I Was Hoping Franchising Would Bring Change

IncrediPhiLL·Mar 18, 2018·2 votes·517 views

Setting up an entirely new ownership format with franchising made me think that League would finally get out of its predictable and unexciting nature. The possibility of so many other big names would make it hard for Reginald to run the league like he has been doing for 3 years. With professional basketball teams dipping in to the mix, I didn’t think Reginald would be able to sway results in favor of TSM until they are inevitably destroyed on a World’s stage where Reginald has no sway.

The beginning of the league looked promising, with fresh results and exciting play, but it seemed like vewieship numbers reared their ugly head and RIOT had to answer the same question they’ve been answering for 3 years. “How are we gonna keep viewership numbers up when NA’s baby is losing so much?” In comes Reginald doing Regi things and look what we have... TSM back at the top of standings just in time for the playoffs. Who else is at the top? That super popular Korean player that everyone loves. I feel like a fool for expecting different. It’s only happened EVERY season Huni has been in NA.

Looks like we’re in for another couple of splits where TSM looks soooo good and unstoppable and then proving that it was all a scam when they play internationally. Once again, C9 will take backseat to the league, run the gauntlet and then prove that they are (and always have been) the best team in NA. I don’t support what RIOT is doing. It’s wrong and it’s wrong for the teams in the league to play along to Reginald’s game. NALCS won’t get any bigger or better as long as RIOT delivers the same results every single split. Last I checked, NALCS was getting outviewed by Fortnite O.o First time I’ve ever seen that happen.

I post something like this once a split to remind everyone how this works. No one wants to believe it. Everyone wants to call it a conspiracy theory and compare it to moon landings. Never changes the result. I’m always right because... we’ll... it’s happened 3 years in a row XD

12 Comments

GeminiRuneMar 18, 20184 votes

What was franchising supposed to do in your eyes? From what it looks like you expected it to be the downfall of TSM entirely. And for the most part, it was. They weren't the hottest talk of the spring split and god damn should we respect that they got their act together enough to even squeeze into the playoff picture.

But no, now that it's not the downfall of TSM you're just jumping right back on the defeatist mentality that fans will jump on the moment things don't change to their satisfaction. Franchising improved the competition. It made the scene produce a better parity between teams to ultimately wind up on the last day mattering more than it ever should. If franchising was supposed to be about viewer numbers and reputation as you seem to put it in your depressing rant of a post, then you are missing out on points that are more relevant than what you are trying to shove down people's throats.

ChompyWulfMar 23, 20181 votes

Franchising doesn't improve the competition when you eliminate a team who represented the region at Worlds, go back to best of 1 format, and have your game balance is in a very lopsided snowball state. Then again, franchising was not meant to improve competition.

What franchising was meant to improve was stability for teams. Relegation allegedly was a very stressful threat that some claimed would make improving nearly impossible in a split. Also, franchising is supposed to help with profit sharing so teams aren't flying on the edge of bankruptcy while Rito pockets 95% of the profits, but unless teams and the company start openly sharing financial details, we won't know how successful that is.

What we do know is Riot has clearly made some bad decisions and viewership has plummeted as a result while other games are taking off.

Anyone still going to say Rito didn't cut IMT for spite when we're seeing OWL leaping past NALCS in viewing?

GeminiRuneMar 23, 20181 votes

First of all, and I mean as much harshness as I can: Immortals are gone. Live with it. As for the rest:

have your game balance is in a very lopsided snowball state

That was not the case for two patches anywhere that wasn't the LPL or LMS among major regions. And even still, snowballing is still not the most critical it could have been in other metas.

What franchising was meant to improve was stability for teams. Relegation allegedly was a very stressful threat that some claimed would make improving nearly impossible in a split. Also, franchising is supposed to help with profit sharing so teams aren't flying on the edge of bankruptcy while Rito pockets 95% of the profits, but unless teams and the company start openly sharing financial details, we won't know how successful that is.

In reality, franchising did help improve stability in teams. Take the LPL and NA LCS as the two present sources of franchising. Player and team structure aren't anxious about making the changes they feel are needed in order to improve and talent has at least shown some promise even among the worst teams of the respective regions. As for profit sharing, why should that need to be known?

What we do know is Riot has clearly made some bad decisions and viewership has plummeted as a result while other games are taking off.

To each competitive game its own interest, fanbase, and viewership. For any esport, viewership builds at the higher points of a year. Success isn't always in the numbers, especially in the regular season. The only other weekly competition that's netting a hefty amount of viewers is the OWL and Dragonball FighterZ for its early weeks in the FGC. So where are these "other games" you talk about that are taking the esports viewership market?

