LCS Players Association outlines request list as league-wide walkout looms

Following the report of a possible league-wide walkout earlier today, the LCS Players Association has outlined its revamped requests for Riot Games in response to the league’s decision to remove the mandate for organizations to field a tier-two League of Legends roster in the region.

The LCSPA listed out five different requests today that should be discussed between all involved parties in the coming week, especially if there is a majority vote from the players agreeing on a walkout, as reported by investigative journalist Mikhail Klimentov. With the 2023 LCS Summer Split starting on Thursday, June 1, that leaves less than a week for the league and the Players Association to come to an agreement on each individual term.

First, the LCSPA is asking that a “VALORANT-style” relegation and promotion system be reinstated between the LCS and the NACL, which would allow tier-two organizations—and their players—a chance to finally enter the big leagues, while giving some much-needed incentives for all participating teams to continue pushing for success.

Additionally, the Players Association is looking for Riot to commit to a revenue pool of $300,000 for each NACL team that will be spent on player salaries, along with letting LCS organizations partner with other affiliates to help alleviate expenditures by sharing the costs of the roster and coaching staff.

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To ensure more stability for LCS players and NACL players, the association is also pushing that in the following year, minimum contracts are guaranteed for each player who wins the LCS Summer Finals. The committee is additionally looking for a new continuity rule that provides three out of five players on released NACL rosters first priority in maintaining their spot on the team, but only if a majority continue to compete alongside each other.

These requests are follow-ups to the reported vote occurring on Sunday, May 28, where all 50 players in the LCS will vote on whether or not they should stage a walkout in protest of the massive NACL changes. Not only could many players and coaches be losing their jobs this summer, but the future of the region is also in question without organizations supporting the pipeline to the major league.