After years of keeping the classic format, it’s time for Riot to think about innovating to make Worlds more attractive.
The format of Worlds may be changed to a win-lose bracket system instead of a knockout from the 2022 season. This is information that has just been shared by Riot’s Global Director of eSports, John Needham during the media event at Worlds 2021:
“Now, every year we look at our format [and] we always want to deliver the most exciting competition that we have, one that’s great for our fans to view, [and] super exciting for the teams to participate in,” Needham said. “We’re very aware of the LPL format and how well it works in China. It’s something we’ll definitely consider moving forward.”
In fact, the competition format at Worlds has been complained a lot by the community in recent Worlds, and the latest is Worlds 2021. The fact that the teams compete in 2 round-robin with BO1 matches in the group stage. And the knockout stage from Quarterfinals onwards with BO5 matches is considered an outdated format and is not suitable for Esports tournaments.
Meanwhile, the double-elimination format is much more appreciated. In fact, this format has been applied quite successfully in League of Legends tournaments around the world over the years such as LPL, LEC, LCS… This is a good format to help teams have the opportunity to correct their mistakes, once they fail in some matchups, they still have a chance in the losing bracket and create a surprise comeback.
Most typically, this has been shown in the LPL Summer 2021, EDward Gaming after failing in the 4th round of the playoffs to team WE had the opportunity to do it again in the losing bracket. And this team was successful when winning 2 consecutive matches after that, successfully avenging WE and defeating FPX in the grand final to win the championship.
In general, the double-elimination format will bring a new look to Worlds and lead to unique storylines of its own. Therefore, this is really something for Riot to consider changing. With the recent actions, LoL fans around the world can expect a Worlds 2022 with complete renewal.