Riot Games, the developer of the online battle arena game League of Legends (LoL), has announced that it will change the venue for the 2021 League of Legends World Championship. This year’s event was originally scheduled to be held in China following the previous one, but as the COVID-19 delta mutation began to rapidly spread infections, travel procedures became complicated in each country, and in the end, it was decided to change the event to Europe, which has relatively little impact.
Riot Games said, “After reviewing all possible alternatives, we have come to the conclusion that moving the tournament to Europe could provide a great opportunity for more teams and top players to participate,” Riot Games said. The previous plan was to hold LoL World 2021, the largest of its kind in e-sports competitions, in five cities in China, including Shenzhen, in November. However, Riot Games said the most important factor is getting more teams and key players to participate, adding that more details about the event will be revealed in the coming weeks.
The League of Legends Championship Series (LCS) North American League, which was first held in August as a LoL tournament, also changed the venue from New Jersey to Los Angeles. This is also due to an increase in COVID-19 delta mutation infections. Other than LoL, other esports events are still held face-to-face in North America. The Call of Duty (CoD) League Championship was held at a large multi-purpose facility in Los Angeles, while the Overwatch League Playoffs and Grand Finals will take place in September and in Dallas and Los Angeles. In the United States, e-sports competitions are held as face-to-face events depending on the region.
Of course, the COVID-19 delta mutation is characterized by strong infectivity and a higher chance of being infected even after being vaccinated than other types. Those who are not vaccinated are more likely to have severe symptoms than those who are infected with the delta mutation, and it is known that young people with high immunity and physical strength are also at risk in a short period of time. In the future, it may become difficult again to hold an American e-sports event that has been revived according to the infection trend.