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LCSPA and Riot Games achieve middleground in discussions

· Jun 09 - 3 minutes read

After a period surrounded with controversy and uncertainty, the LCS has finally confirmed their comeback to the 2023 Summer Split and attendance to the World Championship. Riot Games announced that after several meetings they have finally reached a common ground with the LCS Players Association, mainly regarding the NACL changes and the 2023 Summer Split.

This decision was achieved after Riot Games postponed the start of the Summer Split by 2 weeks, if discussions did not go well, it could have possibly meant the cancellation of the entire North American season plus no NA organization participating at this year’s Worlds.

LCSPA and Riot Games achieve middleground in discussions — NACL League badge

Naz Aletaha, Global Head of League of Legends Esports, via announcement:

“Delaying Summer Split was not a decision we took lightly” “But ultimately the dialogue between the league, the LCSPA, and teams provided the space to realign on shared goals for the future of the LCS and NACL. Building for the long-term sustainability and success of the LCS ecosystem is the win-condition for us all.”

Due to the previously initiated delay, the matches will be played every Wednesday, Thursday and Friday starting at 1pm CT for a total of 8 weeks, a difference from the original 2 day per week schedule. On top of that, the news also means the original setting for the LCS finals will remain at Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey.

While several of the original requests made by the LCSPA were not approved, they were somewhat changed into what Riot Games thought was viable for the sustainability of the league. The main starting point for the situation was the NACL changes, thankfully the LCSPA request to grant initial funding for the organizations involved was approved with a total of $300000 divided in 10 teams.

The original NACL funding was only step 1 of the requests, after negotiations the NACL will also have some adjustments to its governing party, a minimum 30 day notice for residents and 15 day notice for foreigners plus severance, healthcare benefits for foreign players, and lastly more transparent communication and discussion with Riot Games.

As a whole, the overall schedule for both the NACL and the LCS Summer Split is expected to remain the same, with the first game being a Spring Finals rematch between Cloud 9 and Golden Guardians. Both squads are looking to bounce back from an underwhelming performance at the Mid Season Invitational back in May.

As of the moment of writing, no further changes have been communicated by both parties involved in the situation. Several NACL rosters have yet to be announced for the upcoming split due to the uncertainty around the league.

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