League of Legends Introduces Mid-Season Invitational for International Competition
League of Legends (LoL) is known for its unique league structure, which sets it apart from other esports like Dota 2 and Counter-Strike. While the league structure provides a regular broadcast schedule and allows for the development of local esports infrastructure, it lacks the drama of international competition.
In an effort to address this, Riot Games is introducing the Mid-Season Invitational, an international event that brings together the champions from the Spring season of the top leagues around the world. This includes the NA and EU League Championship Series, LoL Champions Korea, China’s LoL Pro League, Taiwan’s LoL Master Series, and for the first time, Japan’s international wildcard qualified team.
The tournament will be held on May 7-10 in North America, between the end of the Spring Split and the start of the Summer. This event expands on last year’s All-Star Invitational, focusing more on team-based competition.
While the All-Star festivities will not be included in the Mid-Season Invitational, the All-Star game will still take place in 2015, but at a later date in the Winter. Riot Games continues to improve the competitive structure of League of Legends with each passing year.