Despite a week of uncertainty, the LCS will be able to partake in this year’s 2023 League of Legends World Championship after the late resumption of North America‘s 2023 Summer Split was locked in today.
Riot Games has announced that, following agreements finally being reached with the LCS Players Association (LCSPA) regarding the state of the NA Challengers League (NACL), the 2023 LCS Summer Split will begin on Wednesday, June 14.
This follows the original two-week delay of the split posed by Riot that, if negotiations had not led to the two bodies finding an agreement, would lead to the cancellation of the split as a whole and the removal of the LCS from Worlds.
“Delaying Summer Split was not a decision we took lightly,” Naz Aletaha, global head of League esports, said in a statement within the announcement. “But ultimately the dialogue between the league, the LCSPA, and teams provided the space to realign on shared goals for the future of the LCS and NACL. Building for the long-term sustainability and success of the LCS ecosystem is the win-condition for us all.”
Due to the delay, games will be played every Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday at 1pm CT for the next eight weeks, instead of just Thursdays and Fridays.
Riot PR has confirmed to Dot Esports this change will not prevent the LCS Championship finals from taking place across Aug. 19 and 20 at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey, as has been originally planned for some time now.
After the vote of a player walkout was overwhelmingly approved, making it unclear what exactly fans were to expect on stage during the Summer Split’s original starting day of June 1, Riot made the decision to delay the NA League split for further negotiations, as well as provide its responses to the LCSPA’s demands. While most of the demands were not met and would result in the need for discussion over the next two weeks, the NACL was granted additional funding upon one of the LCSPA’s requests.
The League publishers and the LCSPA were able to come to new terms, including the previously agreed upon funding, according to the new statement released by Riot alongside the reveal of the new Summer Split start date.
There will be adjustments made to the NACL governing body, a minimum 30-day notice and severance requirement for players making more than the league minimum, optimization of scrim schedules between teams and the LCSPA, ensuring healthcare benefits for international players, and the promise of better, more clear conversations between the LCS, LCSPA, and the various teams in the league.
The order of the matches played this split is expected to remain the same, with the first match set to be a repeat of the Spring Finals between Cloud9 and Golden Guardians—who also played one another at this year’s MSI in London.
More on the exact schedule for the 2023 LCS Summer Split, including how the LCS Championship will be conducted, is expected to be announced in coming days.
