LoL esports will change forever... is the EU LCS doomed?
League of Legends is one of the biggest esport titles in the world, it's been on top of the ladder for a long time now.
And Riot have been flexing their muscles with huge upcoming changes to the EU and NA LCS.
While the NA LCS franchising changes are thriving with rumours spreading that over 100 teams have applied despite the $10m (£7.6m) entry fee, the EU LCS is crumbling.
The future of the EU LCS is in doubt as Riot haven't clarified the new format they're planning
H2K have been very open about their doubts of the new format and have threatened to quit
Allegedly, the EU LCS will expand from 10 teams to 24 in the Summer Split and will spread across Berlin, Paris, Barcelona and London in four separate divisions with a 'Champions League' style tournament running simultaneously for the top teams.
Riot haven't even officially announced how they will change the EU LCS for 2018, in-fact they're still trying to decide themselves yet multiple teams have already expressed their concerns.
H2K have released multiple open letters to express their disappointment at Riot's lack of communication with teams and their worries for the League's financial future.
They want to see €6.5m (£5.9m) spread out across the current LCS teams each year to help them financially support their teams.
Unicorns of Love recently came out in support of H2K and have financial concerns of their own saying: 'By expanding EU teams from 10 to 24 the existing slots value crashes down to (almost) zero. Again according to multiple press releases, current participating NA LCS teams will get compensated by several million when they get no new slot in 2018.'
Unicorns of Love have supported H2K and say expanding will reduce the value of EU LCS spots
Previously, an EU LCS slot was worth around £1m, that is a lot of value to lose for a team like UOL that struggle just to make a profit.
H2K say that if Riot don't improve the financial situation, they will disband their League of Legends team. While Paris Saint-Germain clearly didn't fancy hanging around as they just announced they are withdrawing from League of Legends.
If Riot do plan on expanding the EU LCS, the last thing they need is teams leaving. Especially teams who have huge followings like PSG.
The fact that Riot can't convince PSG to continue after the fantastic atmosphere from the Paris crowd at the EU LCS Finals and having a league based in PSG's hometown is extremely worrying.
The NA LCS is attracting hundreds of investors because there's security and assurance. The future of the EU LCS is up in the air and if Riot don't act soon, it will only be a downward spiral.
And it isn't only investors who will flock to North America. There has already been an issue with European players flocking to NA and that is only going to get worse.
Not only will they receive more money but also more exposure. Riot have struggled to get fans to care about all 10 teams in the EU LCS, what makes them think they can do that for 24 teams?
The top European teams are struggling internationally despite the fact they are miles ahead of the rest of their division. Europe has lost far too much of their talent to have 10 competitive teams, increasing to 24 would only dilute that further.
EU teams are struggling at the World Championships, Fnatic lost their opener against GAM
EU LCS viewing numbers are dropping and if the league doesn't receive a huge renovation like NA, Riot will still suffer a lot of criticism.
Yet, I still think some of the rumoured changes could be for the better. Regionalising the EU LCS is the perfect way to truly tap into Europe's multiple audiences.
It would add an extra flair of storytelling for the broadcast and would help fans connect to new teams. However, Riot are going about this completely the wrong way.
Even if these changes do end up being beneficial, it will need time to grow. The LCS teams need compensation and guarantees of their future from Riot.
The teams are the people who are most at risk, it's unacceptable for Riot to not be working closely with them. Quite simply, the proposed changes will not succeed without substantial investment.
Riot need to ensure that teams, old and new, can financially support themselves. It's crucial big organisations like PSG remain in the LoL scene and that Riot find other big investors to join.
It will take time to figure out but teams, players and fans deserve to know what is happening. There is a lot of pressure on Riot, but they don't need to carry that burden alone.