Player protest leads to postponement of 2023 LCS Summer Split
6 June 2023
Turmoil in the world of League of Legends, one of the most popular titles in the history of international esports. In reaction to a series of changes to the game that were proposed by its developer Riot Games earlier this year, the League Championship Series Players Association (LCSPA) recently voted for a walkout with an overwhelming majority. This was a first in esports and it happened on Sunday, June 4th 2023, and as a result, the start of the LCS Summer Split has been postponed by Riot. Should an agreement remain off the table during that period, then a cancellation of the entire 2023 Summer Split could be on the table though, according to the Riot Games.
What exactly is going on?
It all started when Riot Games recently announced that the mandate for teams to field academy rosters in the NACL (North American Challenger League) was going to be dropped. Various teams from the LCS, including big international esports names like 100 Thieves, Team Liquid and Cloud9, have been pressuring the developer to provide more financial support. This eventually led to Riot dropping the mandate for teams to have academy roster, on which some teams spend more than $ 1 million a year. According to the LCSPA, the decision by Riot came as a complete surprise as it was not communicated or discussed prior to the official announcement.
Following the announced strike by players from the LCSPA, Riot Games decided to postpone the start of the upcoming LCS 2023 Summer Split, which was supposed to start on Thursday, June 1st, by two weeks in order to come to an agreement. By doing so, the company wants to show it has the players’ best interests at heart, though the question is if they really had a choice.
“While last week we immediately put in place contingency plans to begin the LCS season on Thursday, we ultimately decided that it would not hold true to our values that Riot’s esports offers our players and fans a showcase for the best competitive League of Legends,” says Naz Aletaha, Global Head of LoL Esports at Riot Games, “Nothing but putting the best players in North America on the stage at Riot Games Arena is acceptable. So, we informed LCSPA leadership today that we will delay the LCS season for the next two weeks”.
Risk of cancellation
At the same time, Riot gently urged all involved parties to make their best effort to come to an agreement during the two-week period. If not, for the first time in the history of the League of Legends Championship Series, the Summer Split will have to be cancelled in its entirety as a result of a player strike.
“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”, added Aletaha in her statement, “Carrying this forward, if the LCS summer season is cancelled, 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”.