Yesterday it was announced that the League of Legends Continential League (LCL) and the Valorant Regional League for the CIS (Commonwealth of Independent States) region had been cancelled due to the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Ukraine. Here’s a look at how the community reacted.
The effects of Russia’s war in Ukraine have spread far and wide, with sports, esports and other industries impacted.
Some Russian esports rosters have been forced to play under different team names, with many Russian esports organisations unable to take part in tournaments due to the war.
For example, the M3 Champions’ Russian roster playing in the Valorant EMEA Stage 1 Challengers playoffs (recently beaten by Fnatic who qualified for the first Valorant Masters LAN of 2022), usually represents Russian org Gambit.
Elsewhere, entire leagues are being cancelled.
‘Heartbreak for the LCL’
Firstly, the LoL LCL (logo pictured above), which was featuring UK casters Viperoon, Jamada and Hiprain, has been cut short, with teams from that region no longer able to qualify for the 2022 Mid-Season Invitational (MSI). The league was previously delayed shortly after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
UK caster Nymaera and Unicorns of Love head coach Fabian ‘Sheepy’ Mallant were among the first to react to the latest news:
Another UK-based caster, Milky Cereal, commented: “This is so sad to see. Will be such a shame to not see UOL at MSI. Gutted for the players and staff on every team.”
Vega Squadron, which competes in the LCL, said: “There are things more important than esports. We all pray for peace and safety for everyone suffering now.”
Vivien Mallant, general manager at Unicorns of Love, added: “This decision hurts a lot and feels so unfair. We worked on this with people from so many countries, including Ukrainians and Russians, who already suffer from a war that no one wants. Esports should have been the chance to stay united. Absolutely devastating.”
And Team Spirit, which also competes in the LCL, has made the decision to move its staff to a new office in Belgrade, Serbia, saying the org’s decision to relocate was “practical and ethical”:
CIS Valorant Regional League also cancelled
Riot Games and Gig Me, the operator of the Valorant Regional League for the CIS region, have agreed to cancel the league.
This also means that CIS Valorant teams won’t be able to take part in the upcoming Valorant Champions Tour (VCT) EMEA promotion tournament, much like CIS League of Legends teams won’t be able to reach MSI.
One esports fan, Peter Macko, said they hope the promotion slots will be extended following the news:
Russian Valorant player archiw0w, who plays for Dobeg – the side who were top of the league before it was cancelled, said on Twitter: “GG boys, first place in group for nothing. Those were wonderful times.”
Others responded with a mix of shock and sadness.
In other recent Valorant Regional League news, UK organisation Excel reverse swept Tenstar to win Northern Europe’s first Valorant Regional League.
Elsewhere, esports and gaming companies and personalities continue to raise funds for Ukraine. Asmongold and OTK raised hundreds of thousands of dollars with a series of Twitch charity streams, while Fnatic partner Crypto.com is matching donations to the Red Cross Red Crescent Movement to name a recent couple of fundraisers.
Further reading: How Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is affecting esports
Dom is an award-winning writer and finalist of the Esports Journalist of the Year 2023 award. He graduated from Bournemouth University with a 2:1 degree in Multi-Media Journalism in 2007.
As a long-time gamer having first picked up the NES controller in the late ’80s, he has written for a range of publications including GamesTM, Nintendo Official Magazine, industry publication MCV and others. He worked as head of content for the British Esports Federation up until February 2021, when he stepped back to work full-time on Esports News UK and offer esports consultancy and freelance services. Note: Dom still produces the British Esports newsletter on a freelance basis, so our coverage of British Esports is always kept simple – usually just covering the occasional press release – because of this conflict of interest.
