Dylan will take over as CEO of Riot Games from Nicolo Laurent, who has served in the position for the past 14 years, including six as CEO.

Dylan began working for Riot in 2011 as the Chief Financial Officer before being promoted to Chief Operating Officer in 2014. Dylan was designated President of Riot after the company’s founders switched to co-chair positions in 2017. Dylan has been a significant figure in developing Riot’s strategy and advancing company’s culture.

The CEO transition from Nicolo to Dylan will take place over the coming months and should be completed by the end of 2023, after which Nicolo will stay with Riot in an advisory role. We’ll announce additional details about the leadership handoff once it’s complete, Riot Games said.

Both Nicolo and Dylan have messages for Rioters.

Nicolo’s message:

Hey Rioters,

After nearly 14 years with Riot, and almost 6 as CEO, I’m going to complete something that’s been on my quest log for some time: Later this year, I’m planning to step away from the CEO role to focus on my family. 

We just shared this news during RiotNow, and you can check out the VOD on Riotnet (video should be up an hour from now). But in the meantime, we wanted to make sure anyone who missed the stream doesn’t miss the news. So, I’ve summarized some of the next steps for Riot, including who will be taking the reins as the next incoming CEO.

I can imagine this news may feel sudden, but transparently, it’s a decision that’s been on my mind for a while. I’ve been fortunate enough to have a long and amazing journey with Riot. I joined the company when we were a 40-person startup in 2009, with the goal of bringing League of Legends to players around the world. And that journey has brought me here, serving all of you, as Riot’s CEO. It’s a story I’m very proud of, but if I’m being completely honest, it’s also been tough. Not the grind, the hours, the stress…I’ve grown a tank build, so I can handle that part. It’s really the personal trade-offs that have been hard and the sacrifices my wife and kids have made for my career, including all our expatriations. We’ve always been ok with this as a family, as long as we rebalance at some point. Now is that time. Especially since we miss France so much, and want to move back.

While this chapter is coming to a close, I don’t view this as an end — I don’t plan on joining another company or starting a new company. I love Riot, and I genuinely believe this is the best place in the world to make games… now more than ever. So I’ll stay at Riot as an advisor, for years to come, doing everything I can to help you win. But, I’m ready to hand the reins to someone new. To let someone who has been absolutely vital to Riot’s story, take the pen, and shape the chapters ahead. 

So, it’s my pleasure to share that Riot’s next CEO will be Dylan Jadeja.

There’s a lot of context on how we approached succession planning and why we eventually landed on Dylan as Riot’s future CEO. Marc and Brandon covered it all in the RiotNow, so I won’t recap all the details here. But, I do want to acknowledge the process. Riot has reached a scale where we knew we needed to undertake a more extensive assessment of our needs and of candidates. For the first time in Riot’s history, we looked both inside and outside the company to find the very best person for this role and for Riot’s next chapter. The succession planning process lasted about three years, and we met with a lot of incredible candidates. When it came time to compare notes, everyone – the Board, our advisors, the founders, our executive search firm, and myself – all had Dylan at the very top of their list. It was unanimous.

Now, I’ve had the privilege of working with Dylan for years, and I’ve learned so much from him. He’s a natural leader who will do everything in his power to unlock our creative talent to do their best work. He’s bold in his thinking and has always believed in the counterintuitive moves that have helped us raise the bar of what’s possible for players. 

One of his biggest strengths? Empathy. The best leaders for the future will be the ones who can lead at scale, with empathy, and Dylan is one of them. He’s genuine and humble in his leadership, but also unafraid to ask the tough questions to get to the best answer. 

But most importantly, Dylan has a strong passion for Riot’s culture and DNA. He appreciates what makes Riot special — great Rioters and great teams, who love players, and love games — and will make sure we keep evolving to always be the best version of Riot we can be. 

There are so many reasons why I fundamentally believe he’ll be the perfect leader to steward Riot over the next several years — too many for an email that I actually want Rioters to read. Just know, I can’t think of a better person to be the next CEO. 

We all know changes like this can create a lot of ambiguity, but I want to be clear in saying that Dylan and I both want this transition to be as smooth as it can be for Rioters. The actual handoff isn’t happening overnight. We are planning to fully transition by the end of the year and will share more updates in the coming weeks.

Please join me in congratulating Dylan, and I’ll see you next week at the Campfire.

-nicolo

Dylan’s message:

Thanks, Nicolo! 

And hello Rioters! 

We talk a lot about staying hungry and humble, and on a day like today, I must admit that “humble” does not sufficiently capture how fortunate I feel. I think we have all had the experience of being astounded by the talent surrounding us at Riot, but to be asked to lead this incredible group of people is a special honor and not something that I take lightly. I will do my best to make you proud. 

