League of Legends: Riot Games Delays Mid-Season Invitational Until July
| Tags: League of Legends
| Author David Hollingsworth
The League of Legends Mid-Season Invitational (MSI) will now take place on July 3–19.
As a result, Rift Rivals tournaments have been canceled by Riot. This is down to the coronavirus which has canceled esports and sporting events across the globe already. Most recently, TwitchCon Amersterdam and the Rocket League World Championships were canceled due to the outbreak. MSI usually takes place in May, this latest delay will place it mid-way through the summer split.
John Needham, Riot Games' Global Head of League of Legends Esports had this to say: “After discussing with our leagues and other stakeholders, we've made the decision to move our annual mid-year global tournament event from May to July this year. Shifting the tournament to the summer offers the best chance to see travel restrictions lifted, allowing teams from leagues around the world to travel and compete safely.”
John Needham also confirmed the start dates for the Summer Splits, with MSI now taking place midway through the summer splits.
- Oceania Pro League (Oceania): May 15
- Vietnamese Championship Series (Vietnam): May 15
- League of Legends Championship Series (North America): May 16
- Turkish Champions League (Turkey): May 16
- LoL Champions Korea (South Korea): May 20
- League of Legends European Championship (Europe): May 22
- Campeonato Brasileiro League of Legends (Brazil): May 23
- LoL Pro League (China): May 23
- Pacific Championship Series (Southeast Asia): May 30
- League of Legends Japan League (Japan): May 31
- League of Legends Continental League (CIS): June 6
- Liga Latinoamérica (Latin America): TBD
The Fate of Rift Rivals
Needham continued when speaking about the now-canceled Rift Rivals: “ Rift Rivals produced some epic battles, but the challenges it created to the annual schedule were felt at both a regional and global level,” Needham said. “We remain committed to producing globally resonant events that showcase our sport and will work with regions to determine fresh ways to do so in the years ahead.”
Image via Riot Games
David has written for games media outlets for the last ten years. With his first major esports role being with Esports News UK covering mostly UK League of Legends. David is also a member of the British Esports Association and is an advisor to them on World of Warcraft Esports. More recently David has worked for Esports Insider and Red Bull as an esports journalist.
David later became Editor at ESTNN and now leads the current team.