After supposedly waiting months for some news from Riot Games, the League of Legends Game Changers scene might have suffered yet another blow in the EMEA region with the departure of another major esports organization.
On Monday, April 8, MAD Lions KOI reportedly parted ways with its Game Changers roster without an official announcement for fans, according to esports journalist Armand Luque. This decision was allegedly made due to a lack of communication in regards to the future of League‘s Game Changers scene in EMEA.
Luque also claims MAD Lions KOI is still exploring options to field a new budget roster for Game Changers in order to fulfill sponsorship obligations while also keeping its slot in this year’s Equal Esports Cup tournament.
This has been a tough time for the League Game Changers scene in general, with teams being left out in the dark for the last several months. When Riot announced plans for a Game Changers circuit for League, a handful of major LEC teams invested and built rosters, including G2 Esports, Team BDS, SK Gaming, Team Vitality, and MAD Lions KOI. However, these teams have reportedly begun to reconsider their involvement in the scene for next year and beyond since they are paying a full roster without having major events to attend.
It has also been a tough several months for employees at Riot after the company underwent major layoffs that affected several esports divisions, including Ashley Washington, who was the Game Changers product lead in EMEA. Since her departure, teams haven’t heard back from the company with any solid plans for the future, and might not hear anything until next year at the very earliest.
In other scenes, such as VALORANT, Game Changers has been a solid source of growth in the scene for women and other marginalized genders within the community. From giving talented players the spotlight they deserve to bringing plenty of viewership to tournaments, players and fans can only wait and hope for better news for the Game Changers scene in League.
