League of Legends players in Southeast Asia lash out at Garena
The frustration of Southeast Asian League of Legends players is starting to reach a boiling point.
Tens of thousands are expressing their dissatisfaction with Riot and its relationship with Garena. The Singaporean game company operates League of Legends in the region, and users from countries like the Philippines and Taiwan are growing more and more tired of Garena’s supposed mishandling of the game.
In fact, so many are so frustrated with the publisher that 23,000 players have signed a petition calling on Riot to break off their arrangement with Garena and start building their own infrastructure in the region. The petition has been circulating on the League of Legends subreddit.
Garena security issues with League of Legends
While this call to action may sound explosive, fans have long had reason to be frustrated with Garena. Gripes over things like slow implementation of patches and the game’s lack of integration with services like OP.gg are commonplace, but Garena has also made some terrible mistakes in the past and has an extensive history of security issues.
In 2014, Garena was hacked which resulted in a number of League of Legends and Path of Exile users’ computers being invaded by trojan horses. This happened again in 2015 when the League of Legends installer was infected with malware.
The most recent problem came in 2018, when players discovered that a cryptocurrency mining program had been packaged into Garena’s version of the game client without notice, putting unnecessary strain on users’ computers. It is unclear if this mining program was installed by Garena itself, or if a hacker had proliferated the program through Garena.
Despite serious issues popping up several times, Riot Games has not yet taken control of LoL away from Garena. They also have not yet directly addressed the recent fan outcry. This leaves fans to wonder if Riot is unable to do so, or simply unwilling.
Read Also
Esports Betting
League of Legends Classic will be back in 2026, here’s what we know
Wasif Ahmed
Riot has announced that League Classic will come out in Season 3 of 2026, as a game mode. League Classic is “old League of Legends”, the ability to play the game on a specific patch from over a decade ago. How much information do we have? What is League Classic, when will League Classic release, and what patch will it be for? Ever wanted to rediscover the old version of ...
League of Legends
Karmine Corp vs Team Liquid: Best betting odds and picks for MSI 2026
Hannan Mundia
While both Karmine Corp and Team Liquid lost one series each, both teams will have another chance to continue in the 2026 MSI play-in stage to potentially qualify for the bracket stage. Both participating teams got swept by T1 in this MSI stage, bringing them to the third round. Team Liquid’s performance against Deep Cross Gaming was impressive, but does that really mean that it has what it takes to ...
Esports Betting
T1 exposes Karmine Corp with 3-0 win at League of Legends MSI 2026
Wasif Ahmed
T1 just beat Karmine Corp 3-0 in the play-in stage of the 2026 Mid-Season Invitational. More importantly, T1 turned KC’s strengths into weaknesses. The bot lane and teamfight prowess that shone in the LEC were no match this time. The match started with Karmine Corp picking a disrespectful draft, blind picking three immobile squishies. Right off the bat, a botched invade put their jungle and bot lane at a disadvantage. ...
League of Legends
KeSPA Cup returns in July 2026 exclusively on Disney+
Hannan Mundia
The KeSPA Cup is slated to return sooner than most expected, though its date and exclusive Disney+ partnership raises some questions. The KeSPA Cup is an annual tournament organized directly by the Korea e-Sports Association. While it doesn’t get nearly as much attention as Riot-organized leagues and events, LCK powerhouses still participate in it. 2025’s KeSPA Cup is still fairly fresh since it took place in December. This year’s tournament ...
Esports Betting
Best betting odds and picks for T1 vs Karmine Corp at MSI 2026
Hannan Mundia
This year’s MSI is still ongoing, and the next match in the play-in stage is slated to pit T1 against the LEC’s Karmine Corp. Both participating teams absolutely destroyed their respective opponents in this stage’s first round. With two 3-0 scores, both Karmine Corp and T1 have established themselves as powerhouses. However, the level of opposition was clearly different, and that fact may show its face in this match. Tournament: ...
Esports Betting
T1 vs Team Liquid: Best betting odds and picks for MSI 2026
Hannan Mundia
The League of Legends Mid-Season Invitational (MSI) 2026 will kick off with T1 facing off against Team Liquid, but will the match really be as one-sided as the betting odds make it out to be? While some didn’t think that the reigning world champions, T1 would make it to this year’s MSI, the team proved many wrong once again. It barely made it to the play-in stage, where Team Liquid ...
Esports Betting
Karmine Corp vs Deep Cross Gaming: Best betting odds and picks for MSI 2026
Wasif Ahmed
Karmine Corp goes up against Deep Cross Gaming on the first day of MSI 2026. Obviously, KC is the favorite by a long shot. Does DCG actually stand a chance, though? Can they repeat the achievements of CTBC Flying Oyster who took down KC at First Stand 2025? Tournament: Mid-Season Invitational 2026 Stage: Play-in Game: League of Legends Format: Best-of-five Betting tips: As the second seed from a lower region, ...