Many North American professional players have announced a strike following a decision by the publisher, which could jeopardize the jobs of dozens of people, and even the sustainability of the LoL esports scene in the region. .
The organization behind the action is still in talks with Riot. But, the latter is not particularly cooperative, and is even threatening.
A bad time for discipline
The esports scene isn’t particularly healthy right now. After its meteoric rise in the early 2010s, when investors injected colossal sums into the sector, the financial reality is hitting it hard. With revenues below forecasts and spectators showing signs of disinterest, some teams are forced to make budget cuts or even sell their activities in certain regions. North America is particularly affected.
Despite its immense popularity, League of Legends is no exception, and its publisher, Riot Games, is trying somehow to put out the fire to save its leagues in the United States and Canada. Well, maybe not all of them. At the behest of the teams, the company announced that it was waiving part of its rules that require teams in the major league, the LCS, to field teams in the minor league, the NACL.
The objective would be to allow clubs ” greater operational and financial flexibility to help them get out of the current slump in the sector. But, it was without counting on the many professional players who, at the call of the LCSPA, the association which represents them, decided to go on strike to protest against this decision. A first in the world of e-sport.
For them, the withdrawal of major teams from the LCSPA would jeopardize, without notice, the jobs of “ 70 players, coaches and managers who, like the players currently playing in the LCS, could become the great champions of tomorrow. The LCSPA also claims that the average salary cost of a NACL team ” represents less than 17% of the annual salary cost of an LCS team “. A ridiculous situation, according to the organization, which adds that Riot’s decision could simply jeopardize the minor league as a whole.
“Without players, there is no league and there is no esports”
With this coming just days before the start of the LCS Summer Split, the LCSPA is using its posture to demand several conditions, including a promotion and relegation format between the major and minor leagues. But also a revenue sharing for player salaries of $300,000 per NACL team per year. »
For Naz Aletaha, global head of esports at LoL, there is no question of making concessions. He writes in a blog post: It’s just not viable and, to be completely honest, it shouldn’t be necessary. “. Indeed, he points out that other minor leagues around the world manage to thrive on their own. But, for the LCSPA, the argument does not hold: North America today has a development without viewers, without institutional support, without paying jobs and without a future. »
As a result, Riot has decided to delay the start of the season by two weeks, while encouraging players who are not on strike to take over in teams. The atmosphere in the LCS is therefore rather bad, especially since the publisher threatens the outright cancellation of the season, which would prevent the North American teams from qualifying for the world championship. Aletaha explains: This is not an outcome we want, but it is unfortunately necessary to ensure a fair and competitive global system. “.
Like this event, e-sport seems to be at a crossroads, and the sector could well see many changes in the years to come. With or without the recognition of the IOC, which is sorely awaited.
Source : Engadget
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