Esports

VCT EMEA Stage 1 postponed due to ongoing technical issues

May 20, 2025

The ES TIMES Teams were only able to complete one map, which took over three hours due to the issues affecting nearly every round. In response to this frustrating experience, Riot announced that all ticket holders for the April 25 event will receive a full refund.

A new schedule for the remaining matches has yet to be confirmed. Riot stated that it will share updated plans once they are finalized.

Riot said in an official statement: "We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience this has caused to our fans, both in person and watching online."

Prior to the postponement, Team Liquid had taken a 1-0 series lead against Karmine Corp. It remains unclear whether the match will resume from that point or be replayed in its entirety.

Several professional players have already expressed their concerns about the event's conditions, including Nikita "Derke" Sirmitev, Thomas "kAdavra" Johner, and Tyson "TenZ" Ngo. Fans have also expressed their frustration, especially those who traveled long distances to attend the event.

Fnatic's in-game leader, Jake "Boaster" Howlett, issued a public apology, noting that some fans had traveled from as far away as Japan to watch the matches. One fan shared his story of traveling from Australia to Berlin, only to see the match canceled.

It's clear that Riot Games needs to take the time necessary to properly address these technical issues. These outages, in addition to their impact on the integrity of the competition, seriously impact the experience for players and fans alike.


May 20, 2025
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