Riot Games afslører store planer for det nordamerikanske LCS

Riot Games har løftet sløret for en masse ændringer der vil påvirke den nordamerikanske League of Legends-turnering (NA LCS), og blandt de største nyheder er blandt andet at Riot vil "franchise" ligaen i fremtiden.

"We believe that stability for teams and for pros will help create a league that rewards the highest level of play and is ultimately more entertaining for fans. To get there, we're going to make some central changes. Starting in 2018, teams that participate in the NA LCS will be there as permanent partners of the league. Teams will be selected from an application process (more details on that below) meaning they won't face relegation or have to fight for the right to compete as a new org via a promotion tournament. We see this as a positive step forward for the league for multiple reasons, but mainly because teams will no longer have to juggle uncertainty while planning for their future." skriver Riot i en længere meddelelse.

Desuden forsvarer Riot beslutningen om at abstrahere for at lovgive indenfor NA LCS, da dette åbenbart forhindrer store investeringer.

"We want to make sure they are still motivated to do their best year-in and year-out. To achieve this, we'll be creating financial incentives for each place in the league — the better you do, the bigger the rewards. We are also implementing a policy in which teams can lose their right to compete in the league if they finish in 9th or 10th place 5 times over an 8-split span."

Desuden bliver Challenger Series genstartet, og bliver i stedet til Academy League, og planen er fremadrettet at spillet indtjeningen fra ligaerne:

In a healthy, long-term league, money generated by the ecosystem should be shared by the people who contribute to it. We also believe that the league is healthiest when teams, players, and Riot are all motivated to create a thriving, entertaining league that's popular with fans. Entering into partnership allows us to create opportunities for teams and pros to share in the upside of the league. To achieve that, we will be sharing league-based revenues (like the media deal announced last year and team-branded digital goods). In the same vein, teams will be required to share a portion of their league-driven revenues as well (including things like sponsorships and merch sales). This aligns the interests of all parties (while still granting considerable opportunity for motivated owners and superstar players to earn outsized revenues), creating a strong and competitive ecosystem."