- Riot emailed past LCS attendees to inform them the LCS Summer Split will not accommodate a live audience
- This is a result of the COVID-19 situation in the United States
- The LCS Summer Split may also be played remotely at the start
The pandemic has ruined live fans’ hope of watching the League of Legends Championship Series Summer Split event live.
Riot Has Forewarned That No Live Crowds Will be Allowed on the Venue
Riot Games has sent out emails to past LCS attendees to inform them that the LCS Summer Split will not have a live audience in attendance. Travis Gafford tweeted a screenshot of what the game company had to say on the matter:
It looks like the COVID-19 pandemic is still raging and proving an obstacle to live esports events. As a responsible company, Riot cannot expose its own fans to risk and has its hands tied. Moreover, as the event is still planned to take place to live in the Los Angeles studio, it will be safer for the supporting staff.
The latter is especially important as Riot is considering to up the number of analysts, commentators, and the like for the event. Therefore Riot staff will already be preoccupied and will not have the resources to check every fan that may get in, should they allow a live audience.
The League of Legends Championship Series had a long year of online remote play. It went online after the United States was struck by COVID-19 in March 2020. Many fans weren’t content by the fact, but it was the lesser evil.
Now the LCS is slowly and cautiously making a return to live events. The first such endeavors were the finals between Team Liquid and Cloud9 of the 2021 Mid-Season Showdown. Strict measures were taken for everyone present with communal safety in mind.
The first few parts of the LCS Summer Split may still happen remotely. It will all depend on how the pandemic unfolds.
Other esports have also shown intentions to slowly return to live events. Relog Media has announced the LAN Sweet LAN tournament in Counter-Strike: Global Offensive for 2022. Call of Duty teams has also been teasing live events making a return. Whatever the case, it will surely take a while for things to return to their usual. For now, we can be thankful for the few live events we have started getting some live events back. With time, crowds will be back on the venues as well.
