LEC Summer Finals in Malmö canceled, LEC production returns to Berlin

Riot Games has canceled Sweden’s League of Legends European Championship (LEC) Summer Finals due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Furthermore, starting Week 1, production will return back to the LEC Studio in Berlin, Germany. Despite the change in plans, Riot is exploring other options to conduct the LEC Summer Finals in a safe way.

In order to adhere to health precautions, Riot Games plans to start the production with a skeleton crew. This means it will only use the minimum number of personnel required in order to keep the show going at first. This also means that teams will continue playing remotely from their training facilities, rather than in the planned studio. These are great steps in order to prevent the spread of the virus, as it is highly contagious.

Thank you for keeping everyone’s safety in mind, this is the right thing to do! We’re looking forward to being back on stage getting those W’s in person 👀

— MAD Lions English 🇬🇧 (@MADLions_EN) May 26, 2020

Hopeful for the summer

Riot does intend to increase the number of workers over the summer as the effects of the pandemic slowly improve. Unfortunately, it is unable to provide a timeline where the press and teams can return. The good news is if everything turns out well, and employees are able to work in a controlled environment, fans may be able to finally see their favorite LEC teams play together in the studio. Although hopes are relatively high, Riot is being cautious as, realistically, the pandemic is still harshly affecting many countries throughout the world.

Riot Games’ top priority is health and safety — which is why they postponed many League of Legends events. At the moment, many future esports events are still canceled. The fears lie within the possibility of players, media crew, and employees getting sick and spreading the illness. The organization continues to thank everyone for their patience as it attempts to navigate plans through these uncertain times.

What do you think of Riot Games’ efforts to keep League of Legends esports continuing safely?