Riot Confirm the Ten Franchise Teams for the North American LoL Championship Series
The franchise-era of esports has officially arrived as developers Riot Games announced the ten teams who’ll make up the North American League of Legends Championship Series.
As one of the biggest competitive titles on the planet, League of Legends as an esport has gone from strength to strength over the years of operating.
For the high-profile North American competition, 2018 will see a change from the promotion/relegation system previously adopted, with a franchise system put in place that follows traditional sports leagues such as the NFL, NBA and MLG.
All ten teams that were part of the 2017 NA LCS and Challenger divisions had to reapply, but with no guarantee they’d be re-picked, the decision by Riot has been one of the most speculated pieces of the year.
On Monday November 20th the final ten teams were confirmed, including the introduction of OpTic Gaming, 100Thieves, Golden Guardians and Clutch Gaming.
“Earlier this year, we started an ambitious journey to move into a permanent partnership structure for the NA LCS in 2018. Over the last few months, we met with prospective groups to delve into their team strategy, business and brand plans, and to discuss the staff and support they were putting in place for the pros competing under their banner.
We believe the ten teams joining the NA LCS are the best possible blend of partners for the league. Representing talent, passion, and fan focus from within the esports community as well as expertise and legacy experience from traditional sports, these are dedicated, well structured, and ambitious organizations ready to take on the battle for NA LCS glory. Let the battle commence!”
Confirmed North American LCS Franchises
Cloud9
Team Solomid
Golden Guardians
FlyQuest
Echo Fox
Clutch Gaming
100Thieves
Team Liquid
OpTic Gaming
Counter Logic Gaming