relegation model, allowing guest teams from domestic leagues to advance into the Tier-1 APAC ecosystem.
LCS, CBLoL, and LLA Become Americas League in 2025
Riot Games is restructuring its global League of Legends esports ecosystem for 2025, consolidating eight existing leagues into five.
- Riot Games is consolidating its global League of Legends esports ecosystem from eight leagues down to five for the 2025 season.
- The LCS, CBLoL, and LLA will merge into a single 'Americas League,' which will be divided into Northern and Southern conferences.
- The Southern Conference will be based at Riot Studios in São Paulo and will feature six existing CBLoL teams, one LLA team, and one tier-2 guest spot.
Riot Reveals Format Changes to 2024 EMEA Masters Summer Split
Riot Games has implemented significant structural adjustments to the 2024 EMEA Masters Summer Split, responding directly to feedback from the League of Legends esports community regarding the original format announced in March.
- Riot Games has updated the 2024 EMEA Masters Summer Split format to include a 60-team tournament, a new Swiss Stage, and increased best-of-five (Bo5) match opportunities.
- The tournament will run from July 31 to August 30, 2024, featuring a three-phase structure consisting of a Last Chance Qualifier (LCQ), a Swiss Stage, and Playoffs.
- The LCQ will involve 32 teams competing in four single-elimination brackets from July 31 to August 2, with the top teams advancing to the Swiss Stage.
Why Valorant is Not Part of the Esports World Cup in 2024
The exclusion of Valorant from the 2024 Esports World Cup in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, was primarily driven by rigid scheduling constraints.
- Valorant was excluded from the 2024 Esports World Cup due to scheduling conflicts, as its competitive calendar was already finalized prior to the event's planning.
- Despite the exclusion, teams within the Valorant professional ecosystem actively lobbied Riot Games to secure a spot in the Riyadh-based tournament.
- Riot Games has entered a one-year contract with the Esports World Cup Foundation for League of Legends and Teamfight Tactics, adopting a wait-and-see approach based on public reception and performance.
EFLARE and the Missing $100K Prize Pool
The esports industry faces a significant controversy regarding the EFLARE Counter-Strike 2 tournament, which concluded in November 2023 with a promised $100,000 prize pool that remains unpaid to winning teams.
- Winners of the November 2023 EFLARE Counter-Strike 2 tournament, including first-place team Ongeh Warrior ($50,000), have not received any of the promised $100,000 in prize money more than six months after the event concluded.
- EFLARE appears to be a non-existent corporate entity with no formal business registration, no physical address, and no operational footprint beyond social media accounts and encrypted email services.
- Bleed Esports CEO Mervyn Goh facilitated the tournament's creation after being approached by an unidentified individual known as 'Chris Lin,' and initially fronted approximately $23,000 of his own money to pay production staff.
LCSPA, AVPA Launch Agent Certification Program
The LCS Players Association (LCSPA) and the Americas Valorant Players Association (AVPA) have launched a formal agent certification and regulation program for professional and aspiring players within the North American League of Legends Championship Series (LCS) and the Valorant Champions Tour (VCT) Americas.
- The LCS Players Association (LCSPA) and the Americas Valorant Players Association (AVPA) have launched a formal agent certification and regulation program for professional players in the LCS and VCT Americas leagues.
- The program requires agents and legal professionals to undergo a background check and pay a $250 membership fee to be listed in a database of vetted, industry-experienced representatives.
- Riot Games supports the initiative and will require teams to recommend that players utilize agents from this certified list, though the publisher is not providing funding for the program.
Riot Games Wins Sports Emmy for Worlds 2023 Finals
Riot Games secured the Sports Emmy for Outstanding Esports Championship Coverage for its production of the League of Legends Worlds 2023 Final.
- Riot Games won the Sports Emmy for Outstanding Esports Championship Coverage for the League of Legends Worlds 2023 Final, marking the company's fifth win in the category since its inception in 2020.
- The award-winning 2023 World Championship final took place on November 19, 2023, at the Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul, where T1 defeated Weibo Gaming 3–0.
- Riot Games secured the win against a competitive field that included its own Valorant Champions 2023 Grand Final, as well as productions from the Call of Duty League, ESL FACEIT Group, and BLAST.
SOOP Streaming Service Goes Live June 5
The live streaming platform SOOP, a project backed by the South Korean company AfreecaTV, is scheduled to launch its global beta on June 5, 2024.
- The live streaming platform SOOP, backed by South Korea-based AfreecaTV, will launch its global beta on June 5, 2024.
- SOOP has secured exclusive partnerships with high-profile esports figures, including T1's Lee “Faker” Sang-hyeok and various DRX team members.
- The platform has entered a strategic partnership with Riot Games to exclusively produce and operate the Valorant Challengers Thailand 2024 and manage broadcasting rights for the Valorant Champions Tour in Thailand.
The Ongoing Evolution of Ovilee May
The career trajectory of Ovilee May serves as a case study for the shifting landscape of esports broadcasting and event production.
- The esports industry is experiencing a period of significant instability, marked by the withdrawal of major investment and the failure of high-profile projects like the G4 TV reboot.
- Traditional broadcast roles are declining, forcing talent to transition into executive production and content creation to maintain career viability.
- Studios are increasingly prioritizing established streamers with built-in audiences over conventional on-camera hosts, leading to a deprofessionalization of the broadcasting sector.