ChompyWulfMar 23, 20181 votes

I am living with it, and I'm making Rito and it's sycophants live with the fallout too. I will continue to bring up a gross example of unprofessional grudges and poor practices. I do not view NALCS in any way. I have been watching the Valiant in OWL. Your words on the matter are petty and hollow.

Specifying two patches excluding two of five major regions is being very selective in defense of game imbalance.

Profit sharing is the most important aspect of franchising. If it's not being done right and teams STILL struggle financially and operate in the red while Rito profits, that would be no better than before. And three teams finishing with a record at 33% or less showed promise? Right...

OWL is dethroning NALCS. Apparently someone saw a source where even Fortnite is getting better viewership. You need more than that?

GeminiRuneMar 24, 20181 votes

So your bias is supposed to be more convincing than what I'm more knowledgeable of in regards to esports as a whole?

Apparently someone saw a source where even Fortnite is getting better viewership. You need more than that?

THIS is irrelevant as all hell! Why are you even comparing a hot market game with no globally recognizable esport to a long-time esport with a lot of market ground and reputation? Why not just compare Fortnite to DOTA, PUBG, CSGO, Hearthstone, etc. Each game had a hot streak of their own but you're stuck on the present. You can't compare; you're not and I know you won't with actual meaning.

You only tell the negative of one market and literally nothing fruitful of the other....every single time! It's "Rito vs everything" and "OWL vs nothing" to you. It's merely just the fact that you were and are some salty hate bent Immortals fan who was bitter and upset that his team didn't get to prosper in both esports unlike Cloud 9. And you have probably never equated that factor on these boards as far as I've known and responded to you.

And I proved your statements about the game health wrong. But what would you know if you intentionally choose to not watch what you don't want to for the shallow reasons you seem to be? My words may be hollow to you, but your opinion outright sucks and has no weight on anything you can even bring as ammo against my knowledge. Take it from someone who will watch the OWL, as much League, FGC and CSGO as I can, and DOTA TI (cause damn I can't keep up from this game) for any team and any player. I know my esports. And I know you don't care about that.

ChompyWulfMar 24, 20181 votes

You're calling me salty while rambling with questionable coherence and anger.

First, you quit several of your attempted arguments already though this topic, a sign of weakness before the total meltdown came. Second, if you need to parse and specify patches and regions to defend imbalance, you already lost. Third, you make the false assumption that by me not watching NA LCS I haven't watched any pro LoL. I've been lightly viewing the LCK and seeing highlights from LPL. Finally, you opinion and claims of knowledge amount to nothing when you are utterly incapable of backing your arguments and devolve to insulting and attacking me.

GeminiRuneMar 24, 20181 votes

I'm not the one who's still on something that has been well settled. But you know, I don't need to really continue this back n forth if you're only going to undermine and ignore anyone who's trying to tell you to say face. You're going to continue to whine and complain over the one mere matter until you give up on it. Even still, you're the one who jumped on my comment which is valuable fact. You could have just held your tongue but you didn't. I don't know what you do nor do I care what you do. But from what it looks like, your views are still shrouded by Immortals departure from the scene. I can't reason with that and I don't want to reason with that anymore.

ChompyWulfMar 24, 20181 votes

If you go back and pay attention, I jumped on your post because you have some very inaccurate assumptions of what the goal of franchising was.

Franchising was about stability for teams and player, not competition. That aside, Rito clearly has shown they don't want to improve the competition, just their viewer numbers, and that even failed. You can't argue any of that to be false, so you keep getting mad and smoke screening.

GeminiRuneMar 24, 20181 votes

I don't know nor do I act like I know what Riot's goal of franchising was. You can't assume you know everything either.

I just know from my opinion the competition looked more intense than it could have been without it. Take that as you want. I don't care anymore.

ZhuganMar 21, 20181 votes

I am by no means a TSM fan, but they went 7-2 in the back half (9-2 when you include tiebreaks) and earned their third place spot. I don't think they'll win it, but what? Regi is bribing teams to lose so that TSM wins? What's your logic here?

Conversely, EF crapped the bed in the back half of the split (3-6 I believe) and only got the bye because they went 8-1 in the front half of the split. If the split had continued on for another round robin, honestly, I don't know that EF would have gotten a bye and they might not have even made playoffs.

RaiyzaMar 25, 20181 votes

Its always the same with C9 fans.

If C9 reslly was the best, they would have more titles than Tsm. I'm sorry man, but C9 is not the best. Jensen tilts to hell and back, and Sneaky is hardly a playmaker. They lost Impact and Sven is the same old Sven.

Edit: Franchising has nothing to do with who wins and who loses. It is purely a contractual feature. That is it.