North American League of Legends Organizations Partner with LCS Game Changers Finalists
Three major North American League of Legends organizations have teamed up with this weekend’s LCS Game Changers finalists, offering them extra support and backing for the third installment of the program.
The three squads, Arcana, Astrocats, and Serenity, have joined forces with LCS franchisees NRG, Team Liquid, and Golden Guardians respectively. They will compete in the round-robin grand final stage on Saturday, Sept. 23 at the Riot Games Arena in Los Angeles, California.
To ensure a level playing field, the orgs have hosted the Game Changers rosters before the finals, giving each squad access to the same facilities and support available to the region’s best LCS teams. This initiative was developed by Riot Games in partnership with SIDO, an esports research group committed to creating a fair, diverse, and healthy esports environment.
Riot’s Game Changers program, now in its third year, aims to provide professional career opportunities for women and individuals of marginalized genders in the esports industry. It goes beyond high-level players, offering opportunities for coaches, management, and on-screen talent to develop their skills.
The live finals, which determine the seeding through exhibition matches, have been taking place weekly since Sept. 3. Fans can attend the finals for free, but only a few seats are still available at the time of publishing.
Astrocats finished with an impressive 3-1-2 record in the best-of-two round-robin format, securing their spot in the grand final. Arcana and Serenity will battle it out in a best-of-three qualifying final, starting at 2:30pm CT. The event will include an opening ceremony and will be streamed live on the main LCS Twitch channel.
Riot Games has also extended this initiative to VALORANT. The VCT Game Changers Championship will be held in November in São Paulo, Brazil. However, the venue’s limited audience capacity has sparked controversy.
Related: The 2023 VALORANT Game Changers Championship announcement disappointed fans and pros alike
The popularity of League of Legends continues to grow, and with a dedicated and passionate fanbase, the game has the potential to uncover and nurture diverse talent in the future.
For more information, check out the official article.