Criticism of the European League LEC in League of Legends is increasing. Fans are pointing out disadvantages and negative developments that could present issues similar to those faced by the notoriously poor US league LCS. Yet, it looked so promising in 2019.
Those were the golden times of the LEC: According to fans, there are 3 things that were true about the LEC 5 years ago but are now missing. In 2019, there were:
- Big rivalries in the LEC, especially between the top teams Fnatic and G2, who were in a fierce battle for dominance. Fnatic had dominated the EU LCS in 2013 and 2014. But between 2015 and 2019, Fnatic became champions 4 times, and G2 won the championship 4 times – a real rivalry developed.
- Then there were major stars that fans looked up to and had come to know and appreciate over the years, such as Perkz, Caps, and Rekkles. Popular casters in the English-speaking show like Caedrel and Quickshot also shaped E-Sports.
- The LEC actually had international success, managing to keep up with teams from Asia: in 2019 G2, with Perkz and Caps teaming up, made it to the finals of the LoL Worlds, only to lose to super-carry Doinb and FunPlus Phoenix.
Seen as an example of the decline of LoL, the increasing commercialization:
The LEC has significantly declined since 2019
What is the problem? All these advantages are gone today:
- G2 completely dominates the league. Since 2019, G2 has been crowned champions 10 times, giving away only 4 titles, and not to Fnatic, but to Rogue and MAD Lions. This started in 2019 when Perkz swallowed his ego, switched to the bot lane, and brought rival Caps (Fnatic) to G2, leaving him the mid lane.
- Almost all of the big stars are gone, or they play a minor role like Perkz does now. Only Caps is still around. No real star has emerged since.
- Internationally, the golden times of 2019 are long gone. Now, it is already a major success if G2 defeats a single team from Asia, but something like the finals seems unattainable, as the teams from Asia are too advanced.
There are fears that the LEC could become as irrelevant as the LCS at its worst times: Because the US league was long ridiculed. It was said that the pros did not train properly there. Anyone switching to the USA was said to be giving up winning, said the most successful European coach GrabbZ in 2019.
Too many splits and commercialization, too few stars and successes
This continues to be criticized: In a thread on reddit, Riot is also accused of turning the commercialization knob too hard. The “Hall of Legends” and the excessively priced Faker skin are seen as pure profiteering.
Furthermore, the introduction of the third split has diminished the value of each split.
Another user adds that they have lost Bwipo, Rekkles, and Perkz – there is no connection to the new players. Additionally, G2’s dominance and the lack of a real rivalry are significant points.
A third user adds: If Caps or Jankos were to retire now, it would be hard to remain interested in the league at all.
Many base their criticism on the English casting of the games:
- Many fans miss the caster Quickshot (36). He started his career as a caster at Riot on January 10, 2013, and ended his career at Rito on March 24, 2024.
- Caedrel worked for Riot Games from January 2021 to September 2023 and is currently the dominant co-streamer for LoL.
E-Sport is now shaped by Twitch streamers
What’s behind this: This could be dismissed as whining from people getting nostalgic and longing for a time that cannot be regained.
But it is something more profound: What we are witnessing is that E-Sport globally is shrinking, and companies like Riot Games are no longer investing as much money into their own shows with accompanying organization and storytelling, but instead, Twitch streamers are broadcasting the games as “co-casters,” leaving the staging of their league to them.
Here in Germany, rights were taken away from the long-time partner Summoner’s Inn and given to a single Twitch streamer. This is similar internationally.
The games and leagues are no longer predominantly organized by Riot, who would also take care of the presentation, but the most important channels in each country are well-known LoL casters, who moderate these games alone or in teams. 6 people are allowed to co-stream the LEC:
- For English casts, it’s Caedrel
- For Spanish casts, it’s Ibai
- In the German cast, it’s the former top laner and caster at Summoner’s Inn, Tolkin
- In French, it’s Kameto
- In Turkish, Naru and Lynxz Cerez
The LCS has 9 official co-streamers, mainly consisting of stars from the last generation such as Doublelift, Meteos, or Sneaky.
This focus on co-casting rather than a grand show makes it harder for viewers to follow the “sport-entertainment” storylines similar to wrestling.
Additionally, it must be said harshly that the LEC has lost touch with China and South Korea. It is hard to cheer for G2 all year and then see that the team is 2 or 3 steps behind the stars from China.
LoL’s esports scene itself is doing well, as seen from the great viewer numbers at international tournaments. But the league in Europe seems to be in a worse state than it was 5 years ago: LoL: Summoner’s Inn shuts down after a former employee outscores it on Twitch
