That's not the issue.
- Numerous players of the game do not care about esport scene for lol at all.
- Esports is currently not self-sustaining even including ticket sales and merch.
- That sustain is coming from players - many of whom don't care about esports.
- The game is being balanced for something these players aren't interested in and being NEGATIVELY impacted for their experience.
- Yes eventually hopefully esport scene will self-sustain especially in light of recent adjustments. But by that point... Riot and/or Tencent may have moved on to other things leaving the game as something only played professionally or not at all.
You don't go to a restaraunt, pay and even tip well and expect to be treated like crap or indifferently while another person goes to the same place at the same time, gets everything for free and is waited on hand-n-foot and their car washed, waxed, and detailed for free while they eat. And if you did go to such a place... that place shouldn't expect to stay in business for long. Customer service matters. Treat paying customers like crap for too long and they go to your competitors.
So no... it's not exactly like Coke and Pepsi. Because both of those profit off what they are selling and focus on serving the customer (not a store they sell to or their delivery driver above all others).
Moreover... it doesn't matter if Tencent is doing well if Riot is not. If they aren't profitable, it's pretty easy and common for a business to close a branch that loses them money. And sure the losses are to be expected with all that they've invested into esports just recently and they changes they made. They're investing in the future of the pro scene. But if you don't have a player base... there's no pro scene to be had even if you have the infrastructure and pro players. I mean... imagine a world where nobody wanted to or could afford to play soccer growing up. Now how are you supposed to have professional soccer teams? Ta da. And that is the issue with overlooking and mistreating long term customers who actually keep Riot afloat in favor of the few who get all the profit from the game. You lose your players... and eventually your fans and future pros. And then you have nothing.
The fix isn't easy, but it starts with a good guiding framework which experts and veterans at Riot can then use to guide their decision-making. Stuff like I've posted about how to balance champions properly for instance. (net power curves, skewed power curves; mobility, durability, and damage triumvirate)
(most fundamentally broken ADC in the game).
RIP.
