Introduction: The S16 season competition has officially begun. It is believed that the majority of players have been following the recent matches. The competitions across various major regions are extremely intense. Over the past two years, the overall popularity of League of Legends has not been particularly high, and there has even been a significant decline. To boost traffic, the official has made many adjustments. However, recently, a very concerning piece of news has sparked widespread discussion among players across the internet. According to reports, the U.S. is assessing whether Tencent poses a risk and is likely to restrict Tencent's investments in multiple gaming sectors, including its stake in Riot Games. Similar restrictions have been imposed before, with the overseas version of TikTok serving as a precedent.

Tencent's investment in Riot Games for LPL may face restrictions.

It is believed that most players are quite familiar with Riot Games. As the founding company of League of Legends, its overall development journey has been quite challenging. Initially, League of Legends was just a little-known game with limited popularity in China. During the S1 season, there wasn't even a Chinese team participating. However, through official operations, the game's popularity gradually soared, becoming one of the few top-tier global esports projects. In recent years, League of Legends has been moving closer to traditional sports. In 2018, it was included as a demonstration event at the Jakarta Asian Games, and for the Hangzhou Asian Games, it became an official medal event, with medals counting towards the overall tally.

As many know, Tencent has invested in Riot Games, and recently, their joint esports operating company has been continuously expanding its capital, increasing by nearly 98%. While it was thought that the development of the esports industry wouldn't be heavily impacted, the recent review report has sparked widespread discussion among players online. According to reports, the U.S. is attempting to assess whether Tencent's presence constitutes a security risk, particularly its potential access to the personal data of millions of users. The aim is likely to restrict Tencent's investments in multiple gaming sectors, including its holdings in Epic Games and Riot Games. It is said that internal discussions are very intense, with some advocating for forcing Tencent to divest, similar to what happened with TikTok before.

Once this news broke, it quickly sparked extensive discussion among players in the LPL region. Many netizens joked that if it really happens and Tencent has to operate the League of Legends market in mainland China independently, it might be a win-win for everyone. But honestly, if the revenue from international servers shrinks, skin prices in the Chinese server might experience inflation. Eventually, all kinds of events could see a round of price increases. For example, the currently rising battle pass price might break through the hundred-yuan mark. To be frank, for Riot Games, they certainly wouldn't want Tencent to divest. After all, Tencent has been very decent by investing money without interfering in operations. If official subsidies were to stop, several of the weaker leagues outside probably wouldn't survive.

This matter is still in the discussion stage and is likely to take a long time. Moreover, it's not something fans can influence—it's best to let things take their natural course. Currently, what everyone is paying more attention to should be the global Challengers competition. The LPL's BLG team has already secured a spot for advancement. The remaining spot will likely be contested between AL team and JDG team. Judging solely from recent match form, AL team seems to have the advantage, as JDG's victories in BO5 matches have been quite messy. They often start at a disadvantage early on and only win when their opponents make mistakes allowing comebacks.

Final thoughts

Honestly, if a split really happens, then the LPL region wouldn't need to subsidize other regions anymore. This might allow for more flexible operations within the region itself. However, the official might also appropriately increase skin prices. After all, in the game Honor of Kings, skin prices have already skyrocketed, and it's possible we might even see skins priced at 648. These are all matters for the future—it depends on how decisions are made.

What are your thoughts on this matter, everyone?