Game publisher Riot Games has announced the return of the women’s LCS Game Changers circuit for its third season in 2023.
The third season will be accompanied by a new partnership with esports research group and consultancy SIDO, and will additionally see new job positions created such as coaching and management roles.
SIDO will act as the 2023 LCS Game Changers’ operations and programming partner as the two parties said they would work together to create more opportunities for demographics that have been traditionally overlooked. SIDO was founded in 2022 by former TSM General Manager Parth Naidu, shortly thereafter announcing esports organisation Immortals as its first client.
Riot Games established LCS Game Changers in 2021, describing it as a new programme designed to mentor and recruit women and people of marginalised genders in the competitive League of Legends ecosystem.
This year, Game Changers will significantly expand its scope, offering more professional career opportunities by introducing coaching and management positions. Participants will form teams, consisting of one coach, one manager, and three players, conducting tryouts to assemble their ideal roster.
From July to early September, LCS Game Changers 2023 will commence in a remote format. The programme will reach its climax with an in-person LCS Game Changers Final, which will be broadcasted for the first time. The Final is scheduled to take place at the Riot Games Arena in Los Angeles from September 20th-24th.
Heather ‘sapphiRe’ Garozzo, the founder of women’s esports initiative Radiant, has shown interest in backing the 2023 LCS Game Changers, commenting on the announcement post made by LCS on Twitter. Earlier this year, Radiant launched the Raidiant Challenger Circuit (RCC), a series of events dedicated to women in esports, covering five popular titles, including League of Legends.
Riots Games also offers a parallel programme for VALORANT known as VCT Game Changers. The VCT 2022 Game Changers Championship achieved a remarkable milestone by becoming one of the most-watched female esports tournaments to date, with a peak viewership of over 230,000.