I’ve been here for more than 12 years, and in many ways, Riot is my home; a home I’m deeply invested in, fiercely protective of, and grateful for every single day. I feel fortunate every day to work with some of the smartest and most passionate people I’ve ever worked with — people who have taught me not only what it means to be a player, but to sincerely care for a mission that’s bigger than any of us. This passion and deep care for players is not something that I will ever take for granted. 

I’m also really proud of how far we’ve come over the years. It certainly hasn’t been an easy road — or a perfect one by any means — but collectively, we’ve accomplished so much for players. Through it all, I’ve been inspired by how we’re never afraid to take the road less traveled to stay true to each other and our mission. Every Rioter, at every level, carries a large sense of responsibility and ownership over our destiny. This is our super power. 

Today, as we start our next chapter, I’m more excited than I’ve ever been about our future. I truly believe that our success will depend on our ability to empower our creative heart while staying resolute on our mission for players, no matter how difficult the environment or the situation. As we face new challenges and opportunities, if we can stay true to this, I would bet on us to not only succeed, but to set a new bar for what’s possible for players. 

As we look to the transition, it would be disingenuous for me to suggest that I have all the answers and an action plan already defined. In fact, I’d argue that this would be inauthentic to who I am and how I work. Over the next few months, my intention is to use this transition window to listen and (re)learn. I want to engage with parts of Riot that I haven’t in some time, particularly on the product side. We’ve made a lot of changes in the past few years, and with your help, I’d like to take stock of where we are and get a deeper understanding of what’s working and what we can do better. During this period, I’m going to ask for your patience, your willingness to share perspectives, and an openness to new ideas. 

As CEO, it is fair to assume that I may do some things differently than those before me, but I want to assure you that the goal for us — together — will not waver. And that is to make Riot, unequivocally, the most trusted and authentic game company in the world… built by players, for players. The kind of place where people know that everything they play and experience from Riot will be amazing and that everything we do is focused on making it better to be a player.

With gratitude,

Dylan

The post Riot Games Have Announced Their Next CEO! appeared first on Esportimes.

The finals of the tournament will be played on November 20. The matches will be hosted by the Suntec Singapore Convention and Exhibition Centre. Wild Rift launched various competitions in multiple regions, including Southeast Asia, Europe, and Latin America.

A total of 10 teams will compete in the Wild Rift Horizon Cup and the teams will be determined as a result of regional competitions. By now, KT Rolster from Korea and Da Kun Gaming from China have qualified to participate in the event. Europe’s Wild Rift Origin Series is expected to end this month and the Origin Series Championship is scheduled to take place offline in Stockholm, Sweden.

Riot Communications Specialist Joanne Kang said in an official announcement:

Wild Rift was introduced across regions earlier this year, and the demand we’ve seen for esports has been incredible. We’ve been planning an international esports debut all year and we’re ready to show you what top tier pro play looks like in Wild Rift. Regional competitions have already begun around the world, and the year will finish off with a multi-region event.

Specific details such as the event’s prize pool, streaming schedule and format have yet to be announced.

The post Wild Rift Horizon Cup Goes To Singapur! appeared first on Esportimes.

At the first stage, there will be one representative from each of the participating universities. The winners of the grand tournament, which will take place between the representative teams, will earn huge prize.

League of Legends – Fun

Tournament format: 5v5 ARAM

Dates: July 26 – July 30

Prizes: 

• 1st Team: 5 x 300 TL Gift Card
• 2nd Team: 5 x 200 TL Gift Card
• 3rd Team: 5 x 100 TL Gift Card

VALORANT – Fun

Tournament format: Deathmatch

Dates: 9 August – 13 August

Prizes: 

• 1st Team: 5 x 300 TL Gift Card
• 2nd Team: 5 x 200 TL Gift Card
• 3rd Team: 5 x 100 TL Gift Card

League of Legends: Wild Rift

Tournament format: 1v1

Dates: 16 August – 20 August

Prizes: 

• 1st: 300 TL Gift Card
• 2nd: 200 TL Gift Card
• 3rd: 100 TL Gift Card

Legends of Runeterra – Entertainment

Tournament format: Lab

Dates: August 2 – August 6

Prizes: 

• 1st: 300 TL Gift Card
• 2nd: 200 TL Gift Card
• 3rd: 100 TL Gift Card

The post Campus Tournaments Makes a Return For 2021! appeared first on Esportimes.

Faik Necef:

Could you tell me a little about yourself?

Adnan Şengül:

I have been playing basketball since I was 10 years old, and I started assistant coaching at the age of 16. I’ve been coaching ever since. After graduating from high school, I completed my bachelor’s degree at Marmara University Faculty of Sport Sciences. I started doing research in the field of esports by combining the game knowledge I had with my coaching experiences I got during my university years. During this time, I had amateur playing and coaching experiences in League (of Legends), but this level was high enough to rise to a professional level. Later, as in basketball, I focused on coaching work on the esports side as well.

