With the recent drama surrounding the LCS and the North American Challenger League (NACL), Riot has finally responded and decided to push back the LCS start for two weeks, but there could be even more implications for the international League.
Riot has finally responded to the LCS player walkout and given fans more information on the inner workings of the professional esports league, as well as where they stand, in regard to the demands of the LCS Players Association.
The LCS 2023 Summer Split will be delayed by two weeks, but if agreements cannot be reached within the next two weeks, then we might get even more repercussions for the remainder of the League of Legends season. So, what has Riot said, and how will they move forward?
LCS Summer Split Pushed Back By Two Weeks
The LCS Summer Split has been delayed for two weeks according to a statement from Naz Aletaha, the Global Head of LoL Esports. In the statement she wrote that Riot, along with players and the LCS orgs, were going to be engaging in "productive dialogue".
- Want to beautify your keyboard? Get some custom key caps for your favorite League of Legends champion!
While Riot initially wanted to force the LCS Summer Split to kick-off as planned on June 1, 2023, they've since changed their tune and will be starting two weeks later. Teams had been scrambling, trying to find players to field amidst penalty threats.
While last week we immediately put in place contingency plans to begin the LCS season on Thursday, we ultimately decided that it would not hold true to our values that Riot’s esports offers our players and fans a showcase for the best competitive League of Legends.
Now teams, players and the league have two weeks to come to an agreement. If there is no middle ground found and the LCS Summer Split is delayed further, then North America likely will not be represented at the 2023 League of Legends World Championship in South Korea later this year.
- If you're sick and tired of all this LCS drama then sit back and watch some Arcane. There is even great merch for the Netflix series you can get!
According to Aletaha, delaying the Summer Split further would "make it nearly impossible to run a legitimate competition" and would mean that the rest of the split would be cancelled, thus meaning that North America won't be able to have teams at the World Championship.
[...] if the LCS summer season is canceled, this will also eliminate LCS teams qualifying for 2023 Worlds.
The LCS has been a hot topic, throughout the last few weeks so now we will see whether the teams, players and league can come to a decision in the next two weeks. A World Championship without NA would be kind of sad...