Riot Games announces plans for new esports facility in Berlin

Competitors at League of Legends World Championship 2023 Finals, November in Seoul, South Korea. (Photo by Christina Oh/Riot Games)

Riot Games has announced plans for its new flagship esports venue in the EMEA region.

The venue in Adlershof, Berlin, is formerly known as the LEC Studio and will be rebranded as the Riot Games Arena.

The Riot Games Arena is set to undergo a substantial upgrade, transforming it into a pioneering, flexible, and dedicated esports facility to cater to the current and future Riot Games Esports products in the region, said Riot Games.

The overhaul includes enhancements to the arena and fan experience, alongside improvements in broadcasting and production capabilities.

Through the use of Riot Games’ Dublin-based Remote Broadcast Center Powered by AWS, the facility will switch between Riot Games Esports leagues and their respective brands.

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The venue is poised to host live shows with a full audience for major events such as the League of Legends EMEA Championship (LEC) and VALORANT Champions Tour (VCT) EMEA. Additionally, the Riot Games Arena will have the capability to concurrently host other Riot Games EMEA Esports events remotely, including VALORANT Challengers Ascension, VALORANT EMEA Game Changers, EMEA Masters, and Team Fight Tactics (TFT) events.

Riot Games head of Esports EMEA Alberto Guerrero underlined the company’s commitment to esports in the EMEA region. He said: “We’re all in on esports at Riot Games and in EMEA, so this upgraded, world-leading esports facility will become the beating heart of our esports operations in the region, servicing all our competitions.”

For remote viewers, the venue will feature three dedicated broadcast booths, two co-streaming booths, an LED screen on stage, and state-of-the-art theatrical and broadcast gear to deliver a diverse and high-quality Riot Games EMEA Esports broadcast.

Sarah Joynt Borger, head of media house for Riot Games EMEA, added: “On-site, we want to offer an experience that brings them into our worlds, immersing them more fully into Riot Games’ universes. With a large portion of our fan base watching from home, we also needed to put a lot of emphasis on the quality and diversity of our broadcast and production, to enhance their personal viewing experience.”

The redesigned venue will feature amphitheatre-style fan seating, new cinema seats, and a layout that brings fans closer to the players through the addition of a dedicated player tunnel. An adaptable stage and desk area will enable the arena to change its design and layout based on the Riot Games Esports league on display that day.

More details about the studio will be revealed in 2024.