As the dust settles from Riot Games’ layoffs earlier this week, the layoffs highlight a worrying picture for the company’s esports ambitions. The League of Legends and Valorant publisher is working to more tightly integrate esports into its other products, but League of Legends EMEA Championship (LEC) and its The esports streaming platform’s layoffs in the release show Riot is reaping its ambitions.
The LEC, one of Riot’s hottest regional leagues, has laid off key production staff. According to a list compiled by VTubers and career coaches. by the way, at least 27 LEC staff were affected. Notably, these reductions include LEC’s executive producer, head of production, backend engineer, and game observer.
Notably, these cuts were made just before Week 3 of the LEC’s 2024 season. The league will continue to hold these games, but the impact on production could be significant. Fans are especially disappointed. Production of LEC (and level of play) distinguishes this league from North American leagues.
But the LEC isn’t the only victim of Riot Games’ layoffs.The developer also confirmed bloomberg announced that it has officially killed off its planned Twitch rival, codenamed Riot Esports Network (REN).
The project’s roots date back to 2016, when the publisher announced a $350 million deal with BAMTech. This situation collapsed when Disney acquired it. Controls shares in BAMTech In 2018.
REN would have given Riot Games more control over viewership, including integrations to promote teams and sponsors. This alternative would have been especially useful given Twitch’s impending shutdown in South Korea. Last year, Riot debuted Virtual Passes to enrich fans’ League of Legends viewing experience and drive revenue for teams. It’s unclear how these cuts will affect Riot’s ambitions to expand direct fan monetization going forward.
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