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Riot Lays Out Roadmap for the 2026 LEC Season
Riot Games has unveiled its strategic roadmap for the 2026 League of Legends EMEA Championship (LEC) season, introducing significant structural changes to the competitive calendar.
- Riot Games is replacing the LEC Winter Split with a new competition called 'LEC Versus – The EMEA Invitational' to kick off the 2026 season.
- The LEC Versus tournament will feature the 10 LEC partner teams competing against two European Regional League (ERL) guest teams in a single round-robin, best-of-one format.
- The two ERL guest teams for LEC Versus will include the 2025 EMEA Masters Summer Champions, Los Ratones, and one additional team selected based on consistent 2025 performance.
Riot Dismantles LTA, Brings Back LCS and CBLoL
Riot Games has announced the dissolution of the League of Legends Championship of the Americas (LTA), a unified structure established in 2025 that combined the League of Legends Championship Series (LCS), the Campeonato Brasileiro de League of Legends (CBLoL), and the Liga Latinoamérica (LLA).
- Riot Games is dismantling the League of Legends Championship of The Americas (LTA) and returning to separate LCS and CBLoL leagues starting in 2026.
- The LCS will cover North and Central America, while the CBLoL will encompass South America, including Brazil and LATAM South.
- Cross-regional playoffs are being eliminated, with each league returning to an independent season structure that crowns its own regional champions.
Riot Terminates Movistar KOI’s VCT EMEA Partnership Agreement
Riot Games has officially terminated the partnership agreement of Movistar KOI, a division of OverActive Media, within the Valorant Champions Tour (VCT) EMEA league.
- Riot Games terminated the VCT EMEA partnership agreement with Movistar KOI, a division of OverActive Media, effective after the 2025 season due to an alleged breach of contract.
- The termination is reportedly linked to Movistar KOI's failure to meet contractual obligations regarding co-streaming requirements involving content creator Ibai Llanos.
- OverActive Media CEO Adam Adamou publicly disagreed with Riot's decision, stating the organization had provided alternative solutions when specific obligations could not be met.
Opening the Betting Frontier: Riot Games Sponsorships
Riot Games has officially authorized sports betting sponsorships for Tier 1 League of Legends and VALORANT teams across the Americas and EMEA regions.
- Riot Games has officially opened sports betting as a new sponsorship category for League of Legends and VALORANT teams to create high-margin revenue streams.
- To ensure competitive integrity, all betting partners must undergo rigorous vetting and are required to use official data feeds provided by GRID.
- Teams pursuing these partnerships are mandated to implement internal integrity programs that include policy development, monitoring, and player education.
Riot Games Launches League of Legends Game Changers for Women in EMEA
Riot Games has introduced League of Legends Game Changers (LGC), a new competitive initiative dedicated to supporting and highlighting women in the esports industry across the Europe, Middle East, and Africa (EMEA) region.
- Riot Games has launched League of Legends Game Changers (LGC), a new competitive initiative in the EMEA region designed to support and increase visibility for women in esports.
- The inaugural tournament, LGC Rising, is scheduled to begin in August 2025.
- The LGC Rising tournament will conclude with a live Grand Final held at Paris Games Week in October 2025.
Riot Games Taps T/SQUARED for Strategic EMEA Commercial Partnership
Riot Games has entered into a strategic commercial partnership with T/SQUARED, a marketing agency established by TEAM Group in 2023.
- Riot Games has appointed T/SQUARED, a marketing agency under TEAM Group, as its primary commercial partner for the League of Legends EMEA Championship (LEC) and the VALORANT Champions Tour (VCT) EMEA.
- T/SQUARED will lead sponsorship sales and business development efforts for both leagues, including all related esports events and official broadcast feeds.
- The partnership aims to drive commercial growth across the EMEA region by leveraging T/SQUARED's expertise to secure new brand agreements.
OnePlus Partners With Valorant Mobile in China
OnePlus has entered into a strategic partnership with TJ Sports, a joint venture between Riot Games and Tencent Holdings, to support the development and promotion of Valorant Mobile in China.
- OnePlus has entered a strategic partnership with TJ Sports, a joint venture between Riot Games and Tencent, to support Valorant Mobile esports in China.
- The OnePlus Ace 5 Pro will serve as the official smartphone for community-driven Valorant Mobile esports competitions in the second half of 2025.
- The device will be featured at the Valorant Mobile Shanghai Trial Play Session in June 2025 and a subsequent competition in Qingdao in July 2025.
Riot Games Wins Sports Emmy for Valorant Champions 2024 Grand Final
Riot Games received the Sports Emmy for Outstanding Esports Championship Coverage at the 46th Annual Sports Emmy Awards held in May 2025.
- Riot Games won the 2025 Sports Emmy for Outstanding Esports Championship Coverage for its production of the Valorant Champions 2024 Grand Final.
- The award-winning broadcast featured the championship match between Edward Gaming and Team Heretics.
- Riot Games secured the win over several major industry competitors, including the Call of Duty League, PGL for The International 2024, ESL FACEIT Group for the IEM Cologne 2024 Finals, and its own League of Legends Worlds 2024 Final coverage.
Uzi Inducted into the League of Legends Hall of Legends
Riot Games has officially named professional League of Legends player Jian “Uzi” Zihao as the second inductee into the League of Legends Hall of Legends.
- Riot Games has inducted professional League of Legends player Jian “Uzi” Zihao as the second member of the Hall of Legends, following the inaugural induction of Lee “Faker” Sang-hyeok.
- An official induction ceremony for Uzi will take place in Shanghai, China, on June 6, 2025.
- A dedicated in-game event for Uzi begins on June 11, 2025, featuring an event pass and exclusive cosmetic items created in collaboration with the player.
Riot Games Partners With Coinbase for LoL, Valorant Esports
Riot Games has entered into a multi-year partnership with the cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase, designating the firm as the exclusive cryptocurrency and blockchain technology partner for its premier esports properties, League of Legends (LoL) Esports and the Valorant Champions Tour (VCT).
- Riot Games has named Coinbase the exclusive cryptocurrency exchange and blockchain technology partner for its League of Legends (LoL) Esports and Valorant Champions Tour (VCT) circuits.
- The partnership will debut on June 7, 2025, at the Valorant Champions Tour Masters Toronto event.
- Coinbase will collaborate with Riot Games to integrate fan-facing enhancements, including custom segments, event activations, hospitality promotions, and giveaways.
We're Not Even Halfway Through, but I Already Know My Game of the Year
This analysis examines significant leadership transitions and industry developments within the global gaming sector as of April 2025.
- NetEase head of global investments and partnerships Simon Zhu has departed, while Humam Sakhnini, formerly of Activision Blizzard, has replaced Jason Citron as CEO of Discord.
- Major industry leadership transitions are being driven by a broader corporate strategy focused on cost-cutting and strategic scaling to meet shifting market demands.
- The indie game Blue Prince, developed by Tonda Ros over an eight-year period, has achieved critical success by prioritizing personal creative vision over traditional funding models.
Riot Games Reveals Legends Ascend South Asia
Riot Games has announced the launch of Legends Ascend South Asia, an amateur League of Legends tournament designed to foster grassroots competitive growth across the region.
- Riot Games is launching 'Legends Ascend South Asia,' an amateur League of Legends tournament series, in partnership with Aftermath Ventures.
- The competition features a total prize pool of INR 10,00,000 (approximately $11,695 USD).
- The tournament winner earns a qualification spot in the League of Legends Championship Pacific (LCP) Wildcard Playoffs, providing a path to the LCP promotion and relegation tournament.