RIOT Games, the creators of League of Legends and Valorant, has changed the times of its North American esports league.
Starting in 2023, the weekly tournaments in the US will be shown in the middle of the day, so that European fans can watch in the evenings.
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League of Legends is one of the world’s most popular esports and is watched by fans around the globe.
However, previously tournaments were streamed at times that were best suited for viewers in the countries they take place in.
The new showtimes are designed to give the passionate European audience the best chance to watch, despite the tournaments being held in North America.
This means that those who want to attend the tournaments will have to be available in the middle of the day.
It is particularly annoying for LoL fans as tournaments are only held on weekdays, typically Thursdays and Fridays.
The European tournaments start at 5pm UK time, meaning the two most popular leagues will be broadcast at European-friendly times.
North American fans were quick to point out their disappointment over the decision.
Brian Kibler is an ex-professional Hearthstone player, another game created by Riot Games.
He also used to commentate for Hearthstone tournaments, and was not afraid to share his disappointment at the company’s decision on Twitter.
He wrote: “Well I guess I’m done ever watching LCS anymore, and I’ve been a regular watcher since literally day one.
“Noon on weekdays is a completely insane time to broadcast and expect anyone to watch.
“[It’s an] unironically dead league.
“Like if your goal is to quietly take NA league out behind the barn and shoot it, this is exactly what you do.”
Riot Games wrote a long blog post about the decision citing statistics of when most people watch its tournaments.
Despite this, the smaller North American fan base still feel snubbed by the decision to change tournament broadcast times.
Written by Georgina Young on behalf of GLHF.
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