LCS axes Spring Finals roadshow, that’s bad news for esports fans

Riot Games confirmed that there won’t be a roadshow for the 2024 LCS Spring Split finals and that’s probably not a good sign for the league.

2024 is a year of changes for the LCS. Riot Games and franchisees decided to reduce the number of teams participating in the North American league from 10 to eight. This decrease affected the schedule, making for a shorter season and a two-week break in the middle of it. On the bright side, the LCS broadcast returned to the weekend slot, a change that fans have been requesting since the failed weekday experiment from 2023 and the league has installed a new commissioner.

As the LCS heads into week 3 of its first split of 2024, the league announced its plans for the Spring Finals. Or, more accurately, its lack of plans. According to Riot, there won’t be a roadshow for the LCS Spring Split Finals. The event, scheduled for March 30-31 will take place in the Riot Games Arena in Los Angeles. The Riot Games Arena in Los Angeles has a capacity of 243.

Why did the LCS cancel the 2024 Spring Split Finals roadshow?

It is unknown why the LCS canceled the roadshow for the 2024 Spring Split Finals, but this comes at a time of aggressive cost-cutting by Riot Games. This has largely been defined by massive layoffs. Some of the eliminated roles were in the esports department, more specifically in the production of the leagues.

In the LEC, some of the roles eliminated included executive producer, broadcast engineer, head of production, live game observer, and more. As a result, on the weekend following the layoffs, the LEC didn’t include multiple sections due to the lack of production personnel and media staff.

In the official statement on the League of Legends esports blog, Riot said it is “prioritizing what is most impactful for the fans.” Some of these changes are already in place, such as the wait time between matches going down and fans now voting for which lane to observe on the broadcast. The LCS has promised to create a Fan Fest experience comparable to the one in previous finals’ weekends.

Riot stated that it will have a roadshow for the 2024 LCS Summer Split Finals, though there were no details beyond that. Regardless, the sweeping layoffs combined with the nixing of the roadshow shows a demonstrable lack of faith in the LCS’s potential for bringing back fans after years of declining viewership.