According to a post on the League of Legends Oceanic Pro League website, Riot Games has decided to do away with Rift Rivals tournaments for all competitive leagues except for the LCS, LEC, LCK, LPL, and the LMS.





“This was not a decision that we took lightly,” Riot Oceania team member Chris “Belquin” Schubert said in the announcement yesterday. “However, the compelling rivalry still never really eventuated (damn you charming SEA/JPN teams!) and the viewership was similar to a regular round of the OPL, but came at a significantly higher operational cost.”





Founded in 2017, the Rift Rivals events gave teams from different regions the opportunity play against each other outside of major venues such as MSI or Worlds. This was a useful opportunity for many of the teams involved; with the exception of once-in-a-blue-moon friendly matches such as Clutch Gaming’s scrimmage with Bilibili Gaming last October.

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The loss of Rift Rivals events makes it significantly harder for teams from smaller regions, such as Oceania and Latin America, to rub elbows with the larger organizations within LoL’s “big leagues.”





That said, there may still be opportunities for inter-regional competition. “In the future we also remain open to other globally integrated events,” wrote Belquin.





But until Riot comes through on this promise, last year’s Purple Rift champions will have to sit tight in Oceania. And Latin America. And Turkey. And… well, you get it.