The LCS Players Association has announced an overwhelming vote in favor of a walkout in response to the recent announcement by a number of teams that they will no longer operate NACL.

The LCS Players Association stated, “This is not a decision LCS players have come to lightly. Countless discussions and debates were had between all LCS players in the week leading to this historic vote. One thing is clear from those conversations - our players want to play and compete above all else. Joining hands to put competition aside is a testament to the significance and urgency of the issues at hand.”

“We stand at this impasse because actions were taken by Riot without prior communication or discussion with the LCS players. The LCSPA sincerely hopes Riot will avert this walk out by joining us in the coming days to have open and transparent discussions so that we can forge collaborative solutions to ensure the best futures for the LCS and the NACL.”

Riot paid teams $3 million to run the LCS and NACL, but only FlyQuest, Team Liquid, and Evil Geniuses have announced that they will continue to run the NACL, while Cloud9, Dignitas, 100 Thieves, Golden Guardians, Immortals, and TSM have already released all of their players. The Summer Season will continue with the three teams that have declared their intentions to stay in the division and seven additional independent teams, but there are doubts.

The LCS Players Association has proposed that the LCS and NACL reinstate a relegation playoff system similar to Valorant's, provide $300,000 in annual salary support for NACL teams, and guarantee the LCS Summer winner minimum contracts for the next year.

Recently, one of NA’s leading gaming organization, TSM, announced its departure from the LCS. The LCS viewers declined drastically — from 370K at the 2022 LCS summer finals to 270K at the 2023 LCS spring finals.