Riot Games Extend Maximum LoL Esports Contracts To Four Years
Just as the League of Legends season comes to a close, with the World Championships Grand Final poised for November 6, Riot Games has reconfigured their policy on player contracts, allowing players to secure their future with four-year contracts.
These brand-new "Long-Term Contracts" eclipse the previous maximum of three years, although there is an extensive criteria for players to meet. According to a report from Upcomer, the new contracts will come into play this off-season, which begins on November 5, and is expected to be one with major rejigs for both of the Western regions.
The report details that in order for players to be deemed eligible to sign a long-term contract, they must have played in the region for two years, with at least one of those seasons being in a "professional" league (the top tier of competitions in each region that qualify for the World Championships, such as the LEC, LCS, and LCK). The developers consider 'playing in a season to be defined by representing their team on 50% or more of their games, rather than being on an inactive role.
Additionally, Academy sides do not count as a "professional" league, even if their parent team is competing in the LEC, for example. The player must spend at least one of their two seasons playing in the region's top leagues, not just being signed to a team.
The rule is expected to be rolled out globally as of November 15, which could be a great bargaining chip for some players to tie down their futures and begin to build exciting projects.
One of those teams could be TSM, who have already claimed they will be looking to invest in young and fresh talent after they confirmed the exits of both Hu "SwordArt" Shuo-Chieh and Søren "Bjergsen" Bjerg.
However, the likes of Luka "Perkz" Perkovic will not be allowed to sign a long-term contract, as reports suggest he will make his return to the LEC. The same goes for Barney "Alphari" Morris, who is expected to return to Europe, as both players have been identified as the top propositions for Team Vitality, who are looking to build a "supersquad".
The League of Legends free agency period commences on November 15, where it will come apparent which players are on the market, although it's not yet clear as to which squads will look at utilising the new long-term contracts.