Grassroots esports platform Leagues.gg and game publisher Riot Games have announced a collaboration for the upcoming edition of the Northern League Championship (NLC).
The two companies will work together to improve the NLC’s splits, with Leagues.gg co-organising the competition alongside its existing NLC license holder Freaks 4U Gaming.
The NLC is a regional League of Legends competition in Northern Europe and the United Kingdom. The league is organised by Riot Games and esports production company Freaks 4U Gaming, with Leagues.gg now joining as another organiser.
The league, a part of the European Regional League (ERL) circuit, has undergone significant changes prior to its 2023 season, with multiple teams leaving the competition and Riot Games announcing it will be a non-accredited ERL. The latter change ultimately resulted in reductions in the competition’s prize pool alongside cost-cutting measures.
Leagues.gg is perhaps most known in the Nordic countries, as a company specialising in creating grassroots-level esports leagues and tournaments in VALORANT, CS:GO, and League of Legends. Working on the NLC marks the return to League of Legends for the company after a brief pause in 2021.
The company will also work on creating a nordic hub for League of Legends through its platform, and focus on helping casual gamers enter the NLC, according to a release.
The changes in the organisation of the league will see some parts of league operations outsourced to Leagues.gg from its main license holders, Freaks 4U. Freaks 4U will remain the main holder of the license
Leagues.gg, Co-Owner, Mathias Horn, commented: “In almost all ways, the NLC has in 2022 been running exceptionally, especially on the production side, which F4U has masterfully executed. With us onboard we will focus on reviving national activities in the Nordics and try to diversify the model for fan acquisition.
“The primary focus is to optimise costs and maximize the participating players in the ecosystem. This aligns well with the interests of Riot Games and F4U.”
