Under the significant influence of the pandemic, the LCK organizers had to temporarily suspend the tournament since March 6 to control the spread of the virus and ensure the health of all participants. As of today, Riot Games Korea has officially announced that the LCK tournament will return on March 25.
According to the announcement, during the tournament’s suspension, Riot Games Korea visited and inspected all facilities of the teams to ensure the conditions for organizing the tournament in an online format.
As for the changes in the upcoming online LCK tournament, the schedule will increase from 4 days to 5 days a week, with the number of matches per day rising from 2 to 3 to make up for the downtime. Additionally, to shorten the time, there will be no advertisement breaks or countdowns between matches; games will begin as soon as the teams are ready.
This new schedule will allow viewers to watch many more matches than before, potentially viewing from 6 to 9 games each day. Conversely, professional gamers will have very little time to rest with such a packed schedule. Teams may have to compete continuously throughout the week with little time for practice. Ultimately, with this online scheduling arrangement, the LCK organizers ensure that the group stage will conclude by April 16 to promptly schedule the playoffs.