The competitive League of Legends world has been set aflame with controversy after the North American League Players’ Association announced the entire LCS player base would be staging a walkout in protest to Riot Games’ controversial changes to the region’s tier-two scene earlier this week.
As a result, Riot was forced to delay the 2023 LCS Summer Split for two weeks while they discuss and negotiate terms with the LCSPA but also mentioned several repercussions that could occur if a resolution was not found in those two weeks.
Related: What is the LCS walkout and what does it mean?
Here are all of the possible post-walkout scenarios League fans should look out for over the next month, as meetings are held between both parties.
Scenario One
LCSPA and Riot find agreement, 2023 Summer Split begins
The most ideal situation for the league has the LCSPA find a middle ground with Riot officials in terms of the current outlook on the tier-two scene. Once acceptable terms and conditions are met, the league can finally begin on Thursday, June 15.
Unfortunately, this outcome might be hard to come by in two weeks, especially after Riot essentially rebuffed four of the five requests the association named in a recent Twitter statement. The league and the players will both have to work hard to find an acceptable solution that satisfies both parties by the time the restart date rolls around.
Riot has also added some additional pressure on the Players’ Association with some major consequences, should the delay last more than two weeks.
Scenario Two
Delay extends past two weeks, causes Summer Split cancellation and forfeiture of LCS slots at Worlds 2023
If the delay goes past the allotted two-week timeframe, Riot has already outlined that not only would the 2023 LCS Summer Split be completely canceled, but NA would not attend the World Championship in South Korea later this year.
The company said a longer delay would “make it nearly impossible to run a legitimate competition,” and that this is the only way to ensure a “fair, competitive global system.”
If the LCS is removed from Worlds, it may also cause bigger problems with this year’s format and the number of teams headed to the event. For example, Riot might be required to add more teams from other regions to balance out the missing LCS representatives, with possibly one extra team each from the other major regions like the LCK, LPL, and LEC.
They’d also have to change or scrap the Worlds Qualifying Series that would have decided whether EU or NA would be sending their fourth seed to the Play-In stage, and instead just send the LEC’s fourth seed into the tournament without having to play a series.
Ultimately, it would be a huge debacle with massive fallout for the biggest League event of the year.
What caused the 2023 LCS walkout?
Although Riot brought several changes to the tier-two scene, the biggest move made was the removal of an important mandate that required LCS orgs to participate in the Academy scene. Seven of the 10 top teams disbanded their tier-two rosters short after, leaving dozens of players and staff members without a job in the middle of the year.
This was also seen by many as a huge hit towards the NA developmental scene, since many players would now be lacking the support of these major orgs to help fund and maintain healthy environments for true growth, along with a reduced chance to move upward into the region.
Additionally, the LCSPA was not contacted by Riot ahead of the decision, leading to a vote among all 50 players that “overwhelmingly passed” for a Summer walkout.
