From a surprising announcement by company C. for the LCK SUMMER 2024 screening
As we know, recently, the rights holders of the LCK in Vietnam have prohibited individuals or groups from organizing Viewing Parties and using licensed broadcast channels (for which fees have already been paid) to serve audiences. This has left many LCK fans in Vietnam feeling disheartened as they can no longer follow their favorite teams in the number one League of Legends tournament in South Korea. However, amidst this situation, one of Vietnam’s top cinema brands, company C., stepped in and promised to provide screenings of LCK Summer 2024 matches starting from the playoffs for Vietnamese audiences.
It goes without saying that this news made many LCK fans “overjoyed”. Everyone knows that company C.’s cinema chain is among the most luxurious today. Experiencing intense matches on a cinema screen was something that was previously only possible at Viewing Parties. Now, having a prestigious company sponsoring this will be a significant move to elevate Esports and League of Legends in Vietnam. However, shortly after, company C. made a move that was “a direct hit into the ground”.
The move that “angered” LCK fans in Vietnam
Accordingly, company C. released a type of card called “Pass Card” in the form of box cards containing rounded corner cards of the players. Perhaps those who regularly follow Kpop idols are already familiar with this type of card. However, the first issue lies in the price, as these Pass Cards are priced at 200,000 VND (nearly three times more expensive than a ticket for a regular blockbuster film). According to company C., the receipt for purchasing the Pass Card is also the ticket to enter the theater to watch the matches.
The second issue is that the rounded corner player cards included in the Pass Card are from all 10 teams. Assuming each team has about 5 players (not counting reserve players who may also have these rounded corner cards), there are up to 50 players. The chance of getting a card of a favorite player is 1 in 50. If fans support the entire team, their chances might increase slightly to about 1 in 10. But if they are just hardcore fans of a few specific players on one team, or even just support a single player (like Faker’s hardcore fans, for example), the chance of getting a Faker card is also very low.
Company C.’s actions have been criticized as “money-grabbing” towards LCK fans in a distasteful manner, causing the community to be extremely outraged. Right below the post, many viewers declared they would not go to the cinema. Some even admitted to being truly disappointed after eagerly anticipating the matches to be viewed in theaters but now having to reluctantly stay… at home.
Currently, company C. and the parties involved with Riot and LCK have not made any statements regarding the incident. However, if the negative reactions continue to escalate, this cinema chain may need to reconsider its policies, especially with just over a week left until the LCK Summer 2024 playoffs officially begin.