Assessing Riot's changes to the 2018 All-Star event

On October 7 Riot Games announced the changed format for All-Stars 2018. The primary goal these changes hope to achieve is providing the fans with an unprecedented experience only All-Stars can bring. Bringing the League of Legends scene into new heights. The changes to the 2018 League of Legends All-Star event come in the light of extensive criticism from the fans and the players, with many believing Riot Games missed the mark on their 2017 event. For the first time in All-Stars history, fans will experience League of Legends personalities and streamers battle alongside their favourite players.

Poor timing

The 2017 All-Star event was placed at a difficult time. Players who attended the 2017 League of Legends World Championship would receive limited vacation time before they were to fly off to Los Angeles to attend another competitive event. This poor timing led to the teams entering the tournament unprepared, with players opting to spend time at home with their families over practising with their region.

“I spent 2 weeks with my family before the event, that took priority. I wanted to spend my time [after worlds] doing holiday things and not practising two weeks up to the start of this event” - Bjergsen on All-Stars 2017

The lack of preparation was evident in the quality of the games, with emerging regions scoring victories over the major regions. South East Asia eliminating North America from the event was the highlight of the tournament for the majority of the western fans. Riot Games have learned from their past mistakes and the 2018 All-Stars event is being held more than a month after the World Championship concludes. This offers a better schedule for the players who will have the ability to relax after an incredibly exhausting season. Returning to a less serious event is a benefit for the players. The casual experience will allow players to take the maximum time off after the World Championship before flying to Las Vegas to put on an entertaining event for the fans without the stress of preparing for the event.

Choice of venue

Riot also came under heavy scrutiny for opting into hosting the 2017 All-Stars event at the NA LCS studio, a considerable downgrade compared to their 2016 event hosted at the ‘Palau Sant Jordi’ in Barcelona. The choice received negative feedback with players disappointed to be playing in a venue they played in multiple times.

“I have been here a billion times [NA LCS Studio] so I know it is boring for the players and the fans. Last year they [Riot] took us to Barcelona and we got to experience the culture and that was cool” - Bjergsen on going to Spain

For the 2018 All-Star event, Riot Games has improved on last years location by hosting the event at the Esports Arena in Las Vegas. This announcement is a benefit to both the players and the fans. The Esports Arena can host up to 1000 fans, this is a considerable upgrade compared to the couple of hundred fans that attended All-Stars 2017 each day. Las Vegas is a great location for the players, also. The sin city will provide the party atmosphere that was missing in 2017 whilst giving the players a well-deserved vacation, Las Vegas is a perfect place for a player to enjoy the offseason.

Going mainstream: Introducing Twitch personalities

Whilst Riot has learned from past mistakes, they have made a huge addition to the 2018 event. With the League of Legends partner program, multiple streamers and personalities will be invited out to take part alongside the professional players. This was an opportunity Riot Games could not pass up on. With the mainstream publicity Fortnite is receiving for hosting mainstream events involving professional players and celebrities, it was only a matter of time before Riot Games hosted a similar event. These events bring the fans an unprecedented event that no other event can offer, with multiple worlds coming together to celebrate Esports and the history that is being made. This was a lesson that Riot learned from and is now bringing their own taste to one of these events. The 2018 All-Stars event will help bring the casual scene and the competitive scene together as fans will be exposed to what these streamers and pro players have to offer. Fans will get to witness their favourite Streamers battle against the pro players, this is a feat that fans believed would never happen. This will gain exposure for both the casual scene and the competitive scene as casual fans will be merged with the hardcore fans. A fan could only be a fan of Tyler 1 at the start of the event, but end up being a fan of the competitive scene once the event concludes. With these changes, Riot Games has improved the level of the All-Stars event in a way that will captivate viewers and will improve the experience for both players and fans across the world. This event is lining up to be the best All-Stars event to date.