As the League of Legends community is aware, the LCS region has been in turmoil in recent days. A massive strike by teams has led to significant issues for the LCS Summer Split, which is set to kick off in about two weeks. In fact, many fans both locally and internationally are contemplating a scenario where this annual tournament may not be able to commence.
As for Riot, the publisher has suggested some solutions for teams in the region. However, Riot’s insistence on withdrawing funding for the development of youth leagues has left the conflict unresolved. According to Western media, Riot may even revise the ranking tier limitations to ensure that teams have enough players to compete in the LCS Summer Split 2023.
Recently, Western media reported that Riot has issued an “ultimatum” to the LCS region. If the Summer Split 2023 cannot proceed as scheduled, Riot may withdraw LCS’s spot at the 2023 World Championship. This is understandable since the World Championship 2023 must be organized in accordance with the preparation timeline for the Asian Games for the Asian teams. The stagnation of LCS will undoubtedly affect Riot’s plans.
Many fans in smaller regions, including VCS, are clearly quite excited about this news. However, neither Riot nor Western media have mentioned the redistribution of Worlds spots. In the past, regardless of the situation, Riot has never added additional spots for regions participating in international tournaments managed by the publisher.
Therefore, even if LCS loses its spot at Worlds 2023, smaller regions will struggle to change the number of teams participating. Moreover, in recent years, despite being rated as the weakest among the four major regions, LCS has still shown to be significantly stronger than the smaller regions and wildcard groups. Hence, the distribution of spots may still not be effective.
Additionally, Riot may seek a satisfactory resolution for the LCS situation. After all, North America is still the home of League of Legends, and Riot certainly won’t let this region slip away due to the recent turmoil.