As we work in partnership with pro leagues around the world towards a unified system -- including consistent two-split calendars -- we saw a great opportunity to bring together the global leagues for a new competitive event in the middle of the season. We’re calling this the Mid-Season Invitational (MSI) and it’ll be held between the Spring and Summer splits, in May. MSI will act as the major event at the halfway point in the LoL esports season, pitting the winners of the Spring Splits of the NA LCS, LCK, LPL, LMS, and EU LCS against each other. Additionally, the winning team from the International Wild Card Invitational (more details below) will join them.
How does this affect the Spring Split? We’re looking forward to more fierce competition than ever. With the new Championship Points system, teams will be fighting not just with an eye on Worlds, but to qualify for the MSI and to get valuable experience on the international stage, to pit themselves against top competition, and to show esports fans around the world what they’re made of.
MSI will take place on May 7-10, 2015 in North America. We’re finalizing the last details on our venue as we speak and we’ll share official details -- including how you can buy tickets to join us -- in early Spring.
We all saw the impact an International Wild Card region can make at Worlds. The development of these regions is critical to the future of having a strong global esport, and we want to offer them an additional opportunity to compete on the international stage. This year we’ll be experimenting with a new concept -- a multi-regional competitive event specifically for emerging leagues. The International Wild Card Invitational (IWCI) will be held in Turkey in late April, with teams representing Turkey, CIS, Oceania, Japan, Brazil and Latin America, and GPL. The winner will get to compete against the Spring Split’s best at the MSI in North America two weeks later.
MSI won’t be replacing All-Star 2015 (ASG) -- this will be moving to the offseason in December, post-Worlds. While the MSI will offer a competitive and intense tournament midseason, we’ve loved seeing fans rally around the fun and spontaneity of ASG over the past two years. Moving it to the December offseason allows us to provide a fun, international exhibition tournament focused on fan favorite players and teams, unexpected matchups and game modes, and celebrating stars from throughout the season.
Stay tuned for more details on these international events as well as news on Worlds 2015 over the next few weeks -- hope to see you there!
