Players represented by the LCS Players Association (LCSPA) voted to go away after Riot Games announced that LCS teams wouldn’t be required to field an amateur group in North American Challengers League (NACL) ranging from the summer season. In the times that followed, many teams said they might not field NACL teams, with some citing the economic challenges involved. Players have protested these decisions because it cuts off a very important development pipeline League of Legends talent.
In a blog post by Naz Aletaha, Riot Games Global Head of Marketing, Mr League of Legends esports, said Riot hopes the two-week delay will “give us time for productive dialogue between the LCSPA, the teams and the league, after which resume LCS competition this summer.” However, Aletaha said that if the season needed to be delayed, “we could be prepared to cancel your entire LCS summer season.” If that happens, Aletaha said the LCS won’t have the option to qualify for this 12 months’s Worlds, a worldwide tournament that serves as a competitive highlight League of Legends annually.
On Tuesday evening, LCSPA shared an update on its conversations with Riot. “We met with Riot Games today to request every day meetings – or more if essential – to succeed in a resolution” he wrote on Twitter. “Starting tomorrow, we plan to begin discussions that can lead to meaningful collective motion to get our players back to where they wish to be: competing for fans within the LCS scene.” On Monday, he asked the players keep out if recruited to exchange LCS players who were leaving.
Update May 30, 22:20 ET: Tweet from LCSPA added.
