COVID Central: Riot Games Makes Major Changes to the LCS and LEC

With E3 being canceled, the video game industry has formally shown that we’re willing to take the big steps to help combat the COVID-19 pandemic that continues to sweep across the globe with alarming speed. Everyone’s digging in for the long haul, and that means that we’re going to be seeing some pretty enormous changes to how the games industry does everything – from work hours to industry events and, yes, even eSports.

While Riot Games already postponed their Chinese eSports league (and even evacuated their players to Korea), up until recently their European and American league – the LEC and LCS leagues, specifically – had been continuing forward uninterrupted. Starting today, that all changes.

Starting now, and through the spring split, the LEC will be played entirely online, rather than in a physical arena. There will be no live fans, no press, nothing – just Riot Games broadcasting the matches live with the usual commentary. This is expected to continue even up to the finals.

For what it’s worth, the LEC had this to say:

"This is not a decision we made lightly, however the health and safety of our pro players, fans, press, and staff is and will always be our top priority. We will continue to monitor the situation and listen closely to the advice of health and governmental authorities. Any fans who have already purchased tickets to the LEC you will be contacted shortly about a refund. We apologize for the disappointment this will cause, and thank you for your continuing support."

The LCS, meanwhile, is doing something different. While the players will still be competing in physical eSports arenas, fans, press, and everyone else not directly working for the teams or the arena itself will be barred from entry.

"As a league, we need to stand by our policy of putting the safety of our pros, fans, and employees first. The LCS and Academy games will continue as scheduled and will be broadcast from the LCS Studios."

Common sense measures, but I’ll be the first to lament: eSports will lose a lot of the appeal without the roar of the crowd…