Riot Games has officially addressed growing speculation regarding the future of the League of Legends EMEA Championship (LEC), confirming that the league will continue to operate primarily out of the Riot Games Arena in Berlin through 2027, though the publisher is now openly evaluating the potential for “limited online play.”

The statement, issued to The Esports Radar by Max Schmidt, Director of League of Legends Esports EMEA, follows claims that the publisher was preparing to abandon its physical studio entirely.

Also read:

The rumors originated from comments made by retired professional player and analyst Kim “Wadid“ Bae-in during a co-stream of the First Stand tournament. Wadid claimed to have information that Riot would shutter the Berlin facility after next year, moving the entire competition online with the exception of Roadtrip events. The claims cited significant cost-cutting measures and the league’s current challenges as the primary drivers for the alleged shift.

In response, Schmidt clarified that while the Berlin Arena remains the league’s headquarters, Riot is evaluating a more flexible production model. “We will continue to evaluate and evolve our production approach, including formats like Roadtrips, select no-audience match days, and the potential for limited online play,” Schmidt stated.

This admission suggests that while the league is not going “exclusively online,” the standard weekly live-audience format may be supplemented by remote play for specific segments of the season. It is unclear if VALORANT events will follow the same path as they use the same studio.

The strategy appears to be a move toward optimizing resources. By focusing on “the parts of the experience that matter most to fans”—likely meaning high-impact Roadtrips and season finals—Riot may be looking to reduce the overhead of constant studio operations.

Read the full statement below:

“We’ve seen speculation about the future of the LEC and want to clarify that the LEC will continue to be played primarily at the Riot Games Arena in Berlin in 2027. We will continue to evaluate and evolve our production approach, including formats like Roadtrips, select no-audience match days, and the potential for limited online play, to focus our efforts on the parts of the experience that matter most to fans.”

Subscribe to On The Radar, a weekly wrap up of esports business stories, and the fortnightly Heat Map, a deeper dive into the stories across esports business and culture.

Follow The Esports Radar on social media: