League of Legends: NA LCS Is Switching Back to a Double Bo1 Format

Riot Games has announced that League of Legends’ NA LCS will be moving back to a double [...]

By Tanner Dedmon

League of Legends NA LCS

Riot Games has announced that League of Legends' NA LCS will be moving back to a double best-of-1 series starting in 2018.

According to a recent update from Riot, the move back to the previous Bo1 format instead of the current Bo3 is a change that'll improve the experience for viewers by making the games more accessible and easier to watch. Instead of watching two, maybe three games if the series ends up being neck-and-neck, League viewers will simply watch one game between two teams.

Back in 2016, the NA LCS switched to a Bo3 format to create a better experience for both the players and the fans. The pros playing each game would get more experience playing against their competitors on the big stages, and those watching the professional League clashes would have more games to watch. Viewers would be able to see players and teams adapt to their opponents' strategies during each game depending on how long the series lasted, and the pros would learn more about their opponents and become better prepared for tournaments. However, the desired effect of the Bo3 changes wasn't being achieved, according to data and feedback from the community and professional teams.

The length of a potential three-game series was one of the main factors that influenced the move back to Bo1. After studying how players watched the Bo3 games, it was found that viewers weren't getting the full series experience whether it was because they jumped into game two or three whenever they could or they weren't able to devote time into watching an entire series. Fans who gave feedback about the Bo3 format even citing the way that the NA LCS is currently structured for viewers as a prime factor that caused them to not watch games as much as they used to.

But if you preferred the Bo3 format over the returning Bo1, there's still a chance that it could come back one day. If other factors change and the need for a Bo3 once more comes around, Riot says they remain open to the idea. But for now, the NA LCS will switch back to a single-stream, Bo1 format starting with the 2018 Spring Split on Jan. 20.

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