Riot cuts key LEC staff in layoffs, scuttles esports streaming platform

As the dust settles from Riot Games’ layoffs earlier this week, the cuts paint a worrying picture for the company’s esports ambitions. While the League of Legends and Valorant publisher committed to more tightly integrating esports into its other products, staffing cuts for the League of Legends EMEA Championship (LEC) and its unreleased esports streaming platform show that Riot is pruning its ambitions.

The LEC is one of Riot’s most watched regional leagues, but it has let go key production staff. According to a list compiled by VTuber and career coach btwbluwu, at least 27 LEC staff were impacted. Notably, these cuts include the LEC’s executive producer, head of production, backend engineers and game observers.