Riot
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Documents about Riot
Evil Geniuses and Golden Guardians Exit LCS: 2024
The League of Legends Championship Series (LCS) is undergoing a significant structural contraction, reducing its North American league from ten participating teams to eight for the 2024 season.
- Riot Games is reducing the League of Legends Championship Series (LCS) from 10 teams to eight for the 2024 season.
- Evil Geniuses and Golden Guardians will both exit the LCS at the end of 2023.
- The departures of these two organizations were mutually agreed upon with Riot Games.
Promod Esports Files for Bankruptcy and Lays Off Entire Staff
Promod Esports, a UK-based tournament organizer and esports agency, has filed for insolvency and terminated its entire staff.
- UK-based tournament organizer and esports agency Promod Esports has filed for insolvency and laid off its entire staff.
- The company has failed to pay players and casters for various events, with outstanding debts dating back to June 2023.
- Riot Games has confirmed it is severing ties with Promod and is currently seeking new partners for the 2024 Valorant Challengers Northern Europe: Polaris league.
Mastercard Launches Mastercard Gamer Academy
Mastercard has launched the Mastercard Gamer Academy, a professional development initiative designed to provide aspiring industry professionals with the mentorship, networking opportunities, and skill sets necessary to pursue careers in esports.
- Mastercard, in partnership with G2 Esports and Riot Games, has launched the 'Mastercard Gamer Academy' to provide professional development for individuals pursuing careers in the esports industry.
- The program will select 10 participants to receive mentorship, networking opportunities, and an educational curriculum covering marketing, content creation, and event execution.
- Participants will receive all-expense-paid trips to major 2024 events, including the League of Legends World Championship and Valorant Champions, as well as two visits to the G2 Esports headquarters in Berlin.
Infinite Reality, KOI Announce Amicable Separation
Metaverse company Infinite Reality and the Barcelona-based esports organization KOI have announced an amicable separation, concluding a strategic partnership established one year prior.
- Infinite Reality and esports organization KOI are ending their strategic partnership following the conclusion of Worlds 2023.
- Infinite Reality’s subsidiary, ReKTGlobal, will assume full ownership of the Carolina Royal Ravens (CDL), as well as its Rocket League, Rainbow Six: Siege, and LEC teams.
- KOI will take full control of its League of Legends LVP Superliga, FIFAe, and Valorant Champions Tour EMEA League teams, the latter pending Riot Games approval.
The Esports Awards Lifetime Achievement Award Class of 2023
The Esports Awards announced the 2023 inductees for the Lifetime Achievement in Esports award, a recognition program dedicated to honoring professionals who have made significant, long-term contributions to the growth and development of the competitive gaming industry.
- The Esports Awards announced its 2023 Lifetime Achievement inductees: Michael “Odee” O’Dell, Ian “Crimsix” Porter, Chris Puckett, Victor “Nazgul” Goossens, Shane “rapha” Hendrixson, Manuel “Grubby” Schenkhuizen, Lee “Flash” Young Ho, and Marc Merrill.
- Lexus has renewed its partnership with the Esports Awards for 2023, marking its fifth consecutive year as a presenting partner.
- As part of its sponsorship, Lexus will sponsor the “Streamer of the Year” and “Esports Organization of the Year” award categories.
Riot Games Approves Astralis Transfer of LEC Slot to Karmine Corp
Riot Games has officially approved the transfer of the League of Legends European Championship (LEC) slot from Astralis to Karmine Corp.
- Riot Games has approved the transfer of Astralis's LEC slot to Karmine Corp, with the team set to debut in the 2024 LEC Winter Split.
- The LEC slot transfer is valued at approximately $27.4 million USD (DKK 194M), with Astralis retaining all proceeds from the sale.
- The transaction involves the creation of a new entity, AK-Game SAS, with Karmine Corp acquiring an initial 66.67% stake for $18.22 million USD (DKK 129M).
The Art of Hiring: Lessons from a True Talent Expert
The provided text outlines best practices for talent acquisition and career navigation within the gaming industry, drawing on the expertise of the Head of Talent at a16z Games.
- Organizations should replace vague cultural ideals with specific, observable behaviors, such as the 'Player Focus' framework used by Riot Games, to establish clear benchmarks for hiring and performance.
- Hiring managers must implement structured interview processes with predefined evaluation criteria to eliminate redundancy, antagonistic questioning, and subjective assessment.
- Job seekers should prioritize long-term market potential and leadership trust over immediate compensation when evaluating career opportunities.
League of Legends: Wild Rift Tops $1 Billion in Revenue
League of Legends: Wild Rift has officially surpassed $1 billion in lifetime player spending, marking a significant financial milestone for the mobile MOBA title.
- League of Legends: Wild Rift has surpassed $1 billion in lifetime player spending in less than three years since its October 2020 global launch.
- China is the primary revenue driver, contributing $141 million of the game's $188 million total revenue generated in the first half of 2023.
- The title has reached 111 million total downloads, with China, Vietnam, and Brazil identified as the key markets for user acquisition.
Raidiant Announces Star Chasers Showdown Featuring Rocket League
Raidiant, an esports broadcast operator and division of New Meta Entertainment, has partnered with developer Psyonix to launch the Star Chasers Showdown, a competitive Rocket League tournament series.
- Raidiant is partnering with Psyonix to host the Star Chasers Showdown, a $30,000 Rocket League tournament dedicated to women and marginalized genders.
- The tournament will feature up to 32 teams from North America and Europe, with qualifiers scheduled for October 14–15 and the main event for October 28–29, 2023.
- The event includes an amateur bracket with its own grand final, alongside a free agent pool designed to facilitate team building for individual participants.
Amazon Veteran Cristina Carranza Joins GGTech
GGTech Entertainment, a Spain-based organization, has appointed Cristina Carranza as its new head of global sales.
- GGTech Entertainment has appointed former Twitch and Amazon executive Cristina Carranza as its new head of global sales to lead the company's expansion into the United States.
- Carranza brings nearly a decade of experience from Amazon and Twitch, where she most recently served as an account director helping develop global programs like Amazon GAMERGY and Amazon University Esports.
- This leadership hire follows a $12.4 million investment secured by GGTech in June 2023 from Glisco Partners and Heart Beat, intended to support the company's international growth.
2023 LEC Finals Broadcast Partners Announced
Riot Games has finalized its broadcast and co-streaming partnerships for the 2023 League of Legends EMEA Championship (LEC) Season Finals, held in Montpellier, France, on September 9–10, 2023.
- Riot Games announced the broadcast and co-streaming partners for the 2023 LEC Season Finals, which took place in Montpellier, France, on September 9–10, 2023.
- The event featured localized broadcasts in 15 different languages, supported by regional partners including OTP (France), LVP (Spain), Frenzy (Poland), and Afreeca (South Korea).
- The 2023 LEC Season Finals featured competition between six teams: Fnatic, MAD Lions, G2 Esports, Team BDS, EXCEL, and SK Gaming.
Carry1st Partners With Riot to Bring Valorant Servers to South Africa
The partnership between South African publisher Carry1st and Riot Games marks a strategic expansion of infrastructure for the tactical shooter Valorant within the African continent.
- Riot Games and South African publisher Carry1st have partnered to launch local Valorant servers in South Africa, effective August 31, 2023.
- As part of the agreement, Carry1st will lead regional promotional campaigns to drive engagement and awareness for the game.
- Carry1st will host an interactive promotional activation at Comic Con Africa in Johannesburg, scheduled for September 22–25, 2023.
