Riot Games has announced it will eliminate regional split prize pools across all leagues funded by its Global Revenue Pool (GRP) starting in 2026, redirecting the funds to other areas in a move to modernise the financial structure of LoL Esports. This change will impact major regions, including the League of Legends Champions Korea (LCK), the LEC (League of Legends EMEA Championship), and the LCS (League Championship Series).

In an official update, Riot Games stated the sums contributed to regional prize pools had resulted in “comparatively small payouts for individual players,” while the collective investment had grown to a “meaningful amount.” The publisher plans to use these funds “more strategically” to support long-term ecosystem development. Notably, due to differing partnership models, the prize pools for CBLOL (Brazilian League of Legends Championship) and LCP (League of Legends Championship Pacific) will not be affected.

Riot expressed this reflects “confidence in the maturity of the global ecosystem.” Prize pools for international events including First Stand, MSI (Mid-Season Invitational), and the World Championship (Worlds) will continue to be funded by the GRP.

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Reacting to the news, Gen.G CEO Arnold Won Hur commented on the social media platform X: “Unfortunate to see prize pools being removed from LCK. As publishers push esports toward profitability, some will focus on creating new revenue streams, others on cutting costs. Teams will live or die by whether they can predict which cycle they are in.”

The financial recalibration follows a period of documented strain for some leagues. A report from April 2025, based on South Korean regulatory disclosures and originally reported by Korean news outlet DealSite, revealed the league accumulated losses of 42.7 billion KRW (approx. $29.8 million) over three years. During that period, revenue fell by nearly 60%, from 27.9 billion KRW in 2022 to 11.4 billion KRW in 2024. Key factors cited for the crisis included the loss of the lucrative Chinese broadcasting rights after Huya did not renew its contract in 2024, high fixed operational costs, and struggles with the franchise model.

By consolidating resources, Riot Games aims to build a “more connected, sustainable, and exciting future” for its esports ecosystem.

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