League of Legends esports clubs in Taiwan will face tougher competition to secure spots in top international tournaments in 2024 after Riot, the game's developer, attempted to bolster the weakening esports ecosystem in much of Southeast Asia.
In a statement Monday, Riot announced a new upgrade to the Pacific Championship Series (PCS) -- a professional league comprising League of Legends clubs in Taiwan, Hong Kong, Macao and Southeast Asian countries except Vietnam -- to create a more competitive and sustainable ecosystem.
It will add the top three League of Legends Japan League (LJL) contenders to the PCS playoffs in 2024 after doing the same with the top two League of Legends Circuit Oceania (LCO) teams this year, narrowing the odds of Taiwanese clubs qualifying for top global events.
That's because even with the addition of teams to the PCS playoffs, the number of slots available to PCS playoff teams in the Mid-Season Invitational (MSI) and the World Championships, the biggest tourneys held by Riot for top League of Legends teams, will remain the same.
Only one team from the PCS playoffs makes the MSI, usually held in May, and only two get berths in the Worlds, normally held in October and November.
"Similar to when LCO joined the PCS ecosystem last season, the LJL will continue to play its domestic season in Japan," Riot said in a statement.
"Then, the top three teams from LJL will seed into the PCS Playoffs and compete with other PCS and LCO teams for a spot at international events such as MSI and Worlds."
