Riot Games announced a series of changes to the League of Legends EMEA (Europe, Middle East and Africa) Regional Leagues, aiming to make the ecosystem more sustainable. The new features include more flexible rules, greater freedom for tournament organizers and a reduction in structural requirements, such as in-person events and secondary divisions.
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The ERLs (acronym in English for EMEA Regional Leagues) make up the basis of competitive League of Legends in the region, being considered the second level of the scenario. The changes, which will come into force in 2025, reflect the need to modernize the system, especially given the drop in viewership at the EMEA Masters, a tournament that brings together the winners of the 13 regional leagues.
New rules for broadcasts expand the reach of League of Legends
One of the most impactful changes is the relaxation of co-streaming rules. From 2025, teams will be able to broadcast their games directly, including with the players' views. Therefore, this will allow greater interaction with fans and diversify exhibition formats, expanding audience reach.
According to Riot Games, the objective is to democratize access to matches, attracting new viewers and encouraging content creators to engage with broadcasts. Co-streaming, which is already popular in other regions, promises to enhance the visibility of the competitive scene.
Another significant change is the end of the mandatory in-person events for each split. The decision aims to reduce the operational costs of the leagues, facilitating the organization of regional tournaments.
Additionally, ERLs will no longer need to maintain secondary divisions. However, promotion and relegation tournaments will continue to be held, ensuring space for new talent. For Riot, this measure preserves competitiveness without overloading teams and organizers.
Flexibility in tournament structure benefits local communities
Riot will also allow organizers to adapt split formats to the needs of regional communities. Although the basic competition model will be maintained, each league will be able to innovate in tournament formats, encouraging greater local engagement.
With this greater autonomy, regional leagues will be able to experiment with creative formats that better serve their audiences. Riot highlighted that this freedom will be essential to meet the different cultural and economic demands of the EMEA region.
Competitive changes aim to sustain the game ecosystem
The changes follow a trend of reshaping the global League of Legends scene, which has already included updates to the LEC (Europe) and LCK (South Korea) leagues. The company also recently introduced the League of the Americas (LTA), reinforcing its commitment to adapting the game to new market realities.
Thus, with these initiatives, Riot Games seeks to revitalize the competitive League of Legends and consolidate a model that is financially viable for teams, players and organizers. The expectation is that the changes to the ERLs will help keep the game relevant in the esports scene.
