This week, a collective representing the vast majority of League of Legends Championship Series (LCS) players will withdraw from their commitments to the Summer Split, defying Riot Games’ decision to abandon the requirement that teams field a roster in the North American League’s second division.
Their decision to essentially unionize against the developer has left the wider League community stunned, and while the LCS Players Association (LSCPA) remains firm on its stance against participating in this week’s LCS Summer Split, Riot is yet to budge either—throwing the upcoming split into turmoil.
But just what is the LCS walkout, and what ramifications could this have for NA League?
What is the LCS walkout?
The LCS walkout is an orchestrated movement led by the LCS Players Association. The walkout was staged by the LCSPA following Riot’s May 7 decision to scrap mandatory participation for LCS organizations in the North American Challenger League (NACL)—the ‘second tier’ of NA League.
The LCSPA is an official body established shortly before LCS franchising in 2017 by Riot Games, whose key purpose is to represent the interests of professional, semi-pro, and amateur NA League players, providing resources, counsel, support, and more.
The LCSPA was not contacted by Riot ahead of the decision, and following seven of the franchised organizations dropping their academy teams immediately following the lifting of the rule, decided to call a vote to step away from appearing in this week’s split launch.
As part of the walkout, which was voted upon and passed by a majority of the LCS playing group, the LCSPA outlined five key measures to be met before players would consider a return to competition, including a promotion-relegation system similar to that of sister esport VALORANT, a revenue pool allocated for each NACL team, guaranteed LCS minimum contracts, and more.
While the LCSPA and Riot were previously at odds over the contentious decision to play out the 2020 Spring Split despite the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, this is the first time such drastic action has been taken by the LCSPA, or any player-led association, in the esports’ history.
What does the walkout mean for NA League?
In a nutshell, the walkout represents the biggest ever divide between the three core pieces of the League ecosystem: The playing group, their franchised organizations, and developer and publisher Riot itself.
“The LCSPA sincerely hopes Riot will avert this walkout by joining us in the coming days to have open and transparent discussions so that we can forge collaborative solutions to ensure the best futures for the LCS and the NACL,” the LCSPA’s official statement read following their landmark vote to walk out.
The LCSPA was no doubt expecting Riot to come to the table to discuss the terms and conditions as outlined by the association. However, with news the publisher has approached organizations to reaffirm the contractual agreement to field a roster, as well as the lifting of restrictions over who can play in the LCS, it seems Riot has no intention of budging either.
Ultimately, the LCSPA wants Riot to ensure those who aspire to join the LCS—or professional League, for that matter—have their voices heard ahead of time when it comes to decisions affecting the future of the region, and that NA academy players receive proper support and compensation for their time invested in building a League career.
So, who blinks first?
Timeline: How the LCS players’ strike has unfolded
Here’s how it’s all unfolded over the last three weeks:
- May 7 — All 10 LCS owners unanimously agree to make participation in the NACL optional.
- May 7 — Riot agrees to this request on the basis of greater financial flexibility.
- May 12 — Riot makes sweeping changes to the region’s path-to-pro, new cross-region competitions, and provides a firm stance on the current LCS import rule. Among these changes is confirmation LCS teams will no longer have to field NACL rosters from the 2023 Summer Split onward.
- May 12 to 18 — 100 Thieves, Cloud9, Dignitas, Golden Guardians, Immortals, NRG, and TSM, drop their NACL rosters throughout the next week.
- May 19 — FlyQuest, Evil Geniuses, and Team Liquid retain NACL rosters.
- May 19 — LCS Player Association highlights more than 70 jobs may be lost as a result of this decision by Riot and the LCS teams.
- May 23 — LCSPA begins preparations for massive vote involving all 50 of the league’s players on a walkout to protest against the changes.
- May 23 — LCSPA outlines request list ahead of walkout vote.
- May 28 — Vote is “overwhelmingly” passed.
- May 29 — Reports emerge that LCS teams still obliged to field rosters so begin preparing to find replacements. Riot temporarily changes League signing rules to allow unranked emergency signings for orgs.
- May 29 — LCSPA moves to mitigate any “scab” signings.
Will the 2023 LCS Summer Split be canceled?
As of 11:59pm May 29, the LCS Summer Split is expected to proceed as planned on Thursday, June 1.
However, with question marks over the current crop of LCS players and their participation, as well as the contractual requirement for LCS orgs to field a roster for the split’s launch, it is unclear at this time who will suit up for each team ahead of the season opener.
“Joining hands to put competition aside is a testament to the significance and urgency of the issues,” reiterated the LCSPA. “We stand at this impasse because actions were taken by Riot without prior communication or discussion.”
Riot has not yet issued a public comment on the LCSPA decision to walk out, and all 10 LCS orgs are expected to field a roster for Thursday’s Summer Split opener.