Riot Games has announced a long-term partnership with agencies Freaks 4U Gaming and Lagardère Sports which will see it launch a national League of Legends league for the DACH region.
The league will be an expansion of the Premier Tour tournament circuit.
As part of the long term partnership, a new regional league will be created for 2020 by building upon the Premier Tour. The league, which is exclusively for German-speaking teams, aims to create a new standard for esports in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland.
Hans Christian Dürr, Head of Esports DACH of Riot Games commented in a release: “League of Legends is largely responsible for the development of the esports towards the mass phenomenon. We also want to play an instrumental role in further developing the German-speaking market and have found the best possible partners for this purpose. This powerful network of three leading companies will further advance the Esports in Germany, Austria and Switzerland.”
The developer and agencies will work on the Premier Tour for the remainder of 2019. The competition, which was formed in 2018, comprises of Spring and Summer splits. LEC’s SK Gaming and FC Schalke 04 both field challenger teams in the league as things stand.
Michael Haenisch, CEO of Freaks 4U Gaming added: “An integral part of our corporate DNA is the creation and evolution of ecosystems in the Esports. The strategic long-term partnership with Riot Games and Lagardère Sports Germany allows us to realize ambitious plans to take League of Legends esports in Germany, Austria and Switzerland to a new level.”
Esports Insider says: The UKLC and Superliga are great examples of how compelling regional leagues can be. With the introduction of franchising in the LEC, European teams are now looking to these leagues to scout and nurture future talent – we look forward to seeing how it all develops.
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