The League of Legends Championship Series (LCS) is one of the most popular esports competitions in the world, with millions of viewers tuning in every week. However, following the news that Counter Logic Gaming (CLG) sold its LCS spot to NRG Esports, and reports that Team SoloMid (TSM) is looking to leave the competition, fans have been discussing the biggest mistake the league has made in the past.
In a Reddit post on April 6, fans argued that Riot Games’ decision to host the LCS in Los Angeles, California was one of the company’s biggest errors. The main issue is the location itself, which many believe would have been much better for the LCS to be held somewhere in the center of the U.S. or on the East Coast.
The author of the post pointed out that 47 percent of Americans and 61 percent of Canadians live in the Eastern Standard Time (EST) zone, while another 33 percent live in the Central time zone. This means that the location of the LCS is inconvenient to watch for the majority of the North American population.
Other aspects include the city and ping differences. League of Legends’ servers are hosted in Chicago, which leads to higher pings for players living in LA. Additionally, New York’s population is much greater than LA’s and the LCS would likely be able to attract more on-site viewers if it was based in the Big Apple.
The high cost of living in California is also a factor. If the LCS was hosted elsewhere, there would surely be financial benefits to the organizations involved in the league.
Despite the issues that the LCS’ current location causes, it makes sense why the LCS is hosted in LA from Riot’s point of view. The developer’s headquarters is based in the city and has been since the esports league’s inaugural season in 2013.
The League of Legends Championship Series (LCS) has grown to become one of the most popular esports competitions in the world. However, the decision to host the LCS in Los Angeles, California was arguably one of the biggest mistakes made by Riot Games.
The main issue is the location itself, which many believe would have been much better for the LCS to be held somewhere in the center of the U.S. or on the East Coast. This is due to the fact that 47 percent of Americans and 61 percent of Canadians live in the Eastern Standard Time (EST) zone, while another 33 percent live in the Central time zone. This means that the location of the LCS is inconvenient to watch for the majority of the North American population.
Other aspects include the city and ping differences. League of Legends’ servers are hosted in Chicago, which leads to higher pings for players living in LA. Additionally, New York’s population is much greater than LA’s and the LCS would likely be able to attract more on-site viewers if it was based in the Big Apple.
The high cost of living in California is also a factor. If the LCS was hosted elsewhere, there would surely be financial benefits to the organizations involved in the league.
Despite the issues that the LCS’ current location causes, it is understandable why Riot Games chose to host the LCS in Los Angeles. The developer’s headquarters is based in the city and has been since the esports league’s inaugural season in 2013.
The League of Legends Championship Series (LCS) is a hugely popular esports competition, and while it has been successful in its current location, it is clear that there are a number of drawbacks to hosting the LCS in Los Angeles, California. From an inconvenient time zone to higher ping rates and an expensive cost of living, the LCS could have been much better served by a different location.
For these reasons, it is understandable why fans believe Riot Games’ decision to host the LCS in Los Angeles was one of the company’s biggest mistakes. With the recent news of Counter Logic Gaming (CLG) selling its LCS spot to NRG Esports, and reports that Team SoloMid (TSM) is looking to leave the competition, it is time for Riot Games to consider a more suitable location for the LCS.