Riot Max: ” EMEA Masters is a showcase product for domestic talents”

I had the chance to chat with Maximilian Peter Schmidt, aka Riot Max, about the 2023 LEC season, EMEA Masters, and his thoughts on adding new potential competitions. 

Riot Max – We are looking to revisit how teams qualify for Season Finals

Q: It was quite an important year for the LEC. We got the three-split system for the first time and it has been a wonderful roadshow. What are your thoughts on this new system? Is there anything you’re particularly satisfied about? 

Overall, I’m pleased about the positive perception of the new structure we created. We knew that going into it, we were going to make a big bet and we’re happy to see it paid off. We saw that 95% of our fans were happy about the changes we made and that number is incredible to me. We want to listen and see how we can improve it and make it better. We previously mentioned in the press conference that the roadshow was the best one we’ve ever had and we truly believe it. We also hope we can say that again next year and all the future years. There has been a lot of confusion when it comes to championship points and we want to do a better job at educating them and what they are. 

Q: How do you plan on making those changes? 

We want to revisit how teams qualify for Season Finals and make it easier for fans to digest and get them excited when their favorite teams are playing. 

Q: This year, the LEC Season Finals was the only roadshow for the competition. You previously mentioned the factors behind the location selection process and the fact that we’re going to have one big single venue in 2024. Aside from Germany, France, and Spain, the countries with the most esports following among all European countries, what other countries do think have the potential to grow to a similar level and become a potential hosting city?  

When we look at the roadshows, we don’t clearly look at a clear framework of these three are three countries. Malmo was a clear example: We had a fantastic roadshow in Malmo. The city did a fantastic job hosting despite not being one of the biggest countries when it comes to population.

We have a very sophisticated host city process where cities can reach out to us and then we work together with the city to create a proper plan and create a positive impact on the city and obviously create the best possible experience for all fans that are going.

It was later announced that the LEC Season Finals for the 2024 season will be held in Munich, Germany. 

Read more: All teams qualified for Worlds 2023

EMEA Masters and its importance within the European competitive ecosystem

Q: Let’s also talk about EMEA Masters and the overall ERL system. Europe has been able to foster great young talents throughout the years and it hit nearly 300k peak viewers during the finals. Considering what you have achieved so far, how do you plan on maintaining that growth in the upcoming years? What are things you might be looking to improve?

We couldn’t have hoped better in any shape or form. It was France against Spain, and the final was between two of the most popular teams. We need to be realistic that EM (EMEA Masters) as a competition will always be team dependent. It’s very normal that if teams participating are popular, then viewership will be higher. That doesn’t necessarily mean that if EM doesn’t reach 300k, then it will be a failure. We need to be realistic that EM is a showcase product for domestic talents. Aside from the incredible atmosphere, I also saw fantastic games and hope that LEC teams took note of. 

Q: EMEA Masters has been growing steadily over the last few seasons. While you mentioned in the past that EMEA teams won’t get a Worlds spot, what are your personal thoughts on having a cross-over competition with the LEC or teams from the other major regions? Are there any potential issues?

The ERL are there to foster and grow talent on domestic soil – EM is the showcase product where all the best of the best go and have a clear path to pro and get picked up by the LEC teams. The reason why we don’t include EM [at Worlds] is that it counteracts these goals — if we were to introduce that, LEC teams would get a split focus (both working on LEC and EM). On the other hand, if I’m ERL team, I’m incentivized by Riot to hold on to my talent and get to the big stage, namely Worlds. But that’s not the purpose of EM. 

Regarding the possibility of having cross-over competitions, we have no plans to introduce additional competition on top of the three-split but we have opened the door for show matches, and I expect we will have more of these matches during the offseason, whether it’s mixed rosters or it’s ERL vs LEC.

In the past few days, it was announced there will be a show match between Team Heretics and KarmineCorp at KCX3. Moreover, Red Bull will host League of Its Own, a special event where T1 will be taking on some of the best European teams.

Worlds and new potential international competitions

Q: Former Riot CEO Nicolo Laurent mentioned last year that there is a chance we might see national teams fight at one of the future Olympic games. Recently, the International Olympic Committee has also nominated an Esports committee. What are currently the elements you’re looking at and considering to decide whether a national competition can be organized?

Potentially, you are also pulling teams in two different directions. It can also be a hindrance and we want to be mindful of how we want to approach that topic. As of right now, there is no further news to share about a potential national competition.

Q: I would also like to touch on the upcoming Worlds 2023. Throughout the past years, we’ve seen an increasing gap between the western and the eastern regions. How do you think the EU can bridge that gap and what are some of the things the LEC can do for the teams to improve the competition? 

It is something we’ve been thinking about for years. Part of the reason why we decided on the new system this year is that we want to allow the top teams to have more opportunities to play against each other in meaningful matches so that we are better prepared to compete on international stages.

Q: It’s been 4 years since Worlds was held in Europe. Last year, Korea hosted MSI and it will be hosting the World Championship later this year. Considering we had MSI in London earlier in May, will 2024 mark the return of Worlds to EU? 

I’m afraid our system is not as simple as that [laughs]. That being said, having MSI in London was incredible. I love how London was welcoming us. There will be Worlds in EMEA in the future but we are not ready to disclose when that is going to happen. 

Read more: LoL Worlds 2023 play-in stage – initial thoughs and impressions