League of Legends: Wild Rift will slightly limit its reach, because starting 2023,  the official Wild Rift esports scene will be fully implemented in the Asian region only. The previous unofficial leaks were finally confirmed by Riot Games on Monday (21/11/22).

Riot believes that the Asian region is the current best market to look at, considering how big its crowd is. Therefore, Riot feels that this radical maneuver is appropriate. However, Riot is also well aware that the Asian market has many monster competitors, such as Mobile Legends: Bang Bang which is famous for dominating the SEA segment. 

To face this challenge, Riot has devised a strategy that could bring more tensions and excitement to its esports league. One of them is to hold regional competitions more regularly to Asian fans.

“The new Wild Rift league in Asia will be the first Riot cross-regional professional mobile esports league and will replace the original Wild Rift Esports (WRE) in April of 2023. This new league ecosystem will consist of twelve teams from China’s WRL and eight teams from the other 2022 Asian regions. The season will be structured as two splits each year and will focus on showcasing the best talent from the most competitive regions in our sport," wrote Riot.

So, what about the Wild Rift esports scene outside Asia? Riot said that they will no longer directly operate Wild Rift esports leagues, but instead unlock the opportunity for third parties to hold events. They would love to prioritize the upcoming Wild Rift Asia League.

Riot believes these changes will give communities the time and foundation to grow organically and establish what role high-level competition will play in their ecosystem. What do you think about their new direction?

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