Riot Games eyes bigger League of Legends tournament with Liga Republika

MANILA, Philippines – Riot Games Philippines is set to host its biggest Philippine League of Legends tournament yet with the upcoming Liga Republika, which will start next month.

Coming from the success of last year's Empyrean Cup, Liga Repubika welcomes 384 teams all over the Philippines and will also have an in-person grand finals, similar to the Empyrean Cup's grand finals at last year's ESGS.

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

“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.

Liga Republika will have a Kickoff Invitational with the top eight teams from last year's Empyrean Cup battling it out for four slots to Liga Republika's Group Stages. The remaining 12 slots are up for grabs in the Open Qualifiers where 384 teams are expected to compete.

Come August, the Liga Republika's Group Stages will see the country's best League of Legends players hoping to move on to the Playoffs taking place in September, with Liga Republika's grand finale seeing two teams fighting it out for the title of Philippine League of Legends champion and the lion's share of the million peso prize pool.

Liga Republika's Kick Off Tournament will begin next month with all matches streamed via the League of Legends’ official social media accounts.