How LEC killed the NLC & Academy teams

Just like in traditional sports, developmental leagues matter in competitive League of Legends. But the 2022 offseason has brought many changes with mixed results and uncertain futures. In less than 3 months, half of the teams that will participate in the 2023 LEC season, have lost their Academy rosters. The optics are even bleaker for the Nordic League of Legends Championship. Since Riot has taken away its accreditation with the recent EMEA changes, teams are finding it much harder to secure sponsors. And that means fewer funds for players and the development of the system. The future of the NLC is massively impacted by the recent LEC format changes.

2023 LEC offseason

Every offseason in esports is an interesting journey. The environment is so fast paced and developing that changes happen in the blink of an eye. And that’s how we got here. Veterans are coming back from across the world, new names are getting opportunities and there is a major influx of Korean talent. “But while the LEC is consistently trying to raise the level of competition, the rest of the ecosystem is suffering. The LEC format changes and expansion are a great idea, but someone had to get the short end of the stick. 

New LEC teams

The major news heading into this offseason was the integration of two new teams into the LEC. The owners of the Misfits corporation sold the rights to their LEC spot midway through the 2022 LEC Summer Split. And you can argue about the effect that had on the roster at the time, which was fighting for their playoff chances amid roster and management turmoil. But with Team Heretics entering the LEC things were looking up. Except, nobody was replacing Misfits Premier, the Misfits Academy roster in the French LFL. That’s what happens when an ERL team is promoted to the LEC. 

KOI were second on the board. Scoring their deal with Rogue just days before Rogue advanced to the knockout stage of the 2022 World Championship. The Spanish powerhouse made a deal with Rogue, to share naming rights and infrastructure. But this meant that AGO Rogue, Rogue’s Academy team in the Polish Superliga, was also out the window. Both KOI and Heretics are expected to field their Academy teams in the Spanish LVP, since that’s where the organizations originate from. But they might not be focused on developing young talent. And it’s completely understandable, considering how big of an investment having an LEC team is. It’s only natural for development to take a back seat in terms of priorities when eight-digit business takes place. 

LEC Academy teams

But it’s not just the regional league getting weaker, teams are also completely pulling out of said competitions. It might be the looming financial crisis, poor management, the benefits of importing, or something else. But big LEC brands like G2 and MAD Lions won’t have Academy teams heading into 2023. G2 Arctic are gone after less than 3 years, and Carlos not being the CEO anymore might have something to do with that. 

Of the current LEC teams, only four will keep their Academy teams going into next year:

• BDS Academy and Vitality Bee will represent their LEC teams in the French LFL
• SK Prime is the ERL team for SK Gaming, representing the LEC team in the German Prime League
• And Fnatic Team Queso, is Fnatic’s Academy team that has been competing in the Spanish LVP, since their merger in 2022. Before that, Fnatic used to field their Academy roster in the NCL. But they are not the only team to leave the competition.

The current state of NLC

Out of all regional leagues in Europe, the NLC has taken the hardest hit. The Nordic League of Legends Championship has consistently produced the best players on the continent. But now, heading into 2023, their future looks as bleak as ever. JDXL, the Academy team for Excel Esports in the LEC, won’t field a roster this upcoming season. Astralis Talent will also follow suit. That’s two of the LEC teams without an Academy roster next year. We already mentioned that Fnatic moved their Academy team out of the NLC and into the LVP. But things have gotten even worse since the LEC has expanded into the EMEA. 

This transformed the NLC into a non-accredited league and thus hurt its appeal to teams and investors. The most successful team in NLC history and this year’s EU Masters, Dusty, have also announced that they have sold their roster slot. Team Bifrost have also parted ways with their entire League of Legends staff and roster. Making the NLC non-accredited meant scaling back on production, spending, and going from 10 to 8 teams. As well as losing a few slots at the now EMEA Masters circuit. But the bigger question that looms is, will there be any NLC teams left in the new year?

History of NLC

An argument can be made that Riot are doing the right thing, given the lack of interest and low viewership, resulting in a poor financial outlook. But as much as the Nordic regions have moved away from League of Legends, Riot still holds most of the blame for this outcome. Throughout the history of the NLC, their decisions have handicapped the growth of the league from day one.

NLC before Covid

Before the Covid pandemic, the now NLC region was split up into two regions, each getting a team to represent them at the EU Master. UK + Ireland were counted as one league, while the Nordics also fielded one competitor. This was a major step back from the previous system, in which multiple teams from these regions could participate. Back when League of Legends competition was made up of the EU LCS as the main league, and the Challengers series as the tier 2 league. The NLC was a victim of the franchising process but still found success at international events.

At the 2019 Spring EU Masters, Misfits Premier won the whole thing and Fnatic Rising finished fourth, losing in the semifinals.  And that was before Misfits were moved to the LFL, bleeding out more NLC talent. That roster gave us Lider and Neon, who have been on and still are on LEC rosters.

NLC after Covid

In the summer of 2020, the NLC as we know it now was born. Combining the UK, Ireland, and Nordic leagues into one regional competition. Before the merger, the UK and Ireland league were ranked third and fourth, while the Nordics were ranked five through eight. But after the merger, the entire region was ranked in the bottom half. This meant that instead of having 2 seeds that directly qualified for the EU Master and two more that would go through the Play-In stage, the NLC was left with just 1+1. This put the NLC on the same level as the leagues from the Balkans, Italy, and Greece. Despite their teams never achieving anything near the success that British and Nordic teams have found since League of Legends exists. 

The famous Dreamhack organization was in charge of hosting the NLC competition, up until 2022. Unfortunately, their lofty goals could not be achieved, with the pandemic hindering growth.  Heading into 2022, Freaks 4 U, who previously hosted the Prime league, took over the NLC. The region finally got a fair shot, assembling a casting team and finally having a studio to broadcast the competition from. Everything was on the come up, with their casting talent making appearances on the official LEC broadcast and their teams reaching the final four at the EU Masters. But all of this hope went out the window, with Riot making the NLC not affiliated with them.

The future of the NLC

And just like that, some of the greatest pipelines in terms of player and broadcast talent are cut dry. With prize money and stipends being reduced from $200 thousand to $45k per year, teams will have a hard time attracting talent. Many of the greatest European talents come from the Nordic region, but that won’t be the case moving forward. The Caps, Rekkles, and Bjergsen-level players in the future will have to relocate to pursue their dream in the regional leagues. 

They won’t get the exposure or compensation in the NLC needed to take the next step. Which is sad, considering how much the region has done for League of Legends esports. If teams like Dusty and X7 are having financial issues and are leaving the league, where’s the hope for the rest? The NLC teams barely made a profit up until now, and it will be even harder moving forward. As fans, all we are left with are questions? How would the NLC look if it had the budget and exposure the LFL and LVP had? Naturally, their audience is much bigger, and the Nordics are much more into console gaming. But the question remains? What would happen if Riot pushed the NLC, instead of making it even with the lower leagues?  

Header: NLC/ Riot Games