With the increasing popularity of esports， competitive gaming has become a major industry on its own. One of the most popular games in the esports scene is League of Legends (LoL). The game's developer， Riot Games， organizes various tournaments throughout the year， and the competitive scene has a massive following. Recently， Riot announced significant changes in its competitive calendar， which will have a considerable impact on the esports scene. In this article， we will discuss the implications of these changes in the esports scene.
In previous years， League of Legends had two major tournaments: the Mid-Season Invitational (MSI) and the World Championship. The MSI occurs around May， while the World Championship happens in October. However， Riot Games announced that it would be making significant changes to the schedule， starting in 2021.
The MSI will be replaced by the "Rift Rivals" format， which will be more region-centric. This format pits teams from different regions within a single group. Since the MSI was such an essential tournament， this change will impact the number of chances teams from different regions have to showcase their skills and compete against one another.
Additionally， the World Championship will be moved up to September. This change could lead to some of the teams' schedules being altered. The earlier date could give these teams less time to prepare for the championship， and this could affect their performance.
The announced changes will have a significant impact on teams and players. The change to the calendar could cause stress and burnout to players. It could also lead to scheduling issues between teams that participate in multiple tournaments. Teams and players may have to make tough decisions on which tournaments to prioritize.
The new Rift Rivals format could also affect the way teams approach their performance strategies. In the past， the MSI was an opportunity for teams to view their competition from a global perspective. Teams could use the MSI to gauge their performance against players and teams from other regions and adjust their strategies accordingly. With the Rift Rivals format， some teams may decide to prioritize their regional performance to the detriment of their global performance.
As teams prepare for the World Championship， the schedule change could put additional pressure on players. This pressure could affect their performance during the tournament， leading to a lower quality of games for fans and eventually affecting the competition's overall quality.
The schedule changes could also impact fans of the game. With the MSI replaced by the Rift Rivals format and the World Championship moved up to September， the offseason could be shorter. Fans may not have enough time to analyze previous performances and weigh in on which teams to support going into the new competitive season.
Moreover， the Rift Rivals format could lead to less international competition， which could make the games less exciting and diverse. The change could also lead to some of the fan-favorite teams being left out of tournaments， which would be a significant blow to fans who have supported these teams throughout the years.
The changes to the League of Legends competitive calendar will undoubtedly have a considerable impact on the esports scene. The changes could lead to scheduling issues， burnout， and less international competition， among other things. However， these changes also present an opportunity for new teams and players to shine in the competitively evolving landscape of the game. As fans， we will have to adapt to these changes and continue to support our favorite teams and players despite the challenges they may face.