After five years of operations, the Belgian company Unlocked has decided not to renew its license for the Benelux EMEA Regional League in 2025 and beyond, marking the end of the Elite Series: League of Legends. Despite Riot Games’ interest in continuing with another license cycle, the two companies are set to end their collaboration, as they could not reach a suitable financial agreement to run the ESLOL for another three-year cycle. Additional sources indicate that Unlocked laid off a large portion of its workforce on Monday and is now seeking to merge with another company. The organizer will bow out after the conclusion of the ongoing Benelux Masters.
One of the last ESLOL trophies. Credit: Unlocked
The End of an Era
First recognized in 2018, the Benelux region has undergone many iterations since its inception. Initially organized by Gamers First as the Benelux Premier League, the region experienced steady growth over the years, reaching its golden age after 4Entertainment (later known as META and Unlocked) acquired the Benelux license in 2020. With aspirations to compete with the largest ERLs, the Belgian and Dutch regions rapidly evolved, undergoing several major changes before eventually becoming the Elite Series.
Unfortunately, reality soon caught up with Unlocked, which had already closed its Rocket League, VALORANT, and Counter-Strike divisions earlier this year. With this news, the company is now set to sunset its last major competition and bid farewell to League of Legends entirely. While the company’s future remains uncertain, multiple sources have confirmed that a large portion of its workforce has been let go as it seeks a potential buyer.
Riot Responds: the Future of the League?
As Unlocked exits the scene, the future of the Benelux region is now in question, with many wondering what will become of its players and teams. After further investigation, Sheep Esports contacted representatives from Riot Games’ ERL team, who emphasized that the company remains dedicated to serving the Benelux region as best as it can. Riot is currently seeking a new operator to manage the region. When asked for an official comment, a Riot Games spokesperson responded:
"We can confirm that we will discontinue our relationship with Unlocked, the current Tournament Organizer for The Elite Series League of Legends (ESLOL) in 2025. We're committed to continuing to offer players and teams in the region a competitive experience, and can confirm we are exploring different solutions for the ecosystem for next season. We will be sure to update the community with further details in due course."
The EMEA Masters cover 13 regional leagues. Credit: Riot Games
The Reasons Behind the Closure
On the other hand, while Unlocked did not comment directly to Sheep Esports on the story, one of the company's directors sent an official email to the Elite Series teams this evening, confirming the story and addressing the reasons behind the league's closure:
"[...] All this comes at a hefty cost, something we have tried to correct in 2024 without sacrificing too much and without compromising the requirements imposed within the license. Changes were also planned for 2025 in order to move even more toward break-even, changes that we don't take lightly and that weren't easy either, but were necessary.
On that front, the renewal of the license with Riot was also on the agenda, of course. In addition to our pitch in terms of planning for 2025, the budget exercise within Riot's boundaries (which were already more flexible for the new license), we did not come to a satisfactory conclusion on a number of issues, so we made the additional difficult decision to then distance ourselves from the local ERL - something we also notified Riot of on 21/10/2024."
Final Words
At this time, many questions remain unanswered for the teams and players who are entering the off-season quite late, with no assurance of a place to compete next year. Several organizations are set to begin talks and negotiations with Riot Games in the coming days, hoping to reach a viable agreement to acquire the Benelux license and usher the region into a new and better life cycle. Sheep Esports remains in active discussions with all involved parties and Riot Games, aiming to help reach a solution for everyone affected.
Header Photo Credit: Unlocked
