Esports leagues and tournaments have been hit particularly hard by the pandemic, though the shift to online has somewhat alleviated outright disaster. One example of an esports body flourishing during the pandemic is League of Legends, which has not only mostly shifted online, but has also expanded its plans and held its World Championship 2020 live in Shanghai, China. Now, feeling confident after 2020, League of Legends appears ready to expand its live event schedule with the return of its Mid-Season Invitational.
Watchful League of Legends fans recently noticed a surprising image on the LoL Esports media center website. The image in question was listed under the subheading of MSI 2021 and features that labeling within the image itself. The most interesting aspect of the image, however, is the location presented. A city is shown and a unique church chapel in the background betrays the location's name. It appears to be Reykjavik, Iceland.
That a seemingly official teaser for MSI 2021 would feature a real-life location implies that Riot Games has already decided where to host its next live League of Legends tournament. No official announcement has been made to that effect yet, however. This is a leak, and while it may seem entirely reliable fans should maintain some skepticism until an official announcement is made. That said, Reykjavik would make for a good pandemic-era location, given Iceland's relative safety.
While Riot Games may intend to hold a live tournament for its League of Legends Mid-Season Invitational this year, that doesn't mean that it will do so with ease. Travel restrictions remain in place in many countries across the world. Even if Riot's able to successfully secure Iceland's support, that doesn't mean every team or player will be able to attend. Travel Visas, international quarantine regulations, and COVID-19 testing procedures are just some of the obstacles in Riot's way.
Still, for Riot Games, the additional work and cost of making an international tournament happen in the middle of a pandemic may well be worth it. Millions of viewers tuned in for the 2019 MSI, putting it close to parallel with the League of Legends World Championship. It's a key part of Riot's strategy to maintain momentum for League of Legends, which is now eleven years old.
MSI 2020 was canceled last year due to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. It was originally planned for May, but was delayed to July before being canceled. A location for the event was never officially announced. It remains possible that MSI 2021 will be canceled as well, so fans should take today's leak as an exciting possibility and not a certainty.
League of Legends is available now on PC.
Source: Reddit