As things stand, the LCS Summer Split will be delayed after the majority of the LCS agreed to a walkout.
The League of Legends World Championship 2023 is just four months away from happening and with the way things are looking, the LCS will not be a part of it. This is due to the current tension between Riot Games and the North American League Championship Series Players Association (NALCSPA). The latter is fighting to keep the North American Challengers League (NACL) alive after Riot made an announcement that allowed organisations to forego their obligations towards their Challengers squads.
And after the NALCSPA came out with a statement asking for Riot to implement new changes to the current Challenger ecosystem, it also agreed with the majority of the current crop of LCS stars to stage a walkout when the LCS Summer Split begins. With there already being plenty of confusion in the air, Riot has since made a follow-up statement regarding the situation with the start of the Summer Split.
Some of the biggest talking points coming from Naz Aletaha, the Global Head of LoL Esports, was that the LCS Summer Split was going to be pushed back by two weeks from its original start date, June 1. This two-week window will be crucial between Riot, the NALCSPA, the teams, and the league to ensure they all can come to an understanding. And while Riot isn't looking to penalise teams for not fielding a starting lineup, Aletaha has gone on to state that any delay beyond the two-week period will be detrimental for Worlds 2023.
According to Aletaha, this "would make it nearly impossible to run a legitimate competition, and in that case, we would be prepared to cancel the entire LCS summer season." If both Riot and the NALCSPA fail to see eye-to-eye on the best way to move forward with the disagreements, the LCS Summer Split could very well be cancelled entirely. This will also eliminate LCS teams from qualifying for Worlds 2023.
Aleteha ended that section of his statement with this:
I want to be clear: That is not an outcome we’d want, but it’s unfortunately the reality of ensuring we run a fair, competitive global system.
What now for the NALCSPA?
Aside from talking about the postponement of the LCS Summer Split as well as Riot's commitment to redeveloping the tier 2 scene and the NACL as a whole, Aleteha also touched on the several requests put forth by the NALCSPA in regards to proposed changes to the current system within the LCS and the NACL.
However, Aleteha's responses to the NALCSPA's demands would be less than satisfactory for the player association. This includes rejecting the idea of bringing a VALORANT-style promotion and relegation system to the LCS and NACL. Aside from that, Riot would go on to reject further requests such as guaranteed minimum LCS contracts for five players who win the NACL Summer finals as well as a revenue pool for player salaries of $300,000 per NACL team, per year, committed by Riot, to name a few.
But instead of giving $300,000 per NACL team every year, Riot has instead opted to provide that same amount as a special, one-time-only payment to the NACL’s Tournament Operator, Rally Cry to support NACL teams during the transition to the new structure. The NALCSPA has since responded to Riot's statement with its own, citing that exclusion from the decision-making process since day one was the result that drove LCSPA players to agree to a walkout.
According to the NALCSPA, both they and Riot will meet for daily meetings - more, if needed - to reach a resolution for the entirety of the LCS and the NACL. Unfortunately, this has put a damper on the LCS Summer Split, which will be postponed for two weeks. And while both parties meet to come to a mutual understanding, the LCS will very likely be even further behind the other top regions like the LPL and the LCK.
This is a developing story and we will update it as more news comes along.
