RIOT GAMES SUSPENDS COLLEGE LEAGUE OF LEGENDS SEASON

Riot Games has officially suspended the College League of Legends season in response to the developing situation around the coronavirus. As campuses across the U.S, and Canada close down temporarily, the developer has put a pin in their varsity tournament.

In a statement released this evening by email to varsity coaches and directors, J.T. “Tiza” Vandenbree and the Riot Scholastic Team explained their decision in full:

In light of the uncertainty brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic, we have made the tough decision to suspend all College League of Legends play, effective immediately. We know that this may be a disappointment to players and students, but we believe that with the amount of uncertainty and unique situations campus-to-campus it is in the best interests of student health and safety to suspend all play for the time being.

In the event that competition does not resume or is further disrupted, we are committed to awarding the total allocated scholarship funds. The manner and form in which the funds would be distributed will be communicated at a later date.

Regular season play ended February 29th, meaning teams were already well into playoffs at the time of announcement. While varsity teams could arguably play online for the remainder of the season, it is likely that Riot’s decision takes into account the fact that many of the top teams play on campus in practice facilities. CLoL semifinals and finals also require travel, making it difficult to continue the season without significant delay. Riot promises that scholarships will still be rewarded for the season, pending details on how distribution will be handled. College League of Legends teams should stay up to date on the CLoL Discord and RSAA social media for developments.

Where this leaves the rest of the season for other collegiate tournaments remains to be seen.

Theresa Gaffney

Theresa is a seasoned esports professional with nearly ten years under her belt developing content and running esports teams and leagues. She is currently the head coach for Messiah College's esports program and a freelance industry consultant.

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