A sub-par showing and now this?
Is the LCS Changing It's Format Because of VALORANT?
The LCS is a staple in League of Legends, but with dwindling viewership numbers, as well as embarrassing international showings at events like the Mid-Season Invitational, as well as the League of Legends World Championship, might mean that the LCS is going to start on different days.
The LCS has had a weekend slot for esports viewers since... well what feels like forever. The games would be on Saturday and Sunday, while the other biggest western league, the LEC, had their games on Friday and Saturday. Well, this could change in the 2023 season.
Riot Prioritizing NA Valo over LoL?
Riot is looking to change the days of the LCS in the upcoming 2023 season. We will likely have game days be Wednesday and Thursday, instead of the prime time slots on Saturday and Sunday evenings. Why would Riot be making these changes though? With the games being played out on the west coast it could be even more inconvenient for east coast fans to watch the later games.
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Well, some fans seem to suspect that this change in time and day has to do with the Valorant league that is set to kick off in 2023. Each region in VALORANT will have their own league which will determine the teams for the VALORANT Masters in June. The games for the North American teams? On Saturday and Sunday.
Therefore, some fans believe that the LCS is making room for North American Valo. Especially with the abysmal viewership numbers they raked in throughout the 2021 and 2022 seasons, while VALORANT has been on the forefront of the esports scene in North America.
LEC Days Will Remain Same in 2023
On the other hand, the LEC, which has had decent viewership numbers ever since their rebranding in 2019 will continue to have their games on Friday's and Saturday even with VALORANT taking over on the weekends on the EMEA Valo front as well.
This could be another reason that many think the LCS is slowly dying. A 'major' region with such bad viewership numbers, being outdone by ERL leagues like the LFL (France) and LVP (Spain) seems to only show a decline in the region as a whole. Will this change from the weekend to mid-week have any effect on viewership and is Riot going to try something new or have they completely given up on the LCS?