With Worlds set to occur in China, fans theorized that the tournament would move to Europe or Korea. But since the event is now online, Riot likely found a way to circumvent the new Chinese government guidelines.

For many, brought about unprecedented hardship. The pandemic and economic downturn ravages the livelihood of people across the world.

Worlds is a constant event. Esports fans look forward to the competition all year. At the same time, Riot has been looking at ways to cut costs.

The company held MSI, a midseason invitational between some of the world's best teams, inside its European studio in Berlin, which holds roughly people, rather than a bigger and more exciting independent venue.

It also compressed the group stage of this year's world championship into eight days, rather than the usual two weeks, and had its English commentators shoutcast remotely in Los Angeles for most of the tournament.

These decisions have upset some fans who fear the game is in decline. Riot later explained that its budget for esports hadn't changed.

The company was, however, experimenting with ways to cut costs throughout the season. Booking venues early is an obvious way to save money.

The indoor venue holds 20, people and has been used for a wide variety of music, sports and theatrical events.

The Incheon Munhak Stadium, however, can host up to 50, spectators. That's a huge drop, although the audience for League of Legends is larger in South Korea.

It's better to sell out a smaller venue with a louder, more exciting atmosphere than part-fill one that's three times larger. That's one reason Riot chose the Staples Center in Los Angeles, with a capacity of 21,, for the finals in It's good, too, that Riot is continuously moving the tournament.

South Korea might have the biggest player and fan base, but the esport is global and Riot should be commended for trying to nurture every region.

Not surprisingly, there are concerns that some of the and tournaments will be held in the EU and NA LCS studios, respectively.

It would make sense for the play-in stages, given that the venues are cheap to use -- Riot owns them, after all -- and the matches are less important.

If the studios were used for the group or knockout stages, however, they would lack the seats and atmosphere that many viewers want and expect.

The solution, many feel, is to increase revenue. If League of Legends can generate more money through advertising, sponsorship, merchandise or broadcast rights, Riot would have the cash necessary to hire the most extravagant venues for every stage of the world championship.

While information on stage-by-stage host cities and other details are forthcoming, the World Championship Finals will take place in the City of Lights: Paris, France at the AccorHotels Arena.

Look for more news from our European league regarding long-term partnerships and more in early November. During the World Championship in China, we reached new viewership milestones rivaling those of major traditional sporting events.

We hope to follow that success at Worlds , which will be a banner year for League of Legends esports as we bring our 10th World Championship to one of our largest and most passionate fan bases.