It was recently announced that the North American professional League of Legends, LCS, would be moving to weekdays rather than weekends, causing fan backlash.
The LCS has been struggling with infrequent viewership and fan engagement for a few years, with Riot Games trying many remedies to this to mixed success. The latest change in line from the League of Legends developer for its North American league is a move to broadcasting during the week, something that has been met with vocal complaints from fans, community figures, and even LCS talent.
The changes to the LCS schedule were announced by the LCS on December 15 in an official posting to the LoL Esports website. Beginning in 2023, the LCS will shift its primary broadcast days to Thursdays and Fridays, with broadcasts beginning at 12pm PT/3pm EST.
This sudden shift to broadcasting games in the middle of the week has many fans agitated, as high noon on a weekday makes it difficult for League of Legends fans with 9-5, Monday-to-Friday jobs to catch any of the games being broadcast. Even on-air LCS talent like Barento “Raz” Mohammed called out the decision as likely cutting off the broadcasts from enthusiastic fans who wish they could watch.
The decision seems to be partially influenced by the arrival of the professional Valorant league for North America, VCT Americas, which will also be playing at the Riot Games Studio, previously known as the LCS Studio.
Many LCS fans expressed worry for the LCS scene in the comments of the LCS’ announcement on Twitter, worrying that VCT was replacing their league and taking precedence over it. Rather than looking for solutions to the LCS’ problems, fans worry these changes are simply bowing to the shiny new esport in Riot’s collection and hoping it brings a net positive exchange in total viewership in Valorant’s favor.
However, Riot seems confident in its choices in the announcement, and only time will tell if the many changes made to the LCS environment prove successful or if fans’ worries are well-founded.
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