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Tensions in the LCS have risen recently after the LCS Players Association (LCSPA) of the North American League of Legends (LCS) region has fought back and forth with Riot in the past, with Riot threatening the second half of the North American season is cancelled, meaning the LCS will not be able to participate in this year’s World Championship.
The cause of the incident is that the LCS allows teams to participate in a secondary league called the NACL without forming a second team. Upon learning of this change, most LCS teams immediately announced the disbandment of NACL teams to save money. LCSPA believes that this will not only directly affect the livelihood of more than 70 secondary league players, coaches and managers, but also have a very negative impact on the long-term development of the future fighting power of the LCS and the maintenance of the LCS division level .
However, the reality is that NACL is far behind LCS in terms of viewership and various resources. Although NACL’s salary cost only accounts for 17% of the overall salary cost of LCS teams, it is still a problem big for Riot and most Buy teams at a loss. In order to stand together with NACL players, LCSPA launched a “strike” action, and received the support of more than half of the 50 LCS players, asking Riot to increase financial support for NACL and increase direct interaction between NACL and LCS, such as providing players with a mechanism Elevation between two leagues.
Due to this strike, the second half of the LCS season has not been able to start on June 1 as scheduled. On the one hand, Riot is looking for replacement players who are not in the LCSPA, and on the other hand, it also threatened two week negotiation deadline. This “strike” will undoubtedly have a far-reaching effect on the LCS division, even the entire “League of Legends”, and even other games with professional events. But unless it can be resolved quickly (probably only if Riot makes concessions) for the organizers, players, teams and audiences, it can be a lose-lose situation.
