Riot Games will host a 48-hour League of Legends charity stream to raise money for COVID-19 relief, the studio announced today. The stream, called the Mid-Season Streamathon, will feature competitive and exhibition matches from all over the world, and it’ll kick off on 29May at 8PM ET.
The broadcast will feature over 48 hours of non-stop scheduled programming from around the world, including a continental battle of teams in Europe, an influencer battle between Yoda and Kami in Brazil, as well as the Mid-Season Showdown featuring Talon Esports and Machi Esports representing the PCS in Southeast Asia, and Team Flash and GAM Esports representing the VCS in Vietnam. The Mid-Season Showdown will have the victors sweeping bragging rights for Spring, and will give fans a glimpse at the formidable strength between the two regions ahead of the 2020 World Championship.
Riot has had to change many of its planned competitions and events this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, including canceling the Mid-Season Invitational, one of the league’s premier international competitions. So the Mid-Season Streamathon could give fans something to look forward even though some other events have been called off. Many other esports competitions have also been affected by the pandemic, including Dota 2’s The International, which has been indefinitely delayed, the fighting game tournament EVO, which will be online-only, and the next Fortnite World Cup, which won’t happen until 2021 at the earliest.
As part of the Mid-Season Streamathon, fans will be able to donate to support a global network of nonprofit organisations that are addressing COVID relief efforts. Fan donations will be distributed by the Riot Games Social Impact Fund to organisations such as the ImpactAssets COVID Response Fund and the GlobalGiving Coronavirus Relief Fund, who will provide aid to medical workers and front-line health care professionals, and support COVID-19 awareness and prevention efforts. Riot Games has donated $4.5 million globally for COVID-19 relief efforts to date, including support to medical workers and front line health care professionals.
