It’s been years since Riot let a third party host a League of Legends esports event. But it seems that with the demand for more international events still there, they are considering partnering with Saudi Arabia to make this happen.
For years now, League of Legends fans have been calling for more international League of Legends esports competitions. Although Riot has tried to add more events with Rift Rivals, none have been as close to MSI and Worlds, but that could all change.
In a bid to add more international competitions, Riot could partner with the Saudi state-backed Esports World Cup in 2024 to add one more international competition to the events calendar.
-
Exclusive: BrokenBlade and Kaiser reveal their thoughts on LoL Season 14 in the Red Bull League of Its Own
News
-
“I only see him growing” – HRH Prince Faisal’s take on Gamers8 and beyond
Gamers8 Coverage Center
LoL: Riot could partner with a third-party esports organizer
After organizing a $45 million e-sports tournament in 2023, the Saudi government has won over the largest publisher in the sector: Riot Games.
The Esports World Cup is expected to feature a League of Legends tournament this summer, according to an internal email.
More: https://t.co/f0RBhQ3ujp
– Jacob Wolf (@JacobWolf) January 2, 2024
The last time Riot partnered with a third-party organizer for an esports event was in 2017, when League of Legends was still part of the Intel Extreme Masters League event in Poland. That was seven years ago, and Riot has held exclusive tournament rights to its intellectual property ever since.
It seems that after Gamers8 hosted a huge esports event with a $45 million prize pool that included games like Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, Rocket League, Fortnite, Street Fighter, Rainbow Six: Siege, they won Riot’s trust.
In July, the Esports World Cup is expected to take place and League of Legends will be part of it, according to journalist Jacob Wolf, who obtained an internal email from Riot Games.
There isn’t much information on the tournament yet, but it appears that two teams from each country region will be able to participate in the event and Riot is not going to dictate which teams will represent their region. For the duration of the Esports World Cup, domestic leagues will cease operations.
The Esports World Cup will take place over eight weeks in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, and is expected to feature the largest prize pool in esports history. The League of Legends portion of the event is scheduled to take place in early July, at the start of the tournament, so that the national breaks coincide with the July vacation that Riot employees usually enjoy on the Fourth of July.
It will be a huge esports event, but fans are skeptical and have expressed criticism. This isn’t the first time Riot has partnered with Saudi Arabia, with the LEC partnering on the NEOM city development in 2020, which was quickly canceled after fan outrage. Will the Esports World Cup encounter the same resistance, or will Riot continue this partnership?
More League of Legends content
LoL Patch 14.6: Riot reveals the next Crystallis…
BTS member Suga’s concert film D-Day will be released in…
This is why game journalists are “bad” at video games
The Gentlemen on Netflix – Should you watch the film…
Shogun release schedule: When is episode 4 coming out? |…
The new Assassin’s Creed title moves away from the game, clues…
The use of AI in board games causes a new scandal
Fortnite Chapter 5 Season 2: Mythical weapons, bosses and…
Halo Infinite: A new map with Operation Cyber Showdown III
New LoL High Noon skins: release date, champions and more
