As I am seeing some social media discussions about the everlasting topic of Bo1s vs Bo2s vs Bo3s I wanted to share my thoughts and some insight. Thread below:
Fun fact: This topic is even older than my time at Riot and in my application process ~4 years ago I literally prepared a presentation for all the upsides and downsides of Bo1/2/3s.
To start off the conversation, firstly, I am not fundamentally opposed to Bo2s/Bo3s. The #LEC is an entertainment product and if our viewers wanted Bo2s/Bo3s we would highly consider them (one of the primary reason we implemented them in the past).
Secondarily, I am seeing a lot of arguments framing one system as “better” than the others. That’s never correct - not even for Bo1s. Formats are always trade-offs and what is “best” depends on the context and your priorities & preferences.
A lot of arguments tend to focus on one aspect and frame why the “better” format is superior. But looking at these things in isolation does not make a lot of sense as there are various parties in our ecosystem with varying needs and preferences.
To name a few: Viewers, Players, Teams, Show Staff, Sponsors and Riot as a company. The impact on all these groups will always vary and one needs to weigh the influence on all of them for any format change.
Are Bo3s better to accurately determine the best team? Of course. But they also demand a huge time commitment from the viewer, are a scheduling nightmare and reduce the chance of upsets making the League more predictable.
That being said formats (both for Regular Season and Playoffs) are something we are constantly evaluating and we are regularly surveying our viewers and talking to our teams regarding potential alterations and how those would be perceived.
At this point a change to Bo2s/Bo3s for the #LEC Is highly unlikely as the general perception around our format is very positive and we are currently literally doubling our viewership KPIs after coming off of a very strong inaugural season which I am incredibly grateful for.
That does of course not prove that we could not have done just as well with Bo2s or Bo3s, but should give some insight into why I am confident in our format and the decision making process that got us here.
Last but not least, I honestly appreciate all the conversations and the passion around them. Let’s all stay constructive in those conversations though and try to understand where the other side is coming from - which I hope the context above helps with.
