LCS Rebrand, But What They Really Need Is A Winner
The League Championship Series has been Riot’s North American face of esports for the last decade or so, but it looks like it’s time for an LCS rebrand. This year, the league is getting a face-lift with a sharp new logo and a pair of new mottos. But for those of us who have been watching over the last ten years, it wasn’t an ugly logo that made it tough to be a fan. It was the consistent failure on the world stage.
So will an updated image help the North American LCS get back on track? Let’s find out.
New Year, New Look
Alright, so let’s get this out of the way first: hats off to Riot Games. The new look of the LCS is sharp and sleek. I love the new blue diamond logo. The new mottos are another story for me.
“All for the game” sounds to me like it’s a play on “For the love of the game” which is a famous line from baseball. I think this is fine, but it doesn’t get me amped about League of Legends. The catchphrase for the League Championship Series should have me hyped about League.
I find myself coming around more and more to the new “Made By Many” logo. League of Legends has one of the most storied histories in esports, right up there with games like Starcraft and Counterstrike. So lean into it.
You’ve had a decade of incredible talent come through your doors, lean into that legacy. While I like this one more, if you asked me to bet on whether or not they’ll still be using it in two years, I would bet no.
Is this really what we need?
I’ve had to watch North America flounder at the world stage for the last ten years. I’ve had to watch the EU LCS transform into the LEC region and dominate us. I’ve watched the LCK and LPL regions rule the world.
Meanwhile, I’m still stuck watching Team Liquid, Cloud9, TSM, and 100 Thieves duke it out to be the best of the worst. I need to see a higher level of League of Legends competition, not a better branding scheme for the league.
Don’t get me wrong. Sometimes a rebrand can in fact help the mentality of an organization. But I just can’t imagine this being the big change that will get North America over the hump at Worlds.
So what WILL help?
The LCS have made some pertinent moves this year, that should help their league in the long run. I much prefer their new scoring system, which will see the spring season count towards who goes to Worlds. While I didn’t like the old way, where the champion of the spring goes to Worlds regardless of how they performed in the summer, I do still think the spring should count.
Last year, the spring felt beyond boring because there were no real stakes. It was like watching pre-season football and that is NOT a compliment.
We’re still waiting on more information, but the expected revamp to the Collegiate League of Legends (CLOL) scene should help infuse new and talented players into the LCS in future years. I’ve said for a long time that the road to relevance for North America runs along our ability to get players into the pro-scene.
No more can we be the retirement home for over-the-hill veterans in the LCK. We need to find a way to grow young talent here and give them the tools they need to win. And maybe, just maybe, if we accomplish all of that, we’ll be ready to play under that shiny new blue diamond.
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