The LEC confirmed the league will continue to be played primarily out of the Riot Games Arena in Berlin through 2027, shutting down the latest round of speculation that Europe’s top League of Legends competition was about to leave its longtime studio setup behind.
However, Riot also said it will keep adjusting how the league is produced, including Roadtrips, select no-audience match days, and potential limited online play.
The clarification was made by Max Schmidt, Director of League of Legends Esports EMEA, in his statement to The Esports Radar. It follows comments from former pro and current co-streamer Kim “Wadid” Bae-in, who said on stream that the Berlin studio could effectively disappear after next year and that the LEC might move to an online model outside of Roadtrip events.
The rumor spread quickly because it lines up with the moves around the recent cost-cutting, format changes, and how Riot has been reshaping its live events across League esports.
Max Schmidt’s statement reads:
We’ve seen speculation about the future of the LEC and want to clarify that the LEC will continue to be played primarily at the Riot Games Arena in Berlin in 2027. We will continue to evaluate and evolve our production approach, including formats like Roadtrips, select no-audience match days, and the potential for limited online play, to focus our efforts on the parts of the experience that matter most to fans.
The takeaway is that nothing changes for now. The statement is carefully worded as a fallback if Riot changes its approach and the studio events become a thing of the past. With co-streaming becoming more and more popular, it’s not outside the realm of possibility that Riot Games moves away from offline events to rely on the coverage of such streamers as Caedrel, Tolkin, and Ibai.
For now, LEC has at least two competitive seasons in the LEC Berlin studio, which has become a part of the League of Legends legacy over the years it has hosted the competition.
