League of Legends Worlds and the competitive year are all wrapped up, and the offseason has seen some surprising moves. Big changes are coming to the LCS for next season, and team changes are just the start.
While the LEC considered a new format, Riot has decided to take the LCS in a different direction entirely. Here's everything we know so far about the upcoming changes, and where to watch the games live.
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LCS Midweek Games
While changes are not official yet, Riot are expecting to move the LCS schedule from its usual weekend spot into the mid-week. According to sources of @anonimotum on Twitter, the changes will come into play for the 2023 Season.
Most fans suspect that Riot plans to funnel more resources into Valorant this year, as demand for it as an esport grows on the US market. This would give Valorant the primetime weekend slot and relagate the LCS.
This will be a huge blow to a great deal of League fans, those who watched only LCS, and LEC viewers too who tuned into the broadcasts consecutively.
This Might Just Kill the LCS
For some time now, the viewship of the LCS has been suffering. Generally sitting at about half that of the LEC, the North American League is in a very tough spot. The relegation to midweek matches will only hurt this figure going forward.
There's more issues for the LCS though. Asa fair few teams in the League stagnate and become glorified placeholders, even the top teams are finding no international success. A combined 3 wins and 15 losses in the group stage is tough to defend.
Hopefully, for League fans in North America, something will be done to draw the crowds back to the LCS. Without it, the league is in trouble.