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| (Image Source: Fulcrum eSports/League Of Legends eSports) |
Starting next season, the League of Legends (LoL) Pacific Championship Series (PCS) ecosystem will continue its expansion with the official inclusion of the LoL Japan League (LJL). The announcement made by Riot Games follows the inclusion of the League of Legends Circuit Oceania (LCO) earlier this year. The evolution of the PCS ecosystem is part of a multi-year strategy to strengthen the League eSports ecosystem in the Asia Pacific region with more to be commenced in the coming months and possibly the foreseeable future.
The development of the League eSports ecosystem with the recent evolution slated to begin next season in 2024 will be guided by these key principles.
• Creating a unified, Pacific league that can become a powerhouse in the global League of Legends Esports ecosystem. By giving teams a chance to test their mettle against other strong competitors on a pan-regional level, the quality of all participating pro teams can be improved and a higher level of competition will be fostered across a multi-tiered ecosystem.
• Improving the fan experience by providing quality broadcast products in English, Japanese, Mandarin, and Cantonese, and more hyper-local experiences across the region. Fans can look forward to diverse matchups between existing PCS teams, LJL, and LCO teams. And it will be easier than ever for them to get league updates and match information via unified PCS social channels.
• Creating a more sustainable eSports ecosystem where pro players and organizations can grow. This consolidation is the first step towards providing pro teams with a bigger platform with new fan bases and viewership potential.
With the new evolution, LoL Japan League (LJL) players will also now be considered residents of the PCS which means they can join any team within the PCS ecosystem without being considered an import player. However, LJL teams will still require to have at least three Japanese players on their roster. Similar to when LCO joined the PCS ecosystem last season, the LJL will continue to play its domestic season in Japan. Then, the top three teams from LJL will seed into the PCS Playoffs and compete with other PCS and LCO teams for a spot at international events such as MSI (Mid-Season Invitational) and Worlds (LoL World Championship). The first placed team from the Spring Split will enter MSI while the top two teams from the Summer Split will qualify for Worlds.
The top three teams from the LJL will move onto the PCS Playoffs where they will join the top six teams from the PCS and the top two teams from the LCO. The PCS Playoffs will now be divided into two stages with three top seeds placed directly into Stage Two. In Stage One, teams will be split into Groups A and B, competing in a double-elimination format with winners of each group advancing. The remaining teams will compete to become the Lower Bracket winners of their groups. The two victors will then compete in an Advancement Match for the final Stage Two spot. In Stage Two, the six qualified teams go to battle as they make their way through a double-elimination bracket to be crowned the best team in the Pacific. More details on seeding distribution will be shared soon.
This approach to enhance the competitiveness of LoL eSports will continue for years to come. Though the recent evolution is a big change, it is expected that there will be some growing pains throughout the league's continuing expansion and evolution. In the end, Riot Games is confidently hopeful that such development will ultimately help to make LoL eSports more sustainable for the future and further elevate the LoL eSports experience not just in the Asia Pacific region but also in other regions worldwide.
