The LCS, League of Legends’ franchised league in North America, has revealed that its 2024 Spring Finals will take place in the Riot Games Arena, Los Angeles.
In an update provided by Carlos Antunes, Riot Games’ Head of League of Legends Esports for the Americas, the decision to remain in the arena for the Finals is due to a reduction in the amount of ‘roadshows’ that will happen in the LCS and LLA (League of Legends’ LATAM competition).
Roadshows are a term used by Riot Games to symbolise its leagues’ schedule of travelling to various locations nationally outside of the original Riot Games facilities. Last year’s LCS Spring Finals took place at the PNC Arena in Raleigh, North Carolina.
Antunes noted that there will be a roadshow for the LCS Summer Finals. However, Riot Games said the Spring Split’s decision not to travel around was a result of investment being prioritised into other areas of the league.
An excerpt of the official statement read: “Revisiting our investments is not just an LCS consideration, and we’re following the steps of other regional leagues in adjusting the number of roadshows. When deciding how to allocate our investment dollars across the season, our goal is to prioritise what is most impactful for fans and players.
“This year, we are hyper-focused on innovating around the viewing experience, making the show more entertaining than ever, and celebrating the best of our league.”
The reduction in the number of roadshows falls in line with the LEC, Riot Games’ EMEA competition. Last year’s transition to having three LEC splits alongside one major event resulted in the LEC Finals being the only LEC event to take place outside its arena in Berlin.
Riot Games’ announcement that the LCS Split finals will take place at its facility follows from the news that the game publisher laid off 11% of its workforce. This affected various departments such as Riot Forge and Legends of Runeterra, but it also meant deep cuts to esports production teams.
Esports personnel from the LEC and LCS were hit, with plans to launch a streaming platform also nixed.
The LCS itself has also undergone a few changes in 2023, notably the league reducing its number of franchise teams from 10 to eight. Following the exit of Golden Guardians and Evil Geniuses, the league also reverted its schedule back to weekends after airing on weekdays last year.
