Riot Games is set to overhaul the global esports scene for League of Legends in 2025, merging several Asian leagues to form the League of Legends Championship Pacific (LCP). This new structure mirrors the recently introduced pan-Americas league and is likely to have a significant impact on regional viewership.
The VCS, PCS, and LJL will now compete under the LCP as tier-two circuits, with teams qualifying through a promotion and relegation system. However, Riot’s official announcement did not specify the role of the LCO in this new framework. It’s assumed the LCO will continue qualifying teams for international competitions via the PCS.
Notably, the LCK remains separate, maintaining its status as a standalone top-tier circuit. Meaning Asia will have three premier regional events in 2025: LCP, LCK, and LPL. Esports Charts has analyzed the viewership trends of the leagues affected by the LCP, including the VCS, PCS, LJL, and LCO.
The VCS remains the most popular of the circuits feeding into the LCP, setting new peak viewership records in 2024 despite shorter seasons. The PCS also grew, driven by new playoff events featuring LJL and LCO teams. Though this came at the expense of autonomy for the latter two circuits, both of which saw declines in viewership.
While combined viewership across these circuits has remained stable compared to 2023, there are concerns for 2025. Regional fans, especially in the LJL, may lose interest as their leagues are relegated to a lower tier. This decline in interest was already evident in the LJL in 2024, as it recorded some of its lowest viewership figures in years.
no popular community casters
A contributing factor to the LJL’s decline was the absence of popular community casters like fps_shaka, who chose not to co-cast events in 2024. Co-casters are vital to regional esports viewership, and some of the top co-casters in 2024 were from Vietnam. For example, Thầy Giáo Ba on NimoTV reached 92.8K peak viewers, while other Vietnamese esports personalities such as Optimus and Hoàng Luân also attracted large audiences.
International co-casters like British streamer Caedrel also drew attention, especially during the PCS playoffs, where he peaked at 23.1K viewers. In contrast, Japanese co-casters had less impact in 2024, with many opting out of covering the LJL, and this trend may continue as the LJL becomes a tier-two league in 2025.
Despite these challenges, Vietnamese co-casting may remain strong, with loyal fans potentially driving viewership for both the VCS and the LCP. The critical test for the LCP in 2025 will be whether it can maintain or grow viewership as top teams are split between the international LCP and the regional tier-two circuits. Co-casters will play a crucial role in this, particularly if top personalities from Japan and Vietnam engage with the LCP.
When comparing the new pan-regional circuits, the Americas leagues outperformed the LCP circuits in 2024, though this was largely due to the CBLOL. The VCS and PCS are growing, while the LCS and LLA are seeing declines. The key question for 2025 is whether the LCP can unite regional audiences or fragment viewership as fans see their favorite teams dispersed across different competitions.
