LoL Mid-Season update: Esports Changes, New Game Mode & Arcane S2

Discover the latest updates on League of Legends esports, new game modes, champion changes, and Arcane season 2 in this mid-season review.

League of Legends developers Andrei “Meddler” and Pu “Pupulasers” recently provided a mid-season update on the game’s current state and future plans. The update covered a range of topics including esports, a new game mode, and the highly-anticipated second season of Arcane.

LoL Esports Updates and Changes

John Needham, President of Esports at Riot Games, and Chris Greeley, Head of Strategy for LoL Esports, discussed the success of the recent Mid-Season Invitational (MSI) tournament.

Looking ahead to 2025, Riot plans to introduce significant changes to the esports ecosystem. These include:

• Combining several regions (Southeast Asia, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Macao, Japan, Vietnam, and Oceania) into a single multi-region league called APAC
• Merging the LCS, CBLOL, and LLA into an Americas league with North and South conferences
• Adding a third international event to the calendar, featuring the top team from each of the five remaining regional leagues (APAC, Americas, LEC, LCK, and LPL)
• Implementing a unified split structure across all leagues

The goal of these changes is to improve the sustainability and competitiveness of the esports scene. Fewer teams in the ecosystem will mean a larger share of revenues for each organization, while the consolidation of regions should lead to higher-quality matches and exciting new rivalries.

New Game Mode: Swarm

Riot also teased an upcoming PvE game mode called Swarm, set to launch in mid-July as part of the summer event. Swarm can be played solo or in co-op.

There wasn’t a trailer or any other information provided regarding this new game mode but we can expect some updates soon.

Champion Updates and Mastery System Changes

• Malphite is receiving an experimental visual update, leveraging assets from Wild Rift to efficiently improve his visuals in League of Legends
• The recently launched Champion Mastery System update has seen mixed feedback, with players appreciating uncapped mastery and champion titles but criticizing the new visual design (which will be revised)
• Riot is exploring ways to allow Champion Mastery progression in more game modes

Arcane Season 2 and Beyond

Finally, Christian Linke, one of the creators of Arcane, shared some insights into the future of the animated series. Arcane’s story will conclude with the upcoming second season, but Riot has plans to explore other champions and stories within the world of Runeterra through additional television and film projects.