Riot Games to stage Liga Republika with P1 million prize pool

Riot Games is breaking ground in its bid to further promote League of Legends in the Philippines as it is set to launch Liga Republika 2024 next month with a bigger prize pool and more inclusive format.

The esports developer and publisher said that Liga Republika 2024 aims to welcome 384 teams across Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao, surpassing the previous 256-team field in last year's Empyrean Cup.

Aside from the expanded field, Riot Games will also feature a million-peso prize pool in the said tournament, which will see teams compete in a hybrid format of online and offline stages.

“Liga Republika reinforces our commitment to the Philippine esports and gaming community," said Joel Guzman, country manager of Riot Games Philippines.

"Fueled by the success of last year’s Empyrean Cup in reigniting the League of Legends community in the country, rebranding the league to Liga Republika reinforces and sustains the momentum we gained, and elevate the esports scene in the Philippines through a healthier and more competitive league."

Liga Republika will officially kick off in May with the Kickoff Invitational that will feature the top eight teams from the Empyrean Cup with the top four teams earning a berth for the group stage.

Registration will then formally open in June to be followed by the open qualifiers, which will run from July to August with more than 300 teams slugging it out for the 12 group slots.

The four squads from the invitational and the 12 teams from qualifiers will advance to the group stage slated in August while the playoffs is penciled for September.

“We are committed to create a league that fosters a sense of pride, identity, and belonging for our players. And by evolving last year’s Empyrean Cup to Liga Republika, our hope is to give our players a league that they can proudly call tatak Pinoy,” added Kimi Salazar, Multiplayer Online Battle Arena (MOBA) brand manager of Riot Games Philippines.

—JMB, GMA Integrated News