The gaming industry is still reeling from Riot Games’ round of massive layoffs, with hundreds of people in multiple sectors losing their jobs. These layoffs are also apparently going to heavily affect the upcoming week of the LEC due to the broadcast team reportedly losing a majority of its staff.
Popular content creator and former League of Legends caster Christopher “MonteCristo” Mykles alleged on social media today that the upcoming LEC broadcast was going to be “an absolute disaster” because multiple key members of production were let go over the past week. The 37-year-old claimed Riot fired all but one observer on the team, along with the broadcast team’s writers, producers, and engineers.
As a result, replays, segments, and possible issues on-stage could be jeopardized as the show moves forward through the weekend. These changes were also briefly spoken on by popular LEC host Eefje “Sjokz” Depoortere, who told the fanbase that many of the Berlin-based Rioters that were let go were helping out with the LEC this weekend.
The layoffs affected over 500 members in Riot’s workforce, which represents a whopping 11 percent of the company staff. Changes were immediately made in the company’s approach for various titles, with the developers refocusing their efforts on core titles like League and VALORANT. Other titles, like Legends of Runeterra, will see their size and scope reduced drastically in the coming weeks.
Riot Forge was originally created for third-party studios to explore the world of Runeterra in their own styles, but this initiative was also closed after the layoffs. The last game from Forge will be Bandle Tale, a crafting RPG title centered around the mystical world of Yordles.
Overall, the industry has been hit hard by the layoffs, and the esports scene was not left unscathed. Catch the third week of the LEC when the broadcast kicks off on Saturday, Jan. 27 at 10am CT.
