Despite some of the world’s best League of Legends players from all over the world coming together, the discourse at this year’s League of Legends Mid-Seasonal Invitational has been about one thing and one thing only: ping. Since the start of the tournament, players have complained that the latency feels much higher than set amount of 35 ping – a figure set to level the field with Royal Never Give Up, which is playing from home due to strict COVID-19 protocols in China.
However, despite initial assurances that the ping was working as intended, Riot Games has now admitted the latency has been higher than intended, giving an unfair advantage. As a result, RNG is now being forced to replay all three of its first-round group stage games.
“Following extensive technical evaluation of the competitive and training environments during the first three days of the 2022 Mid-Seasonal Invitational, we discovered on day three that there was a discrepancy in the latency being reported in the game logs for all matches versus what was being experienced in the Busan venue, ” Alex Francois, global head of competitive operations, says in a statement.
Because RNG’s opponents in the group stage had higher ping, Riot Games is now forcing the team to replay them by Sunday (May 15) in the interests of competitive integrity. Whether the team will once again finish with a 3-0 record against PSG Talon, RED Canids, and Istanbul Wildcats remains to be seen.
A Message from Alex François, Global Head of Competitive Operations, Riot Gameshttps://t.co/YIe1r2vx0c pic.twitter.com/ynVyw0wuPn
— LoL Esports (@lolesports) May 13, 2022
While the constant chatter about ping has certainly put a stain on the opening stages of MSI 2022, Riot Games’ subsequently apology and attempts to make good means we can hopefully look past this incident and look forward to a highly competitive competition.