Riot To Revamp League of Legends in Oceania

Riot Games is brewing a new league for 2025 as they revamp the League of Legends scene in Oceania. 

It is an understatement to say Riot Games’ announcement got everyone surprised. On September 20, 2024, the game developer revealed their plan to overhaul the League of Legends esports in Oceania. This is unfortunate for the regional community as they lose the prestigious League of Legends Circuit: Oceania. 

The End of an Era

GGWP to this era for the Oceania community. However, the overhaul of their tournament is just the beginning of potential greater madness to come in their competitive scene. From 2021, League of Legends Circuit: Oceania (LCO) has served to be their premier LoL tournament in the region.

In these years, ESL Australia and Guinevere Capital operated the Oceanic League to its success. They showed great dedication and commitment for the esports scene of LoL to thrive in Oceania. Over the brief period, they hosted eight splits, and each tournament offered a prize pool of $30,000. This tournament became known to be the successor to the region’s 2015-2020 Oceanic Pro League (OPL). 

LoL Adaptability to Changing Esports Landscape

While the announcement came suddenly, this plan has been going around for a while. Riot’s move did not intend to erase the league in the region. But rather, League of Legends seeks to establish an even longer-term sustainability in Oceania’s esports scene. 

They have stated that the reason behind the revamp is to attend to the need of adapting to the evolving esports landscape. Furthermore, it pointed out that the demands of running an esports league have been exhausting the resources, which was also a factor in this decision. Certainly, not a single thing has been an easy choice for the developer studio. 

A New Direction for Oceanic LoL

For now, there are no specific details announced about the revamp of LCO. However, Riot had already set vision for the new direction they plan to take for the Oceanic LoL in the succeeding years. 

To begin with, the company plans to streamline the model of the tournament for a new and more efficient competitive league for the region. They have been exploring their options to make this possible before the season begins. Besides, Riot has been looking to expand the ecosystem of the Asia-Pacific (APAC) League of Legends for 2025. This new model will likely include the Oceanic teams in the competition. They expect these steps to bring a more sustainable structure to the professional League of Legends in Oceania. 

Context of Broader APAC

Earlier this year, Riot Games announced the establishment of the new APAC League to launch in 2025. This league will bring teams from Hong Kong, Japan, Macao, Oceania, Taiwan, Vietnam, and the other countries from Southeast Asia to replace their current regional leagues. 

The APAC League will implement a hybrid model that includes the partner teams as well as “guest teams” in a promotion/relegation system. With this, people are looking forward to seeing how the new competitive structure in Oceania will fit in this APAC tournament expansion. 

Community Impact and Reactions

Undoubtedly, fans along with players and organizations are in a state of uncertainty following the announcement. Though Riot Games took its time to express its extreme gratitude to the LCO community, stating: 

“To each and every LCO fan who made this journey unforgettable. You have been the foundation for the league’s success, fueling every match with your passion and unwavering support.”

Moreover, Riot remained thankful to EFG, Guinevere Capital, teams, players, and staff that contributed to the success of the LCO ecosystem over years.

Looking Ahead

Worries and uncertainty fill the future of the League of Legends esports in Oceania. Riot Games remains consistent with their commitment to keep its competitive presence in the region. This is evident with their plans of a broader APAC ecosystem for 2025 that includes Oceania in the bigger international stage.

This circumstance just showed how fast-paced and rapid development there is in the esports scene. Even popular games like League of Legends are experiencing a struggle to keep a sustainable structure amidst the growing esports titles. For now, people can anticipate details to come as Riot promises to share more information about the LoL revamp in Oceania.