The LCS Summer Season Is In Jeopardy Following Strike By Pro Players

Following the rules change that Riot Games no longer requires teams competing in the top-level LCS League to field a team for the NACL League, a developmental-level league, Pro League of Legends players initiated walkout earlier this week. The LCS Players Association released a list of demands for Riot. Now, Riot Games has released an official statement and announced that they are delaying the start of the Summer season by two weeks. However, if things don’t get resolved by both parties, Riot said that they would have to delay the entire LCS Summer season.

Naz Aletaha, Global Head of LoL Esports wrote: “The LCS has always been a flagship league for LoL Esports and we care deeply about it. We know that everyone in the ecosystem, from the players to the teams to Riot to everyone behind the scenes making each week possible and so many others, all share the same goals for the LCS. We need an LCS that is thrilling to watch and showcases the highest levels of League of Legends play. We need a league that represents the pinnacle of North American competition, one that serves as an aspirational goal for competitive players who want to build a career playing League of Legends with a clear path to the LCS. We need an esports league that will one day bring the Summoner’s Cup home to North America. And we need a sustainable, economically viable, predictable league that supports a thriving ecosystem around it, for the players, teams, analysts, coaches, support staff, casters, broadcast crews, and more.”

Riot said that the Tier 2 development system is something that they want to bring forward to North America following success in other regions such as Europe, China, and Korea. Riot will be helping with the transition by giving its NACL partner Rally Cry, an additional $300,000 in order to jump-start the 2023 NACL season next week. This is in addition to the revenue share to the NACL teams that was announced last week. “Transitioning from the ineffective Academy system to the new NACL model will be helped by this funding. We’ll also be working with LCS and NACL teams, along with the LCSPA, to increase upward mobility opportunities for players to the LCS, which is the ultimate goal of a Tier 2 developmental league,” Aletaha said.

The LCSPA voted to strike on May 28. “This is not a decision LCS players have come to lightly,” the LCSPA said in a statement.

Regarding the delay, Aletaha said: “Hopefully, this two-week window will give us time for productive dialogue between the LCSPA, teams, and the league and then resume LCS competition this summer. The LCS will not be penalizing the teams for not fielding their rosters during this two-week period to allow everyone space to focus on constructive dialogue. We are doing our best to ensure LCS employees, contractors, and others supporting the LCS are not negatively impacted by the delay.

Delaying beyond the two-week window would make it nearly impossible to run a legitimate competition, and in that case, we would be prepared to cancel the entire LCS summer season. Carrying this forward, if the LCS summer season is canceled, this will also eliminate LCS teams qualifying for 2023 Worlds. I want to be clear: That is not an outcome we’d want, but it’s, unfortunately, the reality of ensuring we run a fair, competitive global system.”

Naz Aletaha also addressed the demands that the LCSPA made. These include Instituting VALORANT style promotion and relegation between LCS and NACL, Riot guaranteeing LCS minimum contracts for the following year to the five players who win NACL Summer Finals, instituting a 3/5 continuity rule to provide players on released NACL rosters first priority in maintaining their slots in the upcoming NACL season if a majority continue to compete together, Riot committing to a revenue pool for player salaries of $300,000 per NACL team, per year, and allowing LCS orgs to partner with affiliates for cost-sharing.

Here is what Aletaha said Riot is doing to address these requests.

Institute VALORANT style promotion and relegation between LCS and NACL.“Expanding the league in order to implement a VALORANT-style visitor slot system would run counter to our existing partnership model with the 10 LCS teams who paid ~$10M per slot to compete in the league. It would dilute LCS teams’ equity and put considerable downward pressure on the amount of revenue (our “League Revenue Pool”) that we share with the teams. More teams in the pool would dilute the revenues that we share 50% with our teams under the partnership model. Given the challenging macroeconomic climate, expanding the league is not a good idea at this time.”

Riot guarantees LCS minimum contracts for the following yearfor five players who win NACL Summer Finals.“Guaranteed LCS contracts for winners aren’t a necessary component of a healthy developmental league. LCS teams are in the best position to decide who should get a shot. We will continue to discuss initiatives to connect LCS to NACL players like we have in place with Scouting Grounds. Players should rise to the LCS based on merit, potential, and team fit rather than an artificially forced mechanism, and our focus will be on finding ways to increase the flexibility and mobility of that movement rather than forcing it.”

Institute a 3/5 continuity rule to provide players on released NACL rosters first priority in maintaining their slots in the upcoming NACL season if a majority continue to compete together.“Teams provide greater continuity and structure, and therefore we will continue with our policy of slot ownership residing with organizations rather than players.”

Riot commit to a revenue pool for player salaries of $300,000 per NACL team, per year.“This ask is for multiple millions in subsidies for the NACL. That simply isn’t sustainable – and to be brutally honest, it shouldn’t be necessary. We have other Tier 2 leagues around the world which thrive on their own, and we believe the NACL can get to that place too.

What we will do is help the North American scene through this transition. So, as I mentioned above, we will be investing in a bridge period by providing a special, one-time payment of $300,000 to the NACL’s Tournament Operator (Rally Cry) to support NACL teams during the transition to the new structure.”

Allow LCS orgs to partner with affiliates for cost-sharing.“We’ve seen examples of partnerships between pro teams and Tier 2 teams across the globe result in greater upward mobility of pros and more sustainable Tier 2 ecosystems. That is why we already, and will continue to, allow affiliate relationships to exist between teams in LCS and NACL (for example, Golden Guardians & Area of Effect).”