Could the NA LCS Be in Financial Trouble Already?
By Zac Cameron ·
It seems that not everything is a peachy as Riot Games would have liked just one year into their new franchising model.
The introduction of franchising to the NA LCS was supposed to bring stability and profits to the organizations that were accepted, but it seems that not everything is going quite as planned according to new rumors. In an episode of Beyond the Rift, popular League of Legends figure and former pro player / coach William “Scarra” Li raised concerns over the state of the NA LCS, stating that “There are teams that you could buy, there are teams up for sale.”
This is in stark contrast to the image that Riot Games was projecting when they introduced franchising to the region late last year, which indicated that teams that were accepted into the league would enjoy greater profits and stability compared to the older “relegation” style.
Scarra went on to elaborate on some of the reasons he’s been hearing, about the difficulties of managing an NA LCS team the past year, “Everyone competes for the same sponsors. People undercut each other all the time. And there’s no figure at the top saying, ‘Stop.'”
If this is the case, Riot Games might need to step in quickly, especially since the EU LCS is currently undergoing the beginnings of their own franchise model. Several big organizations have already been rumored to have been declined for the EU LCS, and if what Scarra says is true, being accepted might not end up being the solution many of these organizations have been looking for.