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G2A slams Riot's League of Legends sponsorship ban

Recently banned League of Legends sponsor G2A has branded Riot's sanctions "unfair" and "aggressive."

Chris Kerr, News Editor

October 9, 2015

1 Min Read
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Earlier this week League of Legends developer Riot Games formally banned key reseller G2A from sponsoring any eSports teams involved in the League World Championships. 

The ban was issued after the retailer violated competition rules by allowing a third-party to advertise and sell boosting services and high-level League accounts through its website.

G2A has now issued a statement, picked up by PCGamesN, accusing Riot of launching an "aggressive attack directed towards the entire global e-sports community," alleging that the developer is on a mission to “dominate and control the industry."

Contrary to Riot's claims, which implied G2A was reluctant to find an amicable solution, G2A has stated that it tried to find “many friendly ways” to resolve the matter, but its attempts were simply met with "more and more demands.”

Riot's developer relations manager, J Eckert, had previously explained that the ban wasn’t a decision the company made lightly, only coming after “many weeks of back and fourth conversations with G2A."

"We do not at all enjoy affecting the income of the teams, but the LCS rules include guidelines specifically against this sort of thing," added Eckert. “We did, however, keep teams in the loop during the process in an attempt to avoid any surprises."

In a closing statement, G2A branded Riot’s decision "unfair for the e-sport community worldwide.”

About the Author

Chris Kerr

News Editor, GameDeveloper.com

Game Developer news editor Chris Kerr is an award-winning journalist and reporter with over a decade of experience in the game industry. His byline has appeared in notable print and digital publications including Edge, Stuff, Wireframe, International Business Times, and PocketGamer.biz. Throughout his career, Chris has covered major industry events including GDC, PAX Australia, Gamescom, Paris Games Week, and Develop Brighton. He has featured on the judging panel at The Develop Star Awards on multiple occasions and appeared on BBC Radio 5 Live to discuss breaking news.

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