In the summer season of 2019, I started to work as a performance coach in Beşiktaş Esports team. This was my first experience. The next season we did not continue with Beşiktaş Espor and I continued as a basketball coach, meanwhile, I also graduated from university. Later, I started my master’s degree in movement and training sciences, which I am currently studying. At the end of 2020, I decided to return to esports. I talked to some teams for the 2021 season. I met with Emre Aksoy from Fenerbahçe Esports, I liked his perspective and vision very much and I started to work at Fenerbahçe.

F.N: What is your role at Fenerbahçe esports?

A.Ş: I try to contribute to the Fenerbahçe LoL team with my experience from coaching and traditional sports training. I try to strengthen the team dynamics and communications. At the same time, I am doing some work that I think will improve the player performances outside of the game. I try to increase the in-game performance of the players by regulating their physical activities, sleep and nutrition while also improving their lifestyle outside of the game.

F.N: What are the differences between coaching in traditional sports vs in esports?

A.Ş: There is an established relationship between coach and player in traditional sports. In esports, you are like a friend and a coach at the same time. Both age and the fact that esports is a developing area are big factors here. Of course, there is a coaching concept, but it has very different dynamics than traditional sports. There is a more flexible structure. Performance coaching, on the other hand, is a newly formed role even abroad. We are trying to solidify this at Fenerbahçe.

F.N: How do you work to improve the performance of the players?

A.Ş: The first step is always to protect their health and performance. The players get tired and might have difficulties in doing their work. We are trying to prevent such difficulties from degrading their performance. After completing the first step, we focus on improving their performance. In this regard, we do some training from traditional esports and some cognitive training. We are working a little more experimentally in this area because there is no extensive work done in the field of performance in esports.

F.N: Do you work with players individually? How do roster changes affect this dynamic?

A.Ş: There are activities that we do individually and as a team. New players meet the performance coach for the first time. So, that’s why when a new player joins the squad, we try to explain the important points regarding my role in a short amount of time. We don’t have a hard time integrating a new player into our training structure.

F.N: Almost all of the players on the team are playing with each other for the first time this year. Does it pose a problem in terms of communication within the team?

A.Ş: As in all team sports, communication is very important in esports too. Generally, many teams make roster changes at the beginning of each season. The teams that adapt more to this can go further. We try to make this happen as much as possible. Although they are playing with each other for the first time in a squad, most of our players have played together in past in certain capacities. We also strive to keep the communication within the team at a high level. We work with very intelligent and adaptable players. So, we had no problems.

F.N: What advice would you give to those who are studying at the department you graduated from and are thinking of working as a performance coach?

A.Ş: In sports sciences, we always receive training in traditional sports. If there are those who want to do something in the field of esports, they must know the esports field well and do extra special studies. Esports has many different dynamics. Trainer candidates from traditional sports and people who want to become a coach should not expect a traditional coaching experience. In esports, your relationship with players and training is a lot different. You need to use different training techniques and be patient. My biggest recommendation is that they never plan to just work in esports.

Only after working in the field of esports for a few years, I was able to turn my role into a full career. They should continue to coach at whatever their main branch is. At this point, esports should be a side hobby for them. They can focus on that when they think they have enough experience, are ready and have an opportunity to turn it into a full-time career. Always have a plan B… and a plan C.

F.N: In a perfect world, would it make more sense for the esports Coaching department to be a branch or to be taught as a course within other branches?

A.Ş: It doesn’t have to be a perfect world. It will happen very soon. I think the benefits of video games should be shared and taught at primary, high school and especially at the university levels. Games and esports have always been viewed as negative at first glance, both because of our culture and our prejudices (in Turkey). However, if we can promote esports correctly, the situation will change. In the near future, esports branches will be opened in sports science faculties. In high schools, it must be included in the curriculum as a selective course.

F.N: What do you think about esports scene in Turkey?

A.Ş: Esports is a newly developing field. If we can build on this development on the right system, I think Turkey will be an important country in regards to esports, especially at competitive FPS games. Of course, we have a long way to go. Recently, with the works of both the federation (TESFED) and some of our university teachers, the development of esports in Turkey is gaining momentum.

As esports begin to be seen as a proper sport, huge opportunities will be created just like in traditional sports. People from many different fields will work in different roles in the esports field. We are at the beginning of this road, but this will happen in the next 5-10 years.

F.N: Finally, can we learn about your favorite character in League of Legends?

A.Ş: Gangplank, because the character changes a lot depending on the player that plays him. It can be a very useless champion, but when you play well, you can really sweat your opponent. So, he is a champion with high potential.

We thank Adnan Şengül for answering our questions. You can follow him on Twitter.

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