“We’re not here to argue if it succeeded or failed”: Riot reacts to LTA rebrand discourse

Six months after Riot Video games unified the LCS, CBLOL and LLA into the LTA, the League of Legends esports neighborhood has continued to specific frustration over the rebrand, significantly for the North convention. From social media threads to YouTube essays to Reddit debates, followers have described the transition because the killing of a decade-old model. Nevertheless, Riot says feeling uneasy a couple of change this huge is pure.

In an unique interview with Esports Insider, Carlos Antunes, Head of League of Legends Esports Americas, addressed issues in regards to the LTA rebrand, sharing extra on the identify, viewership, variations in regional identities and what alternate options had been on the desk over seven months in the past.  

On the midway level in 2025, longtime NA followers expressed feeling disconnected from what was once their house area’s league. Riot, nonetheless, pushed again on the concept that the rebrand was a failure. 

“Actually, we’re not right here to argue about whether or not the rebrand succeeded or failed—followers really feel how they really feel, and that’s legitimate,” stated Antunes. Fan frustration, although, runs deeper, with many questioning whether or not the brand new construction actually serves its audiences or just complicates issues additional. 

However that’s simply a part of an even bigger dialogue the Americas communities are having over whether or not they need to look ahead to the modifications made to their beloved leagues to bear fruit or name on for extra modifications earlier than it’s too late. 

For a lot of within the business, even after seven months, the time period LTA nonetheless doesn’t resonate. Most of the time, on-line discourse reveals confusion not simply in regards to the identify itself however about what it even represents. Essentially the most recurring argument is that the acronym lacks speedy recognition, and plenty of followers proceed to discuss with the LTA North because the ‘LCS’ out of behavior or readability. 

This disconnection has had actual penalties not only for followers, however for media masking the league as effectively. Searchability is weaker, social media engagement has reportedly declined and a few insiders stated they’ve needed to repeatedly clarify what the LTA is, even to individuals who work in esports. 

“I can’t pitch LTA content material as a result of not even my bosses know what the LTA is, they usually’ve been working in and round esports for a number of years,” said journalist Carver Fisher on social media. He echoed what different business skilled had stated when the LTA was first introduced.

In a video printed in November 2024, content material creator Travis Gafford acknowledged that getting rid of the LCS brand was a ‘huge mistake.” Seven months later, he doubled down on the sentiment, highlighting how not solely veteran professionals, however followers of the league have been having a tough time adapting to the change.  

Whereas Antunes acknowledged the neighborhood’s response, he urged folks to not scale back the dialog of whether or not the LTA rebrand is succeeding or to not simply its identify. 

“The dialog usually zeros in simply on the identify change, and there’s really far more occurring beneath the floor,” he defined.

In keeping with Riot, the LTA was designed to modernise the competitors format, highlight native rivalries and provide followers extra constant and emotionally resonant storylines—ones that unfold week by week, not simply within the lead-up to international tournaments. And whereas Riot admits it hasn’t but ‘nailed’ the system, Antunes insisted the workforce is tweaking the schedule, modifying the format and rolling out new options for followers.

“Backside line, nothing’s set in stone. We’re studying, adapting, and we’re dedicated to constructing one thing followers genuinely love,” he concluded.

In a earlier interview on the LTA announcement, Riot’s World Head of League of Legends Esports, Chris Greeley, described the present conferences mannequin as ‘better than a lot of the alternatives that could have come out of this.’ 

Antunes elaborated on that idea to us, revealing that different constructions thought of included a ‘huge, unified league’ with fewer groups, whereas an alternative choice was to go ‘utterly regional.’ The choice to maintain a two-conference format, he defined, was grounded within the need to take care of native fan connections and legacy workforce loyalty.

The choice to take care of native loyalty whereas fostering inter-regional rivalries displays Riot’s long-term imaginative and prescient for the Americas, however the actuality has confirmed advanced. Coordinating two separate conferences has launched logistical hurdles, which Antunes acknowledged, together with discovering a steadiness between significant regional competitors and the ambition to construct compelling cross-Americas storylines.

On the identical time, followers have identified that the system hasn’t but delivered the readability or emotional stakes they hoped for. Whereas native matchups had been preserved, the bigger construction feels muddled, with some followers remaining uncertain when or how North and South intersect meaningfully, particularly outdoors of Playoffs or worldwide qualification contexts.

“Nothing’s set in stone,” stated Antunes. “We’re studying, adapting, and we’re dedicated to constructing one thing followers genuinely love.” Nonetheless, because the LTA ends its second break up, the league nonetheless feels its at a crossroad of whether or not persevering with refining the hybrid format or contemplating extra modifications.

League followers have usually used viewership because the clearest indicator of whether or not a contest is crusing or sinking. Riot, however, says it appears at extra than simply uncooked numbers.

Antunes defined that surveys, fan sentiment and engagement tendencies, in addition to monitoring how usually followers return, how they work together with content material and what codecs resonate most are a part of how Riot evaluates the league.

That stated, numbers nonetheless gasoline a lot of the general public dialog. In keeping with data from EsportsCharts, LTA North has seen vital drops in common viewership in comparison with earlier years below the LCS model, with former caster Christopher ‘MonteCristo’ Mykles pointing out a 63% decline in common viewership since 2021. 

“We knew issues may begin off slower—it takes time for folks to get used to one thing new,” Antunes stated relating to whether or not Riot’s predictions forward of the rebrand matched the present numbers they monitor. Nonetheless, Riot stays ‘life like,’  with Antunes stating it knew some followers can be misplaced in the course of the transition to LTA North and South. 

“And bringing them again—and introducing new followers—goes to take continued effort,” he stated.

Antunes means stepping up how Riot connects with followers by creators, companions, and platforms, one thing the LTA workforce is already diving into ‘forward of the upcoming splits.’

It needs to be famous that the viewership drop appears to be a problem of the LTA North convention alone. In LTA South, the common 2025 Cut up viewership has surpassed the 2024 CBLOL one, according to EsportsChart. The area hasn’t reached new peaks, however momentum is constructing. This could possibly be a product of the stronger emotional bond followers have with the groups and gamers of the previous leagues of the area. 

In discussing LTA South’s relative power in viewership, Antunes confirmed that enhancements are seen within the North as effectively, particularly in the course of the playoffs of Cut up 2, which confirmed a bump in fan satisfaction and co-streaming participation. He talked about how new options, like Twitch Extensions and creator integration, are a part of Riot’s technique to re-engage viewers.

“Followers in numerous areas interact with esports in their very own distinctive methods,” Antunes stated, noting that earlier phases of the rebrand might have ‘leaned too exhausting into cross-Americas rivalries.’ Suggestions from Cut up 1 thus led Riot to refocus on extra acquainted matchups in Cut up 2, which has seen a extra constructive response from followers.

Riot believes the LTA mannequin can succeed because it discovered from previous errors and is dedicated to long-term enchancment for its esports ecosystem to thrive over extra a long time. However many followers stay cautious or skeptical. Some really feel the modifications got here too quick, with too little look after what made every area particular, whereas others need proof—not guarantees—that the league can return to former highs.

Whether or not Riot can construct a product followers within the Americas actually love—or whether or not the rebrand stays some extent of disconnect—will depend upon what comes subsequent and on whether or not followers will give Riot time to show the modifications made are constructive.