Riot reportedly hosting offseason League event for LPL and LCK teams

Olivia Richman Published 04/05/2020

Riot Games is planning to host an online League of Legends tournament before the Summer Split, according to sources.

Esports reporter Kenzi posted on Twitter that Riot Games started organizing and planning for the tournament after the Spring Split. The online tournament will feature teams from Korea’s LCK and China’s LPL, giving fans something to watch between splits in place of the Mid-Season Invitational.

“It is different from the competition proposed by Joe Marsh and is expected to be officially announced next week,” Kenzi added.

This is a reference to an idea posited by T1 CEO, Joe Marsh, wanted to start a friendly exhibition tournament between the two regions. His Twitter post proposing the idea was met with a lot of positivity and curiosity, with fans claiming it would break viewership records. But some wondered if teams would be judged for losing, despite the friendly nature of the event.

With Kenzi claiming the announcement will come next week, there is no further information from Riot on this tournament thus far.

Mid-Season Invitational canceled in 2020

While it’s still just a rumor, the idea of a tournament between LPL and LCK is not too far-fetched.

Due to travel restrictions and health concerns, Riot officially canceled MSI near the end of April. While many teams were relieved, since Riot had first claimed the MSI would happen mid-Summer Split, fans were disappointed to lose out on that entertainment. MSI has long been a way for teams to test their skills and strategies against other regions ahead of Worlds and it definitely felt strange for fans in the League of Legends community to go a full year without it.

Riot stated that they would be attempting to come up with other forms of competition in its place.

“Due to the cancellation of the MSI, the offseason will be for about two months. We are preparing a temporary competition. Not many things have been decided yet, but details and schedules will be announced later on. We hope this event will be a great present for the fans who are struggling with [the current state of the world],” Riot Korea said after the MSI announcement.

So far, no tournament structure or schedule has been revealed. Fans don’t even know which teams will be competing in the LCK vs. LPL showdown, but it seems likely to mirror a Rift Rivals type format. If that’s the case, the top four teams from the Spring Split would be competing in the online tournament. That’s T1, Gen.G, DragonX and KT Rolster from Korea, and China’s JD Gaming, Top Esports, FunPlus Phoenix and Invictus Gaming.

Thus far, no event for the LCS and LEC has been mentioned.

Olivia Richman

About Olivia Richman

Olivia has worked in media ever since graduating from college, with her coverage ranging from traditional newspaper reporting to digital coverage of all things gaming, online betting, and nerd culture. She has traveled around the world pursuing that coverage, from the far coasts of the United States to the busy downtown core of Tokyo, Japan. Olivia’s favorite games include Overwatch and Super Smash Smash Bros, and she has been published at Esports Illustrated, Inven Global, EsportsInsider, Upcomer, and elsewhere.

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