Play Games
1 month ago
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On 30th March, Riot Games confirmed the participation of League of Legends esports (LoL Esports) teams and Teamfight Tactics (TFT) pros in the upcoming Esports World Cup (EWC). Riot made it clear that the EWC is not an official LoL Esports event and that it will not be involved in the production, nor in the selection of teams competing at the event. As a result, League of Legends and TFT will join all other esports titles to create a new gaming experience for players around the world.
League of Legends & TFT in Esports World Cup
In an official blog, Riot Games said, "We know that seeing League and TFT included in an international esports event in Saudi Arabia could raise some questions. Our goal in this region, and all regions, is to make deliberate choices that result in a better experience for players around the world."
Talking about why it chose to participate in the Esports World Cup, Riot Games noted that it carefully evaluated various reasons. One of the reasons is that it considered this an opportunity for teams and players.
Riot Games said, "We also recognize that many organizations and players in esports face economic challenges right now. With this in mind, we didn’t want to deny esports teams and players the option to participate in a major economic and brand-building opportunity."
Riot Games also confirmed that Arabic localization will make it to League of Legends soon and that it will be launching new servers in the Middle East in 2024. The publisher also thanked all the players in the MENA region for patiently waiting for a localized League of Legends experience. It also acknowledged that not everyone will want to watch the Esports World Cup, but strongly stated that it believes in the impact of the event on esports teams, pro players, and other stake holders.
The company will be using the Esports World Cup participation as an opportunity to evaluate how fans across the world accept and reciprocate to third-party tournaments. It said, "In 2023, events like the Asian Games and Red Bull League of Its Own were significant moments for teams, players, and fans. We’ll use this initial first-year EWC exploration to evaluate the overall tournament experience, assess the benefits to pro teams, and better understand the value of EWC to players worldwide."
It was in January 2024 that a report by journalist Jacob Wolf revealed Riot Games' talks with the Esports World Cup 2024 event. This development came via an internal email sent by Riot Games during the holiday break, which was then sourced by The Jacob Wolf Report.
The report also noted that Riot Games would be allowing two teams each from the League Championship Series (LCS), League of Legends EMEA Championship (LEC), the League of Legends Pro League (LPL), and the League of Legends Champions Korea (LCK) to participate.
