Latest Casualty: LCS 2023 shaping up to be a weird one with the departure of long-time host Dash

6 Dec

Foo Zen-Wen

The LCS is losing its face

As one of the most recognizable and popular faces on the LCS broadcast and competitive League of Legends for the past few years, desk host and analyst James “Dash” Patterson will not be returning to the LCS in 2023, he announced on Tuesday.

[twitter url="https://twitter.com/JamesDash/status/1610370899697602561"]

Amidst the swirl of rumors surrounding his departure, he affirmed that the primary reason for his departure was that the ‘new direction of the LCS doesn’t have a need for a consistent host.’ While a consistent presence on the broadcast in several capacities, “Dash’s” primary selling point has been his charismatic presence on the desk as the host. With the new LCS broadcast schedule changes, he now finds himself free to explore other options.

However, “Dash” is still in discussions with Riot Games to see where else he can apply his expertise and talents to with the company in 2023. In his announcement, he affirms that while he will no longer be the desk host, he will still be involved from time to time for key moments and some content. He also affirmed his desire to be continually involved in the LCS in any capacity.

Bells ring for the LCS’ slow death

As reported earlier in December, sweeping changes are coming to the Riot Games broadcast lineup, for both League of Legends and Valorant. One of the largest changes has been the shifting of gameday for the LCS from weekend primetime hours to Thursday and Friday midday. “Dash” has also confirmed that the decision to remove his role was not his, but rather Riot’s as part of their sweeping changes. Riot informed him this past August that they would be removing his role from the LCS broadcast.

This alone would not be enough to signal a slow death, however fans of the North American broadcast are slowly signalling it as change after change has impacted their faith in the product’s continuance. The broadcast changes were the largest source of protest, followed by the departures of long-time casters David “Phreak” Turley and Julian “Pastrytime” Carr.

Moreover, Riot Games’ handling of the situation in the LCS has been heavily criticised, with “Dash’s” removal especially heavily protested. For many fans, it seemed quite apparent that at least in North America, Riot Games was shifting their focus towards Valorant, their new rising esports.

There’s the door

On a livestream, “Dash” confirmed that the decision to leave was not his own, and that the LCS had simply informed him that his services would not be required anymore in 2023. No negotiations were offered for the tenured desk host of nearly a decade on the broadcast.

“Dash” has been a consistent figure on the broadcast, even appearing in prestigious LAN events such as the Mid-Season Invitational and Worlds Championship. He has been such a staple of the Riot Games broadcast that he has even made appearances on sister game Valorant during its LAN debut. His departure from the broadcast talent lineup led to great public outcry